The Watch Party solution follows a longitudinal approach, engaging respondents before, during, and after their viewing experience.
In America alone, individuals consume more than 12 and a half hours of media daily, presenting a tough challenge for advertisers to not just to stand out but to truly connect. Immersive sponsor integrations —where brands blend seamlessly into programming—have quickly become a leading way to capture audience attention.
And consumers like brand integrations. One research study found that 73% of consumers agree that brand integrations are less intrusive than TV ads and 63% say they make brands more relatable. When compared to traditional ads, integrations have 100% higher viewability and 35% higher recall. Wow! But how do you measure if these strategies hit the mark or miss the memo?
Enter Reach3 Insights’ Watch Party, a solution designed to help advertisers, media companies and studios to understand advertising and content impact on behavior and sentiment as it happens. Watch Party leverages conversational research methodology to capture authentic consumer reactions in the moment. It’s like having a direct line to your audience’s unfiltered thoughts while they’re watching your ads and brand integrations in action.
Moving beyond antiquated research methods
Traditional approaches often use slow, email-based recall approaches, which rely on a viewer’s memory. Chances are they will have forgotten how they felt and what they did, which leads to forgettable insights for advertisers. As our CMO Paula Catoira wrote in her article for Advertising Week:
“Recall methods are notoriously faulty, as asking someone to remember how they felt or what they did after the fact often does not yield accurate insights.”
In contrast, Watch Party captures immediate, unvarnished reactions through mobile chat-based surveys. Using technology developed by our sister company, Rival Technologies, this conversational approach transforms the research experience into an engaging, natural exchange. Jenna Shuster, our SVP, said during our recent masterclass webinar on the topic:
“What we’ve found is that when you use conversational research, people let their guard down and share more, allowing us to capture their unvarnished stream-of-consciousness feedback.”
How Watch Party works
The Watch Party solution follows a longitudinal approach, engaging respondents before, during, and after their viewing experience:
- Recruitment: Viewers are recruited via traditional panels, QR codes on screens, social media, or other channels.
- Pre-event engagement: Text-based notifications prepare participants for the Watch Party, building excitement and setting expectations.
- In-the-moment feedback: During the broadcast, respondents share their reactions through fast, engaging SMS surveys, complete with video and photo options.
- Post-event follow-up: Researchers continue the conversation to measure recall, emotional connection, and behavioral impact over time.
This multi-touchpoint methodology enables brands to uncover critical insights at every stage of the viewing journey.
Unlocking actionable insights
With Watch Party, advertisers gain access to a rich blend of data, including quantitative metrics, qualitative feedback, and video-based inputs. Using AI market research tools, we analyze these insights to uncover key themes and emotional drivers. As Jenna mentions during the webinar:
“The longitudinal aspect is so powerful. We can recontact viewers multiple times to measure residual impact, facilitated by mobile text message notifications. We routinely see 80%+ recontact rates with this methodology, which is powerful for understanding exposure's impact on future behaviors.”
Deliverables include real-time data access, interactive reports, and curated digital stories that bring insights to life. Whether evaluating creative effectiveness, sponsor integrations, or shoppable ads, Watch Party provides the actionable intelligence brands need to refine their important brand and sponsor integration strategies.
Real-world applications and impact
From evaluating live TV sponsorships all the way to interactive shoppable ads, Watch Party has delivered big wins for advertisers. In one study, researchers captured live feedback during a major TV event, revealing what stuck with viewers and how sponsor integrations boosted brand perception.
Another Watch Party explored shoppable QR codes in a streaming series, uncovering how viewers interacted with this innovative shopping feature and what drove purchase intent. And those are just two examples. Watch Party is a powerful approach for measuring a wide range of advertising and branding initiatives.
Ready to revolutionize your approach to sponsor integrations?
In a world where attention is fleeting, you can’t afford to guess what works. Watch Party isn’t just a research solution—it’s your secret weapon for cutting through the noise, capturing real-time reactions, and transforming insights into action.
Want to see how Watch Party can help your brand stand out and stay top of mind? Watch a recording of our webinar to learn more.

Kelvin Claveria
Marketing, Reach3 Insights