FLOW Jamaica has begun selling advertisement space on its high traffic TV guide channel. Columbus Communications, which trades as Flow, is trying to woo advertisers to place banner ads on its Interactive Programming Guide (IPG), on a pitch that the channel receives tens of billions of hits.

The company said that it clocked "four billion cumulative viewer impressions on the guide" in Jamaica in a single month.

What's more, much like website ads, viewers can click to get additional information should an ad catch their eye.

"Banner advertising on Flow's programming guide also overcomes the limitations of a typical 30-second ad spot on local programming or cable TV," said a statement from the company. "The viewer can just press the B button on their Flow remote to reveal a full-screen ad which provides more detailed information about the product or service shown on the banner."

Columbus already rolled out the service in Trinidad, where it has taken on the country's largest fast-food restaurant groups, Pizza Boys Group, which has five fast-food brands across 50 locations in Trinidad, including Rituals Coffee Shop, which has a franchise location in Jamaica.

Statistics showed that the average Trinidadian viewer clicks over to the guide an average of 21 times during a viewing experience, within a one- to two-hour period. Additionally, they spend at least 1 1/2 minutes using the TV guide interface.

Another advantage of the ad placement on Flow's IPG is that it does not matter which channel a viewer is interested in watching.

"Ads on the interactive programming guide are also unbeatable when it comes to the sustained impact of a company's product on customers, as viewers are presented with the ad for as long as they're searching through the guide," said Michael Look Tong, director of media services for Columbus Communications Jamaica. "Customers are looking for something, whether it be a movie or their favourite television programme. So, when presented with the on-screen banner ad for any product or service, viewers are more likely to take an interest in what's being shown there as well."

Flow offers other ways for companies to expose their brands via its cable TV platform.

Businesses are already advertising on Flow's Video On Demand platform, where ads can be placed before a particular programme that a customer has selected for viewing.

Other brand exposure opportunities are provided via placements on Flow TV Channel 100 and Flow's weather channel, as with the subscriber television provider's mosaic channels, where advertisers can highlight their brand by placing an ad within the advertising tile located on the mosaic channel profile or via title placement of the mosaic channel.