What’s New: Giant QR Code on Google TV Ads
Google TV is revamping its ads by displaying QR codes, leading viewers directly to an advertiser’s website. No one is led astray, and interacting is now made easy.
This modern streaming service platform, first appearing in 2020, builds upon Android TV with the marked difference of providing a more user-centric interface.
In a bold step toward interactive advertising, Google TV tests out a new ad format using QR codes that may reshape how we engage with television ads and has created quite a stir among long-time platform users.
This new addition caters to the quickly growing need for seamless, centralized connectivity. But what does this mean for advertisers and viewers?
Let’s look into the innovation and what it could mean for the future of smart TV advertising.
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Google TV introduces QR code ads
What is Google TV, anyway? It is an all-in-one smart TV streaming platform that combines your favorite films, shows, and games based on your apps and subscriptions.
It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to learn your preferences and habits and uses this data to organize your content into neat, personalized topics and genres.
In addition, you get tailor-made recommendations based on what you love to see and what is popular or trending. However, according to user reviews, one significant drawback of Google TV is the obtrusive ads.
While promoting upcoming movies and shows makes sense, Google has recently begun pushing out other products and content types, such as the new PS5 game Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Users complained about its misleading “Buy Now” button. Upon clicking the button, it directs users to the game’s YouTube channel rather than a purchasing medium.
Homescreen ads on TV platforms have been a polarizing talking point, especially when Google strayed from its usual movie recommendations and showed more direct ads for things like cars.
For instance, another ad on Google TV showcases the newest Range Rover alongside a prominent QR code. Although it is irrelevant to entertainment, it is improved by linking to an appropriate site.
This new ad format, created using dynamic QR code generator software, adds an interactive element to viewers' engagement with TV ads and gives advertisers a better grasp of user behavior.
The introduction of QR codes on ads follows a Google TV survey of what people currently think of the number, quality, and relevance of its ads. Whether the reception of this new format is decidedly more positive or negative remains to be seen.
Google TV vs. Android TV: What’s the difference?
If you know anything about smart television, you may have noticed a blurry distinction between some popular ones: Google TV and Android TV.
These two are more similar than different; hence, they are often conflated. Aside from being based on Android, they mostly have a paralleled selection of applications, games, and content.
They also support Chromecast and Google Assistant, which integrate with several well-known streaming apps. However, there are a few stark contrasts.
A main aspect in which they differ is their user interface (UI). Android TV’s homepage highlights recommendations based on apps, whereas Google TV’s AI uses your preferences and what you like to see.
Under Google TV’s For You tab, it promotes popular content in your region. Another difference lies in the platforms’ parental controls. Although both support multiple profiles, only Google TV has dedicated “child profiles.”
The Google Family Link service allows parents to create separate accounts for their children, manage app access, and personalize age-appropriate content recommendations.
Why a QR code on Google TV ads, of all things?
The digital advertising industry continues to find new and inventive ways to hold people’s attention long enough for them to consider a product or service.
For smart TV platforms like Google TV, which receive the most criticism for what they advertise rather than how they advertise, this begs the question, why choose QR codes?
We suspect it has much to do with the growing adoption of QR codes on TV commercials and other modes of advertising. They’re a quick, simple, and, more importantly, recognizable way of accessing information online.
QR codes can be found in anything from social media posts and marketing collateral to coffee cups and concert tickets. This makes QR codes in TV ads a logical addition, where viewers can instantly connect.
What to expect from smart TV advertising
With the growing adoption of both smart TVs and QR codes and a ceaseless need for digital interactivity, platforms like Google TV will be compelled to explore this software and its endless use cases.
QR tech fits well with a marketing climate focused on improving online shopping experiences and creating seamless lead conversions. They also cater to advertisers looking for smart ways to reach new customers while tracking user behavior.
By adding QR codes to ads, smart TV advertising will meet the demands of a digital-centric audience and ensure ads stay relevant and pointed.
