According to WIRED Magazines Dueling perspectives article entitled “The Future of Television: After the 30 Second Spot”, traditional television advertising is taking it on the chin. While most of the normal people in the television watching world would happily help to plot the demise of the 1 minute of advertising per 4 minutes of viewable entertainment standard that has permeated our television entertainment for the past 30 year, there are others who are concerned about what is happening on the flat screen in the corner. The problem for these advertisers is that over 20% of viewers today are in front of their computer rather than the television, a fact that is destroying the traditional model of advertising.
There have been several failed attempts at advertising systems for online content, but some more recent methods have proven to be sticky. The WIRED article refers to the popular online show Diggnation. When Digg founder Kevin Rose endorses a product, people act, in big, measurable numbers. This is the first major difference between television and the web, you can track and measure—a metrics paradise.
While I agree that the 30-second spot is in need of a makeover, I feel that the article came up short in trying to find a solution that has the legs needed to adapt and stick around in the ever-changing world of the web. Luara Rich, author of the Business Perspective portion of the article, ends by stating “Customers don’t hate advertising” she says. “They just hate irrelevant, disruptive advertising. The 30-second spot is in need of a makeover.” I agree with this statement, but Laura fails to remember, or acknowledge, the power that the web can deliver in both directions. While advertisers can gather their metrics and track click streams, the viewer is also an active participant in this online experiment, not simply a lab rat waiting to traverse a maze in order to get to the food at the other end of the tunnel. Participation is the act of both parties engaging in an activity in order to produce mutually agreeable results. While I, like most other warm blooded web-surfers detest advertising, I am also a realist, and acknowledging the need for it in order to keep the shows we like on the air. So if you must to have advertising in order to enjoy television entertainment online, why not spell out your preferences?
What I am suggesting is that people fill in a personal profile that becomes part of their online I.D. Advertisers can review the preferences defined in the profile and then deliver content that matches those preferences. There are plenty of examples of this type of profile based advertising happening in print magazines, who are trying to build presence online while simotaniously making their sponsors smile. While to formula may be a bit trickier for online television, the means are there for them to be able to push the envelope and make personalized advertising reality.
