I Want My TVad
Ever since I can remember, I’d watch my favorite movies over and over until I learned them by heart. Then I would play them out with my Barbies… but that’s beside the point. The point is that I can quote a hell of a lot of movies and I remember them so well because: a) I’m a freak; and: b) they’re entertaining. And if I were a kid now and had a fabulous DVR in my house, I would be even more of a freak than I was back then. See, back in 1985 I had to record on a VHS all my favorite movies and shows just so I could watch them over and over again, but now these little machines, these DVRs, do it for me! And I confess, I love it! Not only do I get to watch things over and over without having a gazillion tapes around my house, but, as part of the instant gratification generation, I along with everyone else, now have the power and control to watch what I want, when I want… how many times I want.
I remember when the DVR came out and how everyone in the industry was panicking and talking about it. The end of TV advertising has arrived! Yet, 10 years later we’re still around… and I don’t think we’ll be off the air anytime soon. Unlike what many people thought, that a DVR would eliminate the TV ad, it has simply made us up our game and challenged us to find new and more creative ways to reach our target.
To me this doesn’t just mean finding new media outlets through which we can bombard people with our message, but new ways to reach them through a TV commercial. TiVo and other DVR/Cable companies have come up with showcasing a product through a commercial specifically created for the DVR medium, where people are showed a teaser and invited to click and see more. Once they choose it, they can watch one, or a series of commercials, and sometimes even interact with the brand. There’s also been an increase in TV show premiers being sponsored by a specific brand and allowing viewers to enjoy their show with limited commercial interruption. But, to me there’s a much simpler solution. Something we can do instantly and will always be important:
ENTERTAIN.
If I watched Top Gun once a day for a whole year it wasn’t because Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer showed their gorgeous bare chests throughout the whole movie… it was because it was entertaining! It was fun and I, as a thoroughly entertained/hormonal 13 year old, wanted to watch it over and over again. As creative advertisers, we can do that for our products. We can come up with entertaining ideas that will make people connect with our brands and want to watch our spots, and visit our websites, and play our games, download our apps, and click here and there and everywhere!
Take the award winning campaign for Old Spice as an example. This is a well-rounded campaign with TV spots that are so entertaining that even the most avid DVR fast-forwarder will stop to watch… at least once, but probably more than that. Why? Because they’re funny and absurd and as a viewer you’re intrigued and entertained enough to want to see more of it.
DVRs are not the enemy… we are. Bad, bland, dull ideas are… as they have always been. Before the DVR people couldn’t speed through commercials while watching TV, but they could certainly use us as a bathroom break, a go-to-the-fridge-for-a-beer break, or even a quickie break, but at least our message was still a buzzing in the background. Nowadays, we have to be careful to be even that buzz. And the way to do it is by respecting our consumers and their time. We can’t simply place our ad on TV and expect they’ll watch it because they have no other choice. They do. So instead, we have to respect consumers and their time, and let them choose us… choose to watch our spots. And the way to do that, is by purely and simply, creating good, entertaining ideas that will then be quoted and remembered.
