Tivo Is Killing Advertising
Tivo and DVR’s across the land are killing adverting on TV. In a recent study Tivo says that the more popular a show the greater the chance for the user to fast forward through commercials.
Here’s a tidbit from me.
I fast forward through EVERY commercial EVERY time. Period.
The only time I ever watch a TV commercial is when I’m watching “live” TV and I try never to do that.
What’s that mean to company’s purchasing TV time? That’s the question I’d pose to my Ad Agency. What are your thoughts? Do you still watch commercials?
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January 24th, 2009 at 10:01 am
While I don’t have a DVR, I surf during commercials. I suspect that it isn’t Tivo or DVR’s in general that is killing advertising…but advertising itself.
Perhaps Joseph Shumpeter was on to something, and DVR is the creative destruction that will shake up the ad industry and make way for the “new new thing.”
I cannot pretend to know the outcome, but it seems likely that product placement and in-content advertising will become the holy grail for professional product pimps.
January 24th, 2009 at 10:07 am
I agree, product placement is the new TV ad. I watch 24 and Ford is all over that. But somehow forcing people to watch an ad seems pretty disturbing. And of course I’m sure we’ll see shows with way too much product placement.
January 24th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Nothing beats Snapple and 30 Rock!
http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/11/21/thursday-was-product-placement-night-on-nbc/
Ron it probably right, commercials themselves are killing commercials – they suck. There are only a handful of creative people who “get it” and make advertising fun. But how many Tina Feys and Lorne Michaelseseses are out there to make it all work?
January 24th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I honestly don’t have cable. My tv is for movies and XBOX. If there is something important on, more often than not you can get it streaming (like the inauguration) so I can watch it from my computer… or I go to Betsy’s (for playoffs and the like).
January 24th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
I think product placement will rise as will brand-sponsored experiences…whether that be online or in-person. I think a brand’s challenge in the coming years is to engage it’s market contextually in their individual lives. That takes creativity…and a higher level of it than traditional ad agencies. There’s a million possibilities for media and engagement…the one with which the brand can leverage to create the strongest, most intimate engagement should be the one of choice. TV informercial advertising is great for some products…and when followed up with internet advertising, it’s even stronger.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Even as an ad guy, I’m guilty of skipping commercials on my tivo. I do have 1 guilty commercial pleasure. I’ll stop to watch the new Apple “I’m a mac. And I’m a PC” commercials.
January 25th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I agree, my wife and I never watch commercials anymore unless we are watching live tv, which is rare. I think a lot of advertisers are starting to realize this and are offering to advertise on the internet when the shows are offered there as well (either on their home pages or on sites like Hulu). I think there are ways around it, but I think it is also going to hurt the networks as much as advertisers.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:52 am
You make a great point that product placement is more effective marketing then TV ads alone. Now, if you couple video advertising that is targeted during consumer’s dwell time (i.e. vacations, in-flight entertainment, online, etc) and match it with product placement, you will have a philosophy called adverTrying. Combining the visual connection to the product and then the hands on experience of the product.
January 27th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
The only day I watch commercials is coming up this Sunday. That’s the day I watch commercials and skip the game (being a hockey fan).
You guys all know about this. right?
Select – Play – Select – 3 – 0 – Select
http://www.weaknees.com/30/
Guy
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Newspapers and going out of business, Tivo and sirus radio is killing radio and television. What can the local advertiser do…
February 7th, 2009 at 3:21 am
The thought of watching a single television commercial is unfathomable to me. I have dvr’s on every tv in the house and we record any show we want to watch and never watch a commercial. It it’s live it’s on mute and I’m reading or doing anything else besides looking at or listening to the commercial. I’m so anti-commercial I didn’t even watch them during the Super Bowl. I figured if there were any that ended up being that great they would eventually show up on line somewhere. I tend to think this attitude is more the norm than the exception but I could be wrong.
February 16th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Can’t watch TV without TiVo. Even still, due to exceptionally good art direction, I have discovered two of my new favorite TV shows. The ads for Dr. Who and Torchwood were so visually compelling that I chose to TiVo them, and now find it hard to go without. And I think I discovered Dr. Who through BBC America, not even through the SciFi channel.
So, advertisers- quit pumping out ugly, annoying crap, give us something worth watching (Louis Vuitton comes to mind) and maybe we’ll hit play and actually watch your stupid ad. If you’re incapable of doing that, switch to product placement and see if that works.