Trying something new can be scary since you never know what to expect. The good thing is that sometimes it can pleasantly surprise you. 

This is what happened to Yettel, a Bulgarian telco that partnered with Eskimi to experiment with a channel they’ve never tried before – connected TV (CTV). 

“We were interested to see how it will go and maybe find out if there’s potential for future campaigns on CTV,” said Miglena Slavova, Head of Digital at Yettel.

After almost a month that the campaign was live, Yettel’s video achieved an impressive 94.52% view-through rate and 77.9% video completion rate.

About Yettel

Yettel was introduced to Bulgarian, Serbian, and Hungarian markets as a part of PPF Telecom Group in 2022. In Bulgaria, the telecommunications company is currently a top choice for 3 million users who use its services daily.

Together with PHD Bulgaria, a global media and marketing communications agency that they’ve been working with for over 10 years, Yettel wanted to explore the possibilities offered by CTV and increase brand awareness among a narrower audience.

“We’re all in with the learning approach because digital and telco industries are extremely dynamic,” Miglena Slavova said. “Our audience is very broad, so whenever we can pick some niche audiences, we take this opportunity.”

Therefore, Yettel and PHD Bulgaria decided to team up with Eskimi and promote Yettel’s video ad on connected TV, introducing its services to streamers.

Focusing on a brand-safe advertising solution

Before launching the campaign, Yettel emphasized the importance of preserving its brand image. 

CTV is a rapidly growing channel that offers advertisers new opportunities to deliver their messages to engaged audiences. However, like any other channel, it still possesses a risk of appearing alongside unwanted content.

Eskimi is committed to eliminating such risks by working with established CTV providers, such as SpotX and Unruly, that focus on the highest brand safety standards in the industry and collaborate with premium publishers only.

Therefore, CTV advertising is supported through PMP deals (private auctions set up only for selected advertisers), ensuring that ads appear alongside broadcast-quality content.

“We have this common understanding about where our ads should appear – in what environment, context, platforms, how they should be seen, and by whom. CTV worked well for us from the brand image point of view as it fits our general strategy, positioning, and visibility standards,” said Miglena Slavova. 

Visibility and available data

With this campaign, Yettel wanted to boost brand visibility and understand how many people and what kind of audience they could reach on CTV rather than focus on interactions.

From the Eskimi report, Yettel was able to get a clear idea about demographics, the top devices and sites their ad appeared on, explore the ad delivery map by the hour, and more. 

Yettel’s video was promoted across popular apps and media outlets in Bulgaria, hitting almost 12,5K impressions.

Results

Yettel’s video debut on CTV provided both the telco and PHD valuable insights on channel capabilities and delivered good results in terms of visibility.

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Yettel’s video ad, which was 17 seconds long, achieved a 94.52% view-through rate. Out of all served impressions, nearly 78% resulted in a completed view. 

“We are also always keen on trying new, different formats, and that’s another benefit of working with Eskimi. We’re currently trying in-game advertising and are curious to see how it goes,” says Tihomira Dinkova.

Based on the results of this campaign, Yettel is expanding its partnership with PHD and Eskimi and is looking into launching additional CTV campaigns.