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The CW lets advertisers bridge TV commercials to mobile rewards

This fall, television network The CW will let its advertisers reward consumers via their smartphones for their TV-viewing activity.

Through a partnership with mobile shopping application Shopkick, viewers? smartphone microphones will be able to automatically recognize a TV commercial when it is being watched when the Shopkick app is open. Advertisers will be able to deliver instant rewards and special offers on the branded products being watched.

?This is the first full bridge from TV all the way into the store,? said Cyriac Roeding, CEO of Shopkick, Palo Alto, CA.

?The advertisers have already determined what audience their message will impact the most,? he said.

?Shopkick lets them take it one step further by engaging the viewer through Shopkick, and providing a reward and an additional incentive to walk into the store and try the product.?

The CW, Los Angeles, will be the exclusive TV partner of  Shopkick, with the new program scheduled to go live in time for the network?s fall schedule.

The upfront advertising sales cycle for TV?s fall schedule has just begun and the news of the partnership was part of The CW?s presentation to advertisers.

For advertisers, the partnership could help span the gap between initial brand interactions on TV and in-store purchasing since many consumers have their mobile phones with them while they are watching TV and while they are shopping in the store.

Bingo with Cwingo
The CW has also created a game with sponsorship opportunities.

Dubbed Cwingo, the game lets viewers play online and through Facebook during the live broadcasts of the network?s shows. It is a mobile-optimized site, so viewers can play on their smartphones or PCs.

Cwingo is a bingo game that lets views challenge their Facebook friends to prove who is the biggest fan. The Cwingo card features scenes from an upcoming CW show as well as commercials airing during the episode.

During the live episode, viewers click the scenes as they see them appear on-air. Viewers who correctly click five scenes in a row receive a badge for their Facebook profile and are entered to win weekly and monthly prizes.

The CW?s Shopkick program and Cwingo game will help connect advertisers with the network's young audience via two channels they are heavy users of: social media and mobile phones.

Using Shopkick?s audio technology, The CW advertisers will be able to recognize the commercials on TV and offer rewards based on consumers? viewing choices.

Consumers watching The CW will be prompted to open their Shopkick app via on-screen alerts. Shopkick is available for iPhone and Android.

?If television advertisers can verify that rewards are only being given to someone who actually watched their commercial, they can offer higher rewards than if they weren?t sure the commercial has actually been watched,? Mr. Roeding said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer