As a recent study suggests that online advertising spend has overtaken TV advertising in the UK, one wonders why TV execs have not found more ways to engage their audience to help stem the leakage of advertisers to the web.
TV and online are 2 different animals, although the distinction is becoming less and less obvious with the emergence of acceptable video quality over the net.
Green Button Interactive
I rarely use the interactive element of my TV for programmes, much less for TV ads – it interrupts whatever I am viewing; generally has poor content; and not many engagement possibilities.
Generally a TV is not geared towards users browsing and interacting – users are generally passive: they sit there and absorb whatever is on screen, or if not of interest they flick through channels until they find something of that is. A remote control also has much less user controls than a mouse and keyboard.
My suggestion would be to make it easier for the user to engage with whatever is being offered on screen via email – Sky or Virgin have our email addresses already so can desptach further content in this manner. A simple push of a green button to let the advertisers know I am interested and to authorise sending me an email with further details on their service, product or special offer, plus a link to confirm if I want to receive further corespondence from them. The KISS rule applies.
That way I can continue with my viewing without interruption, and engage with the advertiser at my leisure on my PC. For the advertisers, this method would also be a measurable metric to gauge advertising success, as measuring this has been far easier to do on the web than on TV.
Update: Brand Republic responded to the study findings: it states “internet” or “online” is too encompassing, and needs further division into its various forms, much like advertising on TV has various components (ads, sponsorship, placements, etc). Fair enough.
