Reasons Why Hulu is Killing it

Opinion: Hulu > Netflix. Why pay for a service that has advertisements? You tell me, when at one point everyone was spending hundreds of dollars for cable. As a disclaimer, I have both streaming services – and I do enjoy Netflix! Although I’m writing this from an advertising perspective, I tend to appreciate Hulu’s content over Netflix lately. I love almost all Netflix originals, but Hulu tends to have options I get excited to watch. Sometimes I don’t know what to watch first, as opposed to endless indecisive scrolling through Netflix. But you’re here to read about the advertising – so let’s get to it.

Quality of the Ads

The ads on Hulu are not knockoff brand quality, if you know what I mean. We’ve all had Loopy Fruits that taste nothing like Fruit Loops – just spend the extra $2. While I don’t expect viewers to watch and appreciate ads the way I do, I think it’s reasonable to agree that the quality of Hulu ads are there. I have yet to see your typical infomercial or ad that says “call within the next 20 minutes!”. Those can just ruin the mood, huh? For the most part, the ads are crystal clear and meet or even exceed my expectations. The content within the ad itself is well thought out and executed. I love laughing, and I love when an ad makes me feel something. Here are a few that hit the nail on the head:

Cascade – Do It Every Night

Hyundai - Dad Look

Cheez-It - Snap'd

Interaction & Engagement

The better the quality, the more I’m intrigued in the ad. Quality plays a huge factor into Hulu’s interaction and engagement features. There have been numerous circumstances where I’ve been served a few ads with limited time to choose which ‘ad experience’ I’d like to select. While these aren’t necessarily my favorite, a big thing in today’s advertising world is the two-way communication with consumers. I bet there are quite a few people who enjoy this feature. Adding in the option is beneficial for the company to see which is performing best and makes the user interact and engage with the brand.

Recently, I was served an ad (via Hulu on an Amazon Fire Stick), in which the product was displayed on the screen with a CTA (call to action) to click through to learn more/buy the product. Again, the engagement option is great. I really feel it resonates well with the audience and it’s a positive direction for OTT (over the top). Purchasing items digitally is becoming the norm. With a tap of a button your item arrives in 2 days and it's weirder not to have an option to order food online. Our world is digital – your advertising needs to adapt to it if you haven’t already. I predict the new norm will be ordering through your TV at a click of a button. Next time, I’ll have to click through the ad and check it out.

Overall Experience

I can see it now: drinking wine, watching Bob’s Burgers, and ordering a product that made me laugh on a Hulu ad at the click of a button. When I’m watching something on any streaming service, the goal is to relax and enjoy myself. I find that the ads I’m served on Hulu enhance my show and movie experience. While a few commercials cause an eye roll or two (as there will always be those ads), the majority of the time I genuinely enjoy them. A few have made me laugh, others have made me say “aww”. Not all of Hulu’s content has commercials and it’s a nice break when you want to watch something without interruption. Overall, Hulu is killing it compared to their competitors. 10/10, would recommend to row your boat down this stream(ing service).