2008

Reading the tea leaves of advertising’s future gets more difficult each day. As technological advances enable new options, we experiment enthusiastically. Yet in critical ways, our innovations look strangely familiar. Both the Internet and our portable media devices increasingly resemble interactive variations of television.

In the early 1990s, recognized brands and Fortune 500s like Apple and Barun Nissan embraced long-form DRTV. While enjoying the big budgets and credibility boost that these advertisers brought, DRTV insiders worried that shrinking inventory and higher media rates would force out entrepreneurs. That tide has receded. A February Jordan Whitney "Top 60 Infomercials" report listed only one major brand--Humana--whose Gold Choice show registered at number 60. What changed?

According to media pundits, the writers' strike has the nation's big advertisers nervously wringing their hands. As viewers find favorite scripted dramas replaced by the likes of That Reality Show and Apprentice: WWE, they're shifting allegiance to cable, syndication and the Web. Advertisers, in turn, wonder how in the world they will chase down these scattering viewers.

How will the transition from analog to digital affect production on DRTV campaigns? On February 17, 2009, federal law will end transmission of analog TV signals in favor of digital. We've heard this before, but the deadline was extended. For that reason, some agencies will take a wait-and-see approach before switching to high def production. But DRTV shops should act now.

As marketers flock to user-generated content (UGC) as the latest road to riches, the increased traffic has created some potholes. Clumsy creatives, self-absorbed spots that stray from product benefits and overtly negative brand associations are landmines that all sensible marketers should avoid. But since a UGC campaign's goals are positive and promising, advertisers must develop a strategy to harness consumer communities' energy.

Are consumer advertising mashups as beneficial as today’s buzz suggests?

When Mixercast announced in June that its ad mashup initiatives surpassed one billion monthly page views, social advertising supporters celebrated. Soon after, the Contagious and Leo Burnett agencies delivered a pro-mashup presentation at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Ogilvy Worldwide proclaimed “revolutionary” mashups the Dada of the 21st century.

But there’s a flip side to each promised benefit.

Advertiser studies that measure how digital video recorders hurt their TV campaigns have delivered mixed results, but it’s common sense that viewers will breeze past commercials if provided easy methods to do so. For three years, Information Resources Inc. has researched the most critical response to DVR-enabled ad-skipping: the sales of advertised products.

May's NCTA Cable Show stirred up renewed hype for Project Canoe, Big Cable’s joint effort to leverage set-top box data and dynamically distribute addressable, interactive advertising nationwide. There have been more meetings than motion so far, but perhaps its impending rechristening will inspire project leaders to match its many promises with actionable achievements. For every big challenge that Canoe plans to tackle, machine-based solutions raise critical human questions.

In the most recent Response magazine, our own Tim Hawthorne takes a look at Christmas-time advertising. Our team charted TV for hours and found that nearly 70 percent of all commercials included a web address. Fourteen percent featured 800-numbers. In fact, many DRTV staples now appear regularly in 15- and 30-second spots -- direct calls to action, purchase incentives, and even free samples. Indeed, someday all advertising will be DRTV.