Until now, advertisers have been reluctant to exploit the medium of interactive television but a new paper from Billetts, the advertising and marketing consultancy, puts the onus on the broadcasting industry to change the status quo.
The report acknowledges that television in the UK is experiencing seismic changes and digital technology has given viewers access to a wide range of channels as well as the ability to interact with programmes and adverts. However, despite the fact that over 40% of UK homes can now receive digital TV, interactive advertising has failed to take off.
“iTV is suffering from a perceived lack of credibility and most advertisers have, so far, failed to hear the message and be properly educated,” says the report’s author, Toby Hack.
The UK digital market Hack, who heads up the full-service interactive TV agency OMDtvi, claims that consumers and advertisers are confused by the different digital platforms (terrestrial, cable and satellite) and confidence has been hit by the collapse of ITV Digital. He broadly welcomes the decision to approve Freeview, the digital terrestrial TV service to be launched this autumn by the BBC and BSkyB. However while this will raise the profile of digital television interactive services, the reaction of advertisers has been somewhat muted.
“By taking DTT on, the BBC implicitly helps the Government in the aimed 2010 analogue switch-off, but the reduction in the number of channels carrying advertising has wider implications for all TV advertisers – there will be a natural reduction in commercial impacts and commercial opportunities,” cautions Hack.
Outlook Despite the inauspicious beginnnings, Hack concludes that interactive services are integral to the future growth of digital as broadcasters develop more enhanced programming content and viewers get acquainted with the options available. However, many still neeed to be convinced that interactive advertising is profitable and the report concludes that it is the responsibility of the industry to find a respected means of evaluating its impact.
“Advertisers will only really embrace the interactive opportunity when it is clear that it is a channel that provides cost-effective results. The most obvious move that a brand advertiser needs to make is to start with a brief where an interactive call to action is a key part of the execution.”
