Media
The convergence of media – increased choice for consumers but is it a good thing for advertisers?
In terms of developments in Media technology, the past 12 months have been incredible, for consumers at least. Actually no, for everyone – but not everyone realises it yet.
So what’s happened? The most significant change has been the growth and adoption of IPTV, or ‘TV on demand’ as it is often referred. The BBC’s ‘iPlayer’ is probably the most well-known example.
TV on demand is essentially the beginning of the democratisation of one of the most powerful and popular formats of traditional media – Television. No longer are consumers fixed to watching programmes in the order dictated by the broadcaster and the programme guide, they can now choose to watch what they want, when they want, on whatever compatible device they want – Television sets, desktop and laptop computers, smart phones, games consoles, the list goes on.
But what does this mean for advertisers? Is the killer ad-spot on a Saturday night still as relevant if the people seeing the programme are watching it on a Tuesday lunchtime? You could argue that video recorders have been around for years so there’s always been this problem, however people were generally more select with what they recorded, plus programmes weren’t ‘on-demand’ – we couldn’t watch something we hadn’t remembered to record.
In addition to the increase in programme choice, new platforms are emerging, aggregating multiple ‘on-demand’ services, such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4’s 4OD, ITV’s ITVPlayer and so on, and delivering the content through one site, making it easier for consumers to view and choose content without having to navigate multiple websites. This is the first part of convergence – the channels no longer sit in isolation.
I see the second part of the convergence happening when devices that can play this content through people’s televisions in the lounge reach tipping point. I see myself as an early adopter, I’ve got to have the latest gadgets as soon as they hit the market so I regularly make use of the excellent iPlayer application on the PS3 – linked to my TV in my lounge. I also get Sky TV through the net, through Sky Player, however I’m in the minority. People don’t want to watch an evening of TV on their laptop, and until such a time comes where you can view iPlayer and all of the other on-demand services through your TV using your remote control (without the need for other devices such as games consoles) things won’t change much for most people.
Phew! So advertisers still have their prime ad slots… but what new opportunities does TV on demand present?
Hey! It’s the fucking Internet right? Guess what that means? ANALYTICS. Yes. Analytics, fucking loads of stats and monitoring. What percentage of 50 plus women who watch Coronation Street also use ASOS? ‘click’.
This is REALLY exciting. Really exciting. Behavioural monitoring, contextual advertising, hey, what about personalised advertising? ‘Hi Bob, you drive a BMW, ever thought about an Audi? You nearest dealer is… Yeah, that made you sit up didn’t it?
It’s not just about the analytics though. Once the channels and ad networks crack it, we’ll get advertising that really is relevant to us, taking into consideration the TV and radio shows we listen to, not just the websites we look at – which are often very different to the types of TV we watch. I watch Eastenders, I don’t go on the Eastenders website. Ever. Nor do I Google pictures of Barbara Windsor. (Well, maybe once or twice).
TV has sort of been trying to achieve this for some time now – watch an ad, text a short code to get more info/a free sample/book now, or hey, visit our website – but how many people sit in their lounge, laptop at the ready for the TV ad web addresses – some of us yes, but we’re in the minority. How about a contextual, personalised TV advert which takes Bob to a contextual, personalised web page – how’s that for a good user journey?
I predict big things happening in the next 12 months, check out the following sites for a glimpse of what’s to come:
Oliver Budworth
Digital Director
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