BuyTryShare: putting trust and value back at the heart of advertising

For several years now, advertising and media players have been undergoing a profound, often brutal transformation. Revenues are stagnating, audiences are fragmenting, and consumer confidence in traditional advertising is eroding. In this context, Philippe Bailly's findings are clear: the temptation to go “all-in” on streaming and CTV is driving volume inflation, but not necessarily better advertising effectiveness. Worse still, the race for volume distracts advertising agencies and advertisers from the real battle: that of attention and credibility. It is in this crisis-ridden environment that BuyTryShare is establishing itself as a new, pragmatic, and profitable solution. Its mission is simple but essential: to generate new revenue for advertising sales houses and to build trust and attention for advertisers with regard to their products.

Stéphane LE BRETON

8/29/20253 min read

The paradox of streaming and connected TV

Video usage has never been so widespread. The global streaming market, valued at $119 billion in 2023, is expected to reach nearly $174 billion in 2028. Connected TV (CTV) is gradually establishing itself as an essential channel, already accounting for more than 15% of video advertising spending in some European countries. In France, more than 85% of households now have a connected TV (Arcom, 2023).

However, this growth in volume masks a worrying reality: profitability is not on the cards. Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video... all are investing heavily in content, but are struggling to balance their books. Traditional channels, for their part, are seeing their linear advertising market plateau at around €3.4 billion in France. The result is an inflation of shorter, more frequent formats, which do not increase efficiency. As Philippe Bailly sums up, the market is locked into a volume-based approach, when it should be seeking a value-based approach.

Growing mistrust of advertising

The problem is now clearly identified: consumers no longer listen to brands, they listen to other consumers.

According to Nielsen, 64% of users of advertising-funded platforms actively avoid advertisements.
Only 39% of viewers correctly attribute an advertisement to the brand that broadcast it, a sharp decline compared to ten years ago.
Conversely, 74% of consumers say they trust customer reviews, and 95% consult them before making a purchase.

These figures reveal a shift: authority no longer comes from advertising spots, but from social proof. And it is precisely this proof that BuyTryShare integrates into the heart of its media strategies.

BuyTryShare: the WHY

BuyTryShare was born out of a conviction: advertising can only regain its value by reconnecting three players that are currently misaligned:

Media Ad Sales Houses, which need additional revenue and formats that set them apart from GAFAM and TikTok.
Advertisers who are seeking campaigns capable of restoring attention and trust, not just reach.
Consumers, who demand credible advertising experiences where their voices are taken into account.

The proposal is simple: add extra authenticity to each advertisement by displaying a certified customer review. This 5-second format, integrated directly into the advertising screen, transforms top-down communication into credible social proof.

How does it work?

The scheme is based on three pillars:

Collection and certification of reviews: via specialised platforms such as TRND (a subsidiary of Bertelsmann), reviews are solicited from real consumers who have purchased the product. The NF ISO 20488 standard guarantees the transparency, authenticity and traceability of each review. No fake content, no manipulation.
Seamless advertising integration: the review (rating out of 5 + verbatim) is included in a 5-second mini-advertisement broadcast immediately after the traditional advertisement. It may be accompanied by a QR code redirecting viewers to a page listing all reviews or to an e-commerce site.
Measuring effectiveness: beyond traditional metrics (impressions, reach, viewing time), BuyTryShare allows you to track concrete indicators: QR code click-through rate, engagement, purchase intent, sales lift, etc. All of these provide tangible evidence of return on investment.

The results already observed

Initial tests conducted in Europe have confirmed the relevance of BuyTryShare. Integrating authentic customer reviews directly into advertising screens generates a measurable increase in attention, better memorisation and a significant rise in interactions (for example, via QR code scanning).

In several sectors – from beauty to automotive and food – pilots have shown that authentic social proof can overcome trust barriers and increase purchase intent. These results demonstrate that combining the power of traditional media with the credibility of consumer reviews results in communication that is both more engaging and more profitable:

a significant increase in attention measured in the post-test,
an increase in advertising recall,
and a click-through rate that was 35% higher thanks to the QR code displayed.

In the automotive industry, incorporating customer reviews has helped to overcome trust issues and increase the proportion of prospects willing to visit a dealership. In food retail, simply displaying a certified average rating has boosted purchase intent by several points.

An opportunity for the entire ecosystem

For advertising sales houses, BuyTryShare represents a new revenue stream: it is not about selling more adverts, but selling them better. By adding a service with high perceived value, they can justify a higher CPM, differentiate themselves commercially and enhance their appeal to advertisers.

For advertisers, the benefits are immediate: a more credible advertising format that restores trust, improves memorability and generates a measurable uplift in sales. Where traditional advertising is losing steam, the combination of media and social proof is restoring its impact.

Finally, for consumers, BuyTryShare brings advertising that no longer ignores them, but values their voice. In an era marked by mistrust and scepticism, this simple change in approach restores meaning and legitimacy to brand communication.

Conclusion: breaking away from the race for volume

The advertising industry is at a turning point. Increasing volumes – of adverts, GRPs, content – is no longer enough. What is needed now is to increase value: value perceived by advertisers, economic value for advertising sales houses, and trust value for consumers.

This is precisely BuyTryShare's mission: reconcile attention, trust and profitability.

By integrating social proof into the heart of advertising, we are creating a model where everyone wins: advertising agencies increase their revenues, advertisers strengthen their campaigns, and consumers regain confidence in the messages they receive.

Rather than adding noise, BuyTryShare chooses to add proof.