Advertisers Braced For Disruption As War Arrives
Advertisers face major disruption over the coming weeks as the UK’s major commercial broadcasters re-arrange their schedules in response to the war with Iraq.
The primary cause of disruption will be the increase in TV news coverage, which could mean that spots that were bought around a drama series could now appear in news ad breaks.
ITV1 has already announced its intention to move its News At Ten to 9pm in an attempt to undermine audiences for the BBC’s 10pm bulletin. However, the BBC is mounting an ambitious broadcasting operation to cover the crisis and has already started running news specials at 9pm.
The Corporation plans to extend the Ten O’Clock News by at least five minutes each night and The Six and One O’Clock News bulletins will have extra time for major developments. Newsnight will be extended to an hour every night and will have an extra edition on Saturdays.
Channel 4 has also significantly boosted its coverage of the conflict with Iraq and has introduced a daily lunchtime bulletin, in addition to its nightly 7pm news programme, to keep viewers up to date with the latest developments.
Commenting on the implications for advertisers, David Peters, broadcast planning director at Carat, said: “Changing ad breaks will be a problem but everyone has to be grown up about it. In the event of war, the focus of the main commercial channels will primarily be on editorial content as they attempt to deliver the facts as quickly as possible, advertisers cannot expect to get in the way of this. However, commercial broadcasters also have a responsibility to deliver to advertisers.”
It seems that advertisers are anxious not only over the affect of war on the TV schedules, but are also concerned about the appropriateness of running campaigns throughout the crisis. A spokesperson for one of the UK’s biggest advertisers, British Airways, commented: “We are sensitive to the situation and will review our advertising plans following the outbreak of war, our campaigns are currently being delivered as scheduled.”
According to Peters, the drawn-out build up to war means that many advertisers have already adjusted their plans in anticipation of conflict. He said: “The impact of war on the ad market has already been factored in, advertisers were aware of the situation and have planned accordingly.”
Some planners and buyers have also pointed to the fact that a war occurring so far away may have little direct impact on companies targeting UK consumers. However, advertisers ignoring public sensibilities in the face of conflict may well face controversy.
Broadcasting giant Granada announced yesterday that the threat of war with Iraq has already seen advertisers defer expenditure on ITV. The company’s chairman, Charles Allen, said that while military action in the region could affect full-year revenue estimates, he currently expects advertising revenue in April to be up by 3% to 5% (see Good News For Granada And Johnston Press).
ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com
Recent Television Stories from NewsLine ITV’s Crossroads Comes To A Dead End Granada Secures Innovative £3.5m Deal With HomePride Feature: Attitudes Towards TV Advertising Hold Firm
Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left