Thirty-eight percent of people in the US scan QR codes at least once per year, according to Emarketer.
But, when it comes to TV ads that aim to drive viewers to websites, some are coming to think that remote control-based interaction wins out over QR.
Robert Aksman, president and co-founder of BrightLine, explained why in this video interview with Beet.TV.
Closing the loop on attribution and one-click purchasing
The rise of CTV has opened the door for advertisers to close the loop on attribution and one-click purchasing. Aksman explained that while QR codes are currently a popular way in which advertisers can drive viewers to a website, they are not very effective compared to remote-control interactivity.
“A remote click, actual interaction with the remote control, is 125 times greater than the scan of a mobile phone,” he said. “Closing the loop of the remote where you can click and get a cart sent to your phone instantly, we’re seeing that is dramatically more effective.”
BrightLine’s technology brings interactive ad formats to CTV, and it is focused on making the remote click help viewers scroll around.
Advertisers Want Interactive TV Ads Standardized: Brightline’s Bologna
Connecting to retailers’ CRM and back-end commerce systems
As BrightLine works with retailers to connect to their CRM and back-end commerce systems, Aksman sees an opportunity for viewers to make purchases and add items to their carts directly from their TVs.
However, he noted that in the lean-back mode of TV viewing, “add to cart” is generally more popular than immediate purchases.
“Add to cart is generally where we’re seeing more interest, something to save for later, and when I’m done with my high-stakes drama, maybe I’ll purchase it when I log in at a later time,” he explained.
Advertisers ready to innovate beyond the 30-second spot
Aksman believes that advertisers in 2025 re finally exiting the phase of coming to terms with streaming TV as the future of television and are now ready to innovate beyond the traditional 30-second spot.
“We’re now starting to see advertisers have a real appetite for making more of each impression,” he said.
“They’re not feeling like they can check the innovation box simply by being on Connected TV. They’re now realizing that (they have) to go further… to engage our viewer with our messaging.”
