In 2023, Cristal, a Belgian beer brand, sought to increase positive brand association and awareness by highlighting the local ingredients and green energy they use in their production. The purpose of this campaign was to appeal to younger consumers and minimizing ad waste.
To achieve this, Dentsu and Ads & Data partnered with Cristal to design a data-optimized media strategy, integrating TV and online channels to maximize reach and reduce the cost per impact. Leveraging Dentsu’s Consumer Connection Tool, this approach enabled Cristal to adapt its strategy, and effectively double its audience reach.
The plan, the strategy and the execution
To reach their target audience, the campaign rolled out in two waves. The first used linear TV, Smart Ad, and BVOD (broadcaster video on demand) to reach viewers aged 25-44. The second targeted those missed in the initial wave. Data-optimized targeting, using first-party data and cross-platform integration, maximized reach while reducing ad waste and boosting brand awareness among younger consumers. This combined approach achieved Belgium’s first-ever total video reach measurement across linear TV, Smart AD, and BVOD, maximizing reach and reducing ad waste.
Campaign video available here.
Team work makes the dream work
Cristal, Dentsu, and Ads & Data teams worked closely together, with support from VLM (a creative agency) for TV spots. They also partnered with Telenet, Proximus, and InfoSum for privacy-compliant audience targeting. Ads & Data’s analysts ensured consistency across platforms, consolidating campaign data into a single deduplicated reach metric.
The campaign’s innovative targeting delivered notable results:
- 23.4% net reach on 25-44 year-olds through linear TV.
- 58% deduplicated net reach with the combination of linear TV, Smart AD, and online video.
- 67% ad recall in the target demographic, with 65% attributing recall to TV.
- High Brand Awareness: 95% among 25-44 year-olds, with a 58% purchase intent among exposed viewers.
Recognition and Industry Impact
The campaign won the CommPass AMMA award for ‘Best Use of Data’ and IAB Mixx award for Effective Use of Data. By relying on local first-party data, the campaign also strengthened the local advertising ecosystem, demonstrating the potential of data-optimized strategies to achieve extensive reach among younger audiences.
Source: egtaknowledgehub.com
OTHER CASE STUDIES
UNBOXING THE FUTURE: TURNING SWEEPSTAKES INTO AN IMMERSIVE AR EXPERIENCE
11. 9. 2025In summer 2025, RTL AdAlliance in Austria reimagined the traditional sweepstakes by transforming it into an interactive Augmented Reality experience. Instead of waiting for a prize in a physical package sent to be to the winners, participants could place a virtual gift box in their own living room via smartphone and unbox it themselves. What… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
SPOTDELI: A UNIFIED PLATFORM FOR COMMERCIAL DELIVERY IN DUTCH TELEVISION
17. 7. 2025In a major step toward modernization and efficiency, Screenforce has collaborated with TV broadcasters in the Netherlands and have launched SpotDeli, a centralized platform for submitting TV commercials. Developed by Screenforce and MediaLab, SpotDeli has become the exclusive gateway for delivering commercials to major Dutch sales houses, including Ster, Talpa Network, and Ad Alliance. This… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
MADE IN AUSTRIA – MADE FOR AUSTRIA
16. 7. 2025A Unified Media Front for Austria’s Advertising Ecosystem In a historic first, Austria’s entire media industry, public and private broadcasters, alongside print and digital publishers, have launched a joint campaign to assert the value of local media to the nation’s economic and democratic health. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), the Association of Austrian Private Broadcasters… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
ITV EMBRACES YOUTUBE AS A STRATEGIC DISTRIBUTION AND COMMERCIAL CHANNEL
24. 6. 2025In a decisive shift away from legacy broadcast-only models, ITV fully integrated YouTube into its content and commercial strategy throughout late 2024 and early 2025. Rather than using YouTube purely as a promotional channel, ITV transitioned to treating the platform as a core pillar of its distribution architecture, publishing full-length episodes, launching thematic channels, and… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
ADS & DATA X SPA REINE ECO-PACK: UNLOCKING INCREMENTAL REACH THROUGH DATA-DRIVEN TV TARGETING
22. 5. 2025SPA Reine’s Eco-Pack campaign with Ads & Data sets a new benchmark in media innovation by combining linear TV with Addressable TV (Smart AD) to deliver incremental reach and optimize frequency. In a still water category under growing pressure from tap water and price-driven private labels, SPA Reine worked with Ads&Data to reaffirm its leadership… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
ATRESMEDIA PUBLICIDAD’S FREQUENCY OPTIMISER
21. 5. 2025Frequency Optimization in Connected TV Advertising Atresmedia Publicidad has introduced the Frequency Optimizer, a new technology solution aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising in connected television (CTV). The system utilizes HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) technology and a sophisticated ad-serving platform to manage and control ad frequency in real time, an advancement… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
AD MANAGER BY RTL ADALLIANCE – A UNIQUE GATEWAY TO EUROPE’S PREMIUM DIGITAL VIDEO INVENTORY
17. 4. 2025A unique gateway to Europe’s premium digital video inventory RTL AdAlliance has introduced AdManager, a self-service advertising platform that enables advertisers to directly purchase premium digital video inventory across multiple European markets. The platform consolidates access to Connected TV (CTV), Broadcaster Video-On-Demand (BVOD), and online video inventory within a single, user-friendly interface. It’s a first-of-its-kind… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
A VEVO & CHANNEL 4 STUDY – UNLOCKING THE POWER OF PREMIUM
17. 4. 2025Amid ongoing industry discussions around the definition of premium content and the role of global streaming platforms within the broader “TV” ecosystem, Vevo, the world’s leading music video network, which distributes the largest network of premium music channels on YouTube, has released a new study. The research conducted by Amplified Intelligence offers valuable insights into… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
THE MAGIC OF REPETITION: MAXIMISING THE IMPACT OF ADVERTISING
26. 3. 2025In a world where distractions are everywhere, grabbing consumers’ attention feels like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. From scrolling through social media while watching TV to listening to the radio while driving, consumers are often distracted. This presents a unique challenge for advertisers: how can we connect with an audience immersed in multitasking?… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
TELETEST 2.0: AUSTRIA’S NEXT-GEN TV MEASUREMENT
21. 3. 2025Teletest 2.0 is Austria’s new TV measurement system, developed by AGTT, which significantly enhances the way TV viewership and ad reach are measured. It introduces a new audience panel with 100,000 synthetic people meter participants, significantly increasing accuracy and depth of audience measurement, enabling real-time data collection and improving data quality across the Austrian television… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
THE STREAMCASTING CHALLENGE AND THE BATTLE FOR AD-TENTION
21. 3. 2025The Italian media Sales Houses Association (FCP), in collaboration with Politecnico Milano and Nielsen, has conducted an in-depth industry study titled ‘’The Streamcasting Challenge and the Battle for Ad-Tension’’. This research explores the evolving dynamics of total audience measurement across broadcasting and streaming platforms, with a particular focus on ad-tention, the quality and quantity of attention… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT
ADS & DATA: LEVERAGING BEHAVIOURAL AND CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS FOR SMARTER ADVERTISING
14. 2. 2025In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, Interest Targeting has been pioneered by Ads & Data. This involves leveraging behavioural and contextual data to serve the most relevant ads. This business case looks at how Ads & Data use this to advertise thereby enhancing campaign performance on their display and shortform platform. With the prospect of developing… Continue reading CRISTAL INNOVATES WITH IMPROVED AUDIENCE TARGETING TO REDUCE WEAROUT