Programmatic Is Finally Coming To Pause Ads
Pause Ads are nothing new on CTV… Just turn on YouTube, Hulu, Peacock, Fubo, or practically any major streaming platform, and you’re bound to see one as you take a regularly scheduled bathroom break. But some much-needed automation is finally coming to the ad format.
While you wouldn’t know it from the couch, the majority of pause ads are delivered via direct IO and app-specific specs. In recent months, however, we’ve seen players like FuboTV, TripleLift, and DirecTV add programmatic capabilities for the format. And Wunderkind Ads has been helping its retail clients scale activation across publishers.
IPG Team Beauty, Ulta Beauty’s dedicated media partner, leveraged Wunderkind Ads to bring standardization and scale to the Pause Ad format, which had been widely used but difficult to buy. Wunderkind’s solution enables programmatic buying through private marketplaces and unifies creative specs to reduce friction.
By leveraging Ulta’s first-party data and QR-code creative, the campaign delivered 79% lower cost per store visit and a 54% above-benchmark conversion rate. The campaign earned AdExchanger’s Programmatic Impact Award for “Trailblazing TV Campaign,” recognizing its innovation and performance.
“Pause Ads is a really untapped new frontier,” said Adam Gendelman, VP, Head of Sales and Operations at Wunderkind. “The format itself isn’t new—but being able to transact on it programmatically, with a single creative spec, is the real breakthrough.”
Other features of the new Pause Ads product include:
Non-intrusive creative that appears during natural content pauses
Full-service creative support, including simple animations and QR code integration
Available across all major DSPs
“Wunderkind CTV Ads is a game-changer,” said Richard Jones, CRO at Wunderkind. “It’s a non-disruptive but highly engaging way to connect with audiences, while maximizing return on ad spend.”
