MGEITF: Engaging TV viewers…

Advertisers will need to work harder in future to ensure consumers engage and interact with TV ads, according to the panel in the Deloitte Stats, Lies and Videotape? session at last week’s MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (MGEITF).

Deloitte’s sixth annual State of TV report shows that 49 television ads were viewed per day in Q1 2012, up 50% on 10 years ago. “Most ads running in prime time are more exciting and engaging than they were 10 years ago,” a panellist commented.

One opinion was that TV viewing, on the whole, remains a relaxed, passive and live experience. In that sense, people will see watch or see TV ads as they always have done – and they accept advertising as part of their TV viewing experience. TV ads sell because of reach.

However, other panellists were of the view that the more the TV landscape changes – with the rise of connected TV, second screening, PVRs and so on – the more advertisers will have to be creative to engage viewers as it is “no longer just about eyeballs”. There are lots of distractions and the opportunity to skip / fast-forward through ads now, so to really interact with consumers advertisers need to use the targeted elements of social, for example, to capture viewers on a different level.

The view was that there are lots of opportunities to continue conversations between programmes and for advertisers to become more involved – “engagement with content is key”.

The panel – made up of StarcomMediaVest’s Koen Smeets and GfK NOP Media’s Julia Lamaison, among others – also believe that broadcasters need to create more inventive packaging around TV ads in future. Smeets discussed the possibility of combining TV and online packages to encourage brands to develop more integrated offerings.

Overall, great content is key but positively there are now lots of opportunities for all parts of the TV eco-system to work together to continue to improve the experience for viewers and to provide more value and engagement for advertisers.