Case Studies

:: Ultramercial and Virgin Mobile USA





Value exchange program promoting product usage and creating loyalty

Client
Virgin Mobile USA - First US mobile virtual network operator(MVNO) created for and defined by youth. Service portfolio includes multiple pricing options, messaging, music and mobile content offerings without long-term contracts.

Objectives
Provide customers a way to earn free airtime by viewing ads or short text messages. Offer National brands a two way interaction with “thought leaders” while adding a targeted mobile channel to their media mix.

Strategy
By creating the “Sugar Mama” program, customers can earn one minute of talk time per :30 ad viewed/or text received for a total of 75 minutes per month. Advertisers are presented as the “good guys” by powering the exchange.

Result
Within 8 days of launch, 56,000 people signed up and acquired 685,000 minutes. Three charter sponsors included Microsoft Xbox, Diet Mountain Dew and American Legacy Foundation’s anti-smoking campaign: Truth. As of January 2009, over 922,000 Virgin Mobile customers have signed up for Sugar Mama and have earned 42 million airtime minutes. And, we have worked with additional brands such as, Ax, Acuvue, American Eagle, Champion, Dr. Pepper, Foot Locker, Ford, H&M, Levi, Lions Gate and Navy.


:: Ultramercial Wi-Fi Access





Increases Usage at Denver International Airport

Client
DIA 5th busiest U.S airport with 47.3 million annual passengers.

Objectives
To improve traveler services while making a profit on an ad-supported WiFi offering.

Strategy
Launch free “ad-supported” WiFi throughout airport. Sell premium Ultramercial ad unit and IAB companion ad inventory to offset costs of upgraded network.

Result
WiFi access went from paid at $7.95 a day to ad supported, and there was a tenfold increase in number of connections within the first month of launch. Positive press and traveler feedback received. The model has since extended to Oakland International Airport, US Airways at Phoenix Airport and Atlantic City Convention Center.


:: Online Retailer






This campaign objectives were to raise brand awareness, deliver a full site experience in a rich and interactive way, drive consumers to the retailer's website and generate sales.  The client took full advantage of the captive audience utilizing WiFi at airports, knowing most users are eager to get online, and tend to engage in relevant and entertaining content. This assumption proved to be true based on the performance statistics. 

The full-screen Ultramercial provided a broad canvas to convey the message. Ultramercial's Interactive Design Team produced a fully interactive ad unit that highlighted specific products: One targeting male shoppers and the second featuring female shoppers.

The ad units had the overall look and feel of the website, thus providing continuity for users who clicked through to the site. The campaign delivered stellar results (9% click through) that exceeded the average click through rate across the Wi-Fi network. The Ultramercial ad unit was the highest performing segment of the campaign, delivering an average click through rate of 9.0% with 69.8 seconds average length of engagement.


:: Honda







Honda's advertising agency RPA selected Ultramercial to carry five different Honda models on five different Ultramercial network sites: ABC.com, Rhapsody, TheStreet, Motor Trend and Salon. The campaign, which ran throughout October, was a huge success. 28% of viewers interacted with the ads, stretching a 35-second spot into a highly engaging 50-second long interactive unit. This extra level of interactivity generated enough interest in the five Honda models that almost 14% of visitors sought out more information by clicking through.

More impressive was the demonstration of the effectiveness of the patented Ultramercial business model where consumers elected to watch the Honda ads as a way to "pay" for their content. In addition to screen time, Honda got an extra boost of goodwill from the campaigns because of the benefit of the premium content that they were sponsoring.

In one of the ads, for the Honda Ridgeline, people who wanted to access the Motor Trend Future Vehicles section were given the option to play a "concentration" card game. Although the game was optional, almost one third of viewers clicked on the cards at least once.