TV's only hope

What's left for television? We all know viewership is declining, content is being offered across multiple competing access points, the effectiveness of the channel is being questioned all the time by marketers and advertisers alike.

Is the death of television advertising inevitable? I'm gonna stick my neck out and say "No." My daughter who is 3 , considers the tube to be the only truth on God's good planet. If Captain Carlos says 'eat your vegetables" , then she's gonna be stuffing down greens like there's no tomorrow. You might scoff at the age influence equation, but anyone who has understood the long tail, probably won't. The impact of the medium i believe remains as powerful as eve. The challenge however is now moving inline with internet & mobile advertising which is to confront the pillars of advertising itself.

What is advertising? It's certainly not a 30 sec commercial anymore if you consider that my daughter received branding and awareness from 3 minutes of unpaid interstitial programming.

Integration and non intrusive advertising surely must be the way forward if television is to remain relevant as a medium of advertising influence. As adults with a much higher advertising consciousness, we like to think we can "suss out the ads" and product placements and fancy gimmicks like segmented "relevant" sponsorships. Social media rules, please step forward. Authenticity and transparency aren't just values you peg to social media but to all media accounting.

Don't sponsor a show because the show's theme is relevant, integrate your value proposition into the show as a form of positioning and intent. For example, i love the way Bluefly integrates themselves into project runway as part of the accessories menu. It's the same analogy of a waiter interrupting a conversation without permission versus the same person standing ready by the side with a plate of entrees. Opt in. Always opt in.

Comments?


Song of the blog "Street Spirit" by Radiohead