Hulu

Boosting Subscriptions with Snapchat

From binge watchers to show hoppers, streaming services have transformed how we consume television. Increasing competition means pausing isn’t an option – even for the industry’s biggest players. That’s why Hulu harnesses a key commercial moment to capture incremental growth. Every year, around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the US-based streaming service runs a limited-time offer – and it uses Snapchat to maximize impact.

Full Impact with First Commercials

To acquire new subscribers at scale, Hulu ran a First Commercial takeover on the Wednesday before Black Friday and another one on the Sunday before Cyber Monday. Not only are the initial six seconds of a First Commercial non-skippable, the format ensures a brand's video is the first advertisement a Snapchatter sees each day.

Hulu’s First Commercial, which harnessed the power of Hollywood, was hugely engaging. Splicing together clips of its top shows, the streaming service showcased the breadth of its content and delivered its promotional messaging in bite-sized soundbites.

On the last day of its promotion, Hulu leveraged ‘last-chance messaging’ to drive urgency around the limited-time offer. In tandem with the Takeovers, Hulu layered on targeted media to optimize lower-funnel performance. This meant the campaign not only drove awareness but also translated into measurable subscriber acquisition.

From Commercials to Conversions

Hulu’s First Commercial campaign was a definite hit. Across the whole campaign, the brand achieved a +12% lift in incremental subscribers ¹. More specifically, Hulu drove +9% and +24% lift in incremental subscribers for each Commercial Takeover, respectively ¹.