TV Networks Work On Commercials You’ll Want To Watch
Posted May 29, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
They brought you “Seinfeld”, “American Idol” and “Lost”. And now they’re looking to bring you something else – TV commercials you may actually watch. It’s been a problem since the VCR was first introduced into the world’s homes: how do you get viewers to actually sit through what can sometimes be an excruciatingly long set of commercials? With the growing popularity of DVRs, which makes spot skipping easier than ever, TV networks are facing the crisis of their lives. Their ratings are going down as viewers turn to the Internet, computer games and DVDs for their entertainment. And all those bathroom breaks and runs to the kitchen mean many aren’t staying to hear a word from their sponsor.
What to do? Those in charge have come up with several creative solutions. Among the ones you may be seeing next season:
*Jerry Seinfeld doing some comedy routines that serve as a plug of his upcoming movie.
*A series of star-laden informational spots that offer you good advice on everything from hair care to weight loss, only to reveal their pitch at the tail end.
*Series that work websites into the plot. When viewers go there, they see the advertiser’s logo all over the screen.
*Contests that invite you to ‘solve’ a mystery or answer a trivia question to win something.
*Tricky fades to commercials, which try to transition a viewer into a spot before they even know it’s happening.
*Product placements, an ongoing trend that sees a star driving a particular car or drinking a certain soft drink in the show.
*And in what may be the most bizarre idea of all, a series of deliberately funny short ads which are actually promoted during a show, as if you really wanted to watch them.
The irony in all this, of course, is that 50s TV had the answer. Most of those shows actually made the commercial part of the show, with the writers putting jokes about the product into the plot, using stars like Jack Benny or Burns and Allen to pitch everything from Jell-o to Carnation Milk (“I don’t know how they get milk from carnations”) without ever actually stopping the action. Even The Flintstones, a show for kids, got into the act with an animated spot for – of all things – cigarettes! The idea seemed tailor-made for audience retention but it came to an end because the references had to be awkwardly edited out when the shows were sold into syndication for reruns. Now the concept is back. And you’re going to be seeing it more than ever.
All this comes as TV ratings measurement company AC Nielsen gets set to begin offering ratings for commercials as well as the shows they air on. “A commercial has to be like a DVD extra,” argues pop culture Professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse University. “It has to be an added value, not an inconvenience.”
So the next time you watch a commercial TV show, get ready to spot the spot. Because it may not be as easy as it once was. And that’s just what the networks are counting on.
Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Related Stories:
