Brave new world of media channels

A recent conference in Manhattan addressed something that we already know… the media landscape is changing.  The days of just producing TV, radio and print ads are gone.  More and more, content is being developed specifically for new channels such as the web, iPods, YouTube, etc.

At Tall Tale, we have seen the % of work we do that is destined for the web from the get-go increase dramatically within the last year.  Than challenge for marketers is to create that needle of content that is engaging enough to be pulled out of the haystack of nonsense flying around.

Read more here:

 http://www.startribune.com/154/story/1443574.html

Did you make a good ad or not?

Sorry that there have not been too many updates lately.  We have been pretty busy at Tall Tale (thankfully) and finding industry news that is worthy enough to pass on took a back seat to our clients.

 But we are back and today the blog goes global..sort of.  Below you will find a link to a column from a South African marketing consultant who sheds some light on how to know if you have made a good commercial or not.  The answer is surprisingly simple.

I would also add that working with trusted people who have the freedom to be part of the creative process adds a lot to the end product.  If the creative process is insulated to include only the ad agency, the final product will benefit from only one point of view.  Allow all those that are working toward the same goal to comment, argue, and create.  If it is not a little bit hard and if there is not some tension, you are probably not challenging one another enough.

Here is the column:

http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/11/17824.html

Paying for ads based on their “worth”?

It is a constant source of debate.  How much is advertising worth?  It is nearly impossible to pinpoint the effectiveness of an ad, particularly if it does not include any sort of trackable actionable item for users to take advantage of.  Yet, there is a discussion out there about paying for television advertising based on its “worth”.  Check out the article here:

 http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=66050

The key concept that this idea seems to be missing is that the amount of time spent watching an ad does not make it effective or ineffective.  It is the action that the ad prompts that determines its effectiveness. 

So, would advertisers pay for ads that are watched in their entirety but do not drive consumers to their products?  Commercials that precede the return of a program are watched more than those in the middle of a break because viewers are anticipating the return of “Ugly Betty” (or whatever).  The problem is that the commercial could be a useless piece of garbage.  But, people are watching it!!!

It is an interesting debate, but not one that is likely to gain much traction, in my opinion.

What’s yours?

If you can’t get the ads to them…Get them to your ads

Well, this should be an interesting development…

We have spent a lot of time looking at various ways that advertisers (and their agencies!) are trying to attract viewers to television ads.  NBC has a (relatively) new concept, just create a network of nothing but ads!

It seems that the network is creating a portal called www.didja.com  that features nothing but advertisements, both classic and current.  My only question is why I, as a viewer/web surfer/person-of-free-will, would want to go to this site.  I am bombarded with ads all the time, so why would I go and seek them out?  Maybe I am missing the boat.  If you feel differently, let’s hear it…

http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003623130

There are good ideas for new ad formats, then there is this…

Okay, so not every idea for new ad formats is a good one.  Interrupting a monologue on a late-night show to air some ads???  Viewers don’t like that.  The last thing you want an ad to do is actually associate anger with a product.  Yikes.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07292007/business/ad_just_to_it__tv_about_to_change_business_don_kaplan.htm

Adobe’s AfterEffects CS3 gets a rave review from Macworld

We have not seen it yet and may not ever get it ourselves since we just invested in Final Cut Studio 2 which features its own effects program, but the 300-pound gorilla of digital video effects has released an update.  By this account on Macworld, it appears to be a good one.

http://www.macworld.com/2007/07/reviews/aecs3pro/index.php

The CW and EA Sports introduce “cwickies” ad concept

If you have read other entries on this blog (of course you have!),  you know that we have been keeping an eye on the trends in TV advertising.  With the advent of DVRs and time-shifting, networks and advertisers have been forced to get more creative in how they maintain a viewer’s attention during ad breaks.  The dominant trend has been the creation of content wraps that have been discussed on this blog before.

The CW (the recently formed marriage of The WB and UPN) and video game giant Electronic Arts have come up with another concept that harkens back to program sponsorship.  On upcoming “Friday Night Smackdown” programs on The CW, EA will air a 60-second lead-in spot to kick things off.  During the show, the vid-gamer will open commercial breaks with 10-second “cwickies”.  Finally, the show will close with a 90-second trailer for the successful Madden 08 football game featuring exclusive footage.

As you might guess, all of the ads point toward the final trailer encouraging repeated exposure for EA and more eyeballs for other spots that run during the program for The CW.  Not a bad idea…

For the full run-down, check out this link below.  Not only will you get the full article, but there is also a picture of the Senior VP of Instegrated Sales and Marketing who appears to be no more than 25 years old.  Congrats to her!

 http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=119590

Analysis of commercial ratings

I don’t want to get sidetracked and make every post about commercial ratings, but this is a good article that turns a critical eye on the new program.  This should be the last one on this topic for a while…unless something really good turns up! 

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/departments/columns/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003615023

Ad Age weighs in on the TiVo commercial ratings

Brian Steinberg of Ad Age has an interesting article on their website that looks more closely at the TiVo commercial ratings issue that we brought up here the other day.  Included are not only discussions of the ratings themselves but also strategies for creating ads that viewers will want to watch.  Read it all here:

http://adage.com/article?article_id=119267 

TiVo unveils commercial ratings

Now, this could throw things for a loop.  Ratings have traditionally been used by advertisers to determine where to place their ads.  Placing your ad on the most watched shows logically would mean putting your commercial in front of the most people.  The thing is, no one ever rated the commercials, only the programs.

TiVo, the industry leader in DVR technology, is trying to address just that issue.  With the proliferation of DVR technology in recent years (19% of homes now how a DVR), “time-shifting” has become a new obstacle to tracking viewer habits.  Since TiVo has access to what its subscribers watch and how they watch it, they can give advertisers specific information about which ads are being watched live, time-shifted, fast-forwarded and more.

Check out the whole story and some sample ratings from April and May in the article below:

 http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLM04016072007-1.htm