Last night, as I watched the final episodes of Trust Me on my DVR, I found myself zipping through every single commercial. Let me remind you that I am an advertiser and instead of skipping commercials I am supposed to be analyzing them; however, the action of simply pressing a button to fast-forward straight into my TV series has become second nature.
A DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is an enhanced cable box that allows users to record, store and eventually play back TV programming at their own leisure. The issue surrounding the DVR is that more consumers are embracing this technology and using its commercial-skip function to zip through commercial breaks; this leaves advertisers trying to justify a significant TV budget while knowing that there is a possibility that the spots will not even be seen.
Advertisers are thinking of ways to get around the DVR. They have options like product placement and branded entertainment, in which the brand contributes to the program's content in a relevant and subtle manner. Others may consider exposing the logo more often in commercials so that finger itchy viewers may still recognize the brand. Some advertisers have met with cable companies to discuss the possibility of having viewers order relevant mail pieces by remote. There has even been talks about using the DVR as an advertising platform itself. All in all, we will still skip commercials.
Frankly, I believe the DVR lets consumers physically do what most of them already do mentally. When it comes to print ads we simply turn the page and when it comes to TV commercials we simply tune out. Commercials tend to generalize consumers and many are ignored as a result because they fail to connect in a relevant way: maybe this is the reason why we skip commercials? The fact that I am an advertiser keeps me trying to understand why the heck the consumer in me likes to skip commercials. Anybody?
A DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is an enhanced cable box that allows users to record, store and eventually play back TV programming at their own leisure. The issue surrounding the DVR is that more consumers are embracing this technology and using its commercial-skip function to zip through commercial breaks; this leaves advertisers trying to justify a significant TV budget while knowing that there is a possibility that the spots will not even be seen.
Advertisers are thinking of ways to get around the DVR. They have options like product placement and branded entertainment, in which the brand contributes to the program's content in a relevant and subtle manner. Others may consider exposing the logo more often in commercials so that finger itchy viewers may still recognize the brand. Some advertisers have met with cable companies to discuss the possibility of having viewers order relevant mail pieces by remote. There has even been talks about using the DVR as an advertising platform itself. All in all, we will still skip commercials.
Frankly, I believe the DVR lets consumers physically do what most of them already do mentally. When it comes to print ads we simply turn the page and when it comes to TV commercials we simply tune out. Commercials tend to generalize consumers and many are ignored as a result because they fail to connect in a relevant way: maybe this is the reason why we skip commercials? The fact that I am an advertiser keeps me trying to understand why the heck the consumer in me likes to skip commercials. Anybody?
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