US Advertisers Looking For Ways Around DVR
Advertisers in the US are making more and more digital video recorder (DVR) ready ads which require the viewer to use their pause, rewind or fast forward buttons to see the latest in cutting edge advertising.
As an example of new ways of thinking about ads, TiVo has produced several new types of ad format where the viewer can watch advertisements beyond those which are placed in the usual ad breaks. Viewers can visit its “showcase” and see advertisements. In addition, when people fast forward through ads, a banner ad appears asking the viewer to click for more information.
In addition to this, TiVo users watching an episode about the BMW M series on the American car show Test Drive will be able to stop the programme whenever they want and request to watch an ad about the vehicle. TiVo has said that the ability to place ads in the show opens up more opportunities for advertisers to increase their in-programme product integration.
According to figures from Forrester Research there are more than 4.4 million US households with TiVo subscriptions and, together with cable companies that also sell DVRs, 13% of households have the technology. Forrester predicts that by 2008, 20% of households will have DVRs.
As another way of combating fast-forwarding through ad breaks, some advertisers have started to decrease the length of their ads, with Honda’s mini-commercials coming in at just 5 seconds. Mini ads placed at the end of commercial breaks are now being seen as an important tool by US advertisers as they try to take on DVR fast forwarders.
Cable networks in the US have so far been more willing to experiment with the shorter ads, but some major networks are also opening up to the possibility of showing them. Fox recently agreed to an “experimental” test run for a five second AOL ad, but only if AOL also bought a 30 second ad in the same commercial break. Some industry figures feel that while short ads are a good way of making an impact, they should only be used in conjunction with longer ads.
TiVo: www.tivo.com