In September 2024, ITV launched an innovative solution aimed at making TV advertising more accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By leveraging the power of Generative AI (GenAI), ITV is expanding its commercial creative production services to remove the perceived barriers associated with the cost of making ads for TV. This innovation allows new-to-TV SME brands to create high-quality advertisements at a fraction of the cost, bringing the benefits of TV advertising within reach for businesses of all sizes
Democratizing TV Advertising for SMEs
As part of its effort to attract new advertisers, ITV collaborated with two SMEs—Travel House, a Swansea-based travel company, and Sheepbridge Interiors, a furniture store in Northern Ireland. Both companies have aired their first-ever TV ads, developed using ITV’s GenAI creative tools powered by their Creative Production Lead (CPL). This marks a significant milestone for the brands, as they have been able to create premium-quality TV ads
Successful Campaign Launches
We thought a TV ad of this quality was far out of our reach, so it’s been a real game changer for us to be the first to use this new service from ITV
We are confident this innovative production approach will be a significant benefit and revenue driver for Travel House. We look forward to seeing the positive impact it brings to our business.
Key Features and Benefits of ITV’s GenAI Ad Production
- High-Quality, Cost-Effective Ads: ITV’s GenAI solution delivers high-quality, cost-effective ads by seamlessly integrating licensed AI tools for image and video creation with the invaluable expertise of professional voice-over artists, musicians, and production teams. This approach harnesses the power of both cutting-edge technology and human talent, ensuring that each ad is infused with creativity and emotion. This collaboration allows ads to maintain the high production values expected of TV commercials while making them more affordable and accessible. The resulting synergy of technology and human skills enhance the final product.
- Simplified Creative Process: ITV’s GenAI tools enhance its existing creative production process, streamlining the development of compelling TV ads for new advertisers. This innovative approach empowers SMEs to break into TV advertising with minimal effort and maximum impact, delivering high-quality results in under 10 hours. This creative offer provides a fixed cost of just £1,000 (€1,200) for SME advertisers, making TV advertising more accessible and affordable. Discover more about this and ITV’s wider creative production offering here.
- Proven Effectiveness: In collaboration with research firm System1, ITV tested the effectiveness of its AI-generated ads, including campaigns for Travel House and Sheepbridge Interiors. Both campaigns successfully passed Clearcast’s rigorous standards, ensuring they met industry guidelines. Impressively, these ads ranked in the top 20% of UK advertisements for effectiveness, as measured by System1, delivering above-average results within their respective categories.
Future Growth and Expansion
This GenAI ad production project builds on the success of ITV’s broader creative production services, which currently deliver over 1,000 ads annually for more than 200 new-to-TV brands. By incorporating AI technology, ITV aims to further democratize TV advertising, empowering more SMEs to leverage the power of television for their growth.
ITV continues to expand its self-serve advertising platform, Planet V, which has attracted over 1,000 new video-on-demand (VOD) advertisers since its launch, further highlighting ITV’s commitment to making premium advertising solutions accessible to businesses of all sizes.
For more information about ITV’s GenAI creative production services, please visit https://www.itvmedia.co.uk/