Montreal Bank Tapped For Rovi Canadian Ad Field Trial

The Canadian launch of the Rovi Smart TV Field Trial Advertising Program aims to help companies develop and introduce ad campaigns across HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players and other Internet-connected devices.

Rovi unveiled its Smart TV Field Trial in the United States in April, and the company says it’s delivering millions of impressions per month for participating brands. “Based on tracking reports from 24/7 Real Media Inc., overall advertising impressions grew 41 percent month to month in June and, importantly, ads are now garnering consumer interaction rates of 13 percent,” Rovi adds. 

The Smart TV Field Trial Advertising program is based on the production, delivery and measurement of campaigns on connected devices; and it represents a subset of the reach of the Rovi Advertising Network. In addition to a large, worldwide connected-device footprint, the Rovi Advertising Network extends campaigns to set-top boxes and entertainment-based Web portals.

As part of the Canadian field trial, Rovi is working with BMO Bank of Montreal to deploy, manage and evaluate BMO campaigns across next-gen devices; and then to help the bank reach consumers who get their entertainment via a broadband connection. 

The initial BMO Bank trial focuses on BMO’s “SmartSteps for Parents,” an online, interactive program to help parents educate children on money management. “Interactive banners on ‘Home Screens’ or within Rovi-powered entertainment guides on a connected device are designed to build awareness for the ongoing BMO SmartSteps for Parents program and act as an entry point to a dedicated BMO microsite featuring age-relevant articles, videos and expert blogs designed to help parents teach their children the value of money,” Rovi says. 

"As a thought-leader with a strong brand reputation and history of developing compelling marketing campaigns, BMO is an ideal company to launch our Canadian Smart TV Field Trial," says Jeff Siegel, senior vice president/Worldwide advertising at Rovi. “Representing the first customer from the financial sector, BMO helps to demonstrate the broad appeal of our solution, which allows companies to deliver highly creative and interactive campaigns in an uncluttered advertising environment." 

Adds Heather Way, a research analyst at Parks Associates, "The Smart TV Field Trial allows companies to gain early insights into connected-device advertising and interact with an entertainment audience that’s becoming increasingly fragmented. Based on its strong position in entertainment search and recommendation, Rovi’s Smart TV Field Trial and broader Ad Network are already delivering tangible results for participating brands from a range of industries, as well as beginning to drive viable new streams of revenue for consumer electronics manufacturers."