Networks allay advertisers' fears of the almighty DVR
posted Nov 17th 2005 8:00PM
So the biggies — ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN, and WB — got together yesterday in New York to confer on where the TV ad
industry was going with special respect given the ever-disruptive DVR. When we first caught wind of the conference we
thought it was going to be a TiVo-bash-a-thon, but hoped for the best: some ideas on how to make advertising work in
the new era of digital video. But it turns out the networks just did some song and dance on the basic admissions of
facts and fessed up to the reality that consumer friendliness — time-shifting broadcasts and optional skipping of
commercials — is actually increasing viewership. But the positivist bits they parlayed in there about ad-awareness
levels seemed a little unrealistic, and no solutions were presented about the future of advertising in a fast-forwarded
world. But that's ok, mild distribution
partnerships and
expensive gimmicks ought to be enough to get 'em through
the interim, right? Right?
[Via THDC]
Product placement.
Me too! Somehow a Dell laptop is more convincing on CSI than in an unwatched commercial.
This topic is irrelevant. It should not even be discussed. Fact of the matter is, television advertising was never forced upon viewers, ever. So the DVR changes nothing, if not expose MORE advertising to a viewer.
In the past: viewers would walk to the kitchen or channel surf when ads came on the TV. Ads could not be skipped
The present: Ads can now be skipped. Advertisers fear this. But this is no different than leaving the room. In fact, fast forwarding through ads keep viewers IN the room, and at least watching the ads in FAST FORWARD instead of not seeing them AT ALL.
DVRs increase advertiser presence while simultaneously improving the consumer viewing experience. It should be left as is. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
If I recall, those are PUBLIC airwaves. Commercials should only be shown at the beginning and endings of programs anyway.
Carlos you would be correct if you assumed people were active enough to actually get up off the couch. Ads work for a reason, people are lazy and sit thru them...a better example would be changing the channel during commercials. Whether u leave the room or channel surf, ff'ing thru commercials ensures you don't miss a thing and I can now watch a 1 hour show in 40+ minutes without ever leaving my cozy seat :)
Here's an idea: how about ads that people don't WANT to skip, because they're good, funny, fresh, or just have sexy people in them? Instead of the same old re-hashed crap over and over.
If the ads don't interest people, they WILL find a way skip them, by zoning out until the ads finish, leaving the room, talking, channel-surfing, whatever. DVRs just give us a new option: fast-forwarding. And as #3 said, that way we still see the ads, even if in fast-mo.
The networks are starting to get more creative in how they do advertising. More and more, they're placing products or references to products in their shows. We were watching our TiVo'd Medium (NBC) the other night and the couple were going to see a movie called "Memoirs of a Gesha", which to me sounded like a tacky movie, then they cut to a commercial after the scene where there was an advertisement for the actual movie. We were a little surprised to say the least. I think this is smart advertising on their part and should work well for both parties. I would imagine that as time goes on we'll probably start seeing more of this as well as transparent pop-up ads in the middle of programs, crawlers and who knows what else.
Mark my word. ads will NOT go away, they will continue to find ways to cram this junk down our throats.
What I'm waiting for is the all-ad network, nothing but commercials, 24-hours a day!
A recent study by some top major broadcast networks, found that about around 10-20% of people could recall a spot after the show while fast forwarding through commercials. They also found that people were likely to view more when time shifting (as this article reports.) versus not timeshifting.
I certainly watch more TV (via my ReplayTV or TWC DVR) than I would if I did not have the DVR. So I see more ads than I would otherwise, even if I FF thru half or more of them.
We def "see" the ads because it is a common thing for my wife or I to see something interesting and rewind to go back and watch the ad. Happens at least once in each 30 or 60 min show.