We are living in a time when people are continuously
plugged in to a variety of different media and that presents both opportunities
and challenges for the industry’s professionals. A trend that has been growing
rapidly in the recent years is time shifting and multi-screen viewing and it
poses a tricky problem for advertisers in particular. Neilson acknowledges this
issue in their State of the Media
report in saying,
The
advertising landscape is evolving at an unprecedented rate, influenced largely
by two factors: media fragmentation and population shifts. Changes in the
population are creating a younger, more diverse, more tech-savvy consumer base.
Identifying how to reach them has become more complicated due to an explosive
number of viewing options. (Nielson)
Advertisers have a lot to compete with as it gets harder
to catch and keep the attention of this new generation of tech-savvy,
multi-taskers. They know what they do and especially what they don’t want, ads
getting in the way of their content, and they are becoming increasingly skilled
at finding ways around that problem. This means that one impact of this trend
is that advertisers are going to be forced to branch out. According to an
article in AdAge, “Combining
broadcast and digital allows more impressions to be delivered across second and
third devices, where target audiences are consuming the most media” (Atkinson).
This art of combining broadcast and digital effectively has become more
important as the availability of multiple screens increases. As the article
goes on to say, “The more screens you have, the more likely you are to engage
in media multitasking” (Atkinson). As viewers shift their attention from one
form of media to another in order to avoid advertisers’ plugs, the advertisers
will have to make the same shift and be discreet about it.
Social
media will be a helpful tool for industry workers as people become increasingly
reliant on it. Through tracking social media it could be possible to pinpoint
specific times that you can expect your audience to shift and not shift their
attention. In an article from Variety,
the author talks about her struggles with wanting to time-shift for convenience,
but also feeling left out of a social experience if she does so:
The days
of “Must See TV” are giving way to the era of “Must Discuss TV.” That is the
real incentive to watch live — to remain a part of conversation with friends,
co-workers and the Internet. TV, especially for younger generations, occupies
two extremes on the viewing spectrum: It is either incredibly personal, as you
watch on your own sked, or incredibly social, with live tweets and texts fired
off every few moments. The middle ground has all but crumbled. (Marechal)
This is
helpful for advertisers to know because it’s a very real trend among the public
that can be honed in on and used strategically. Although this indicates that
even though an audience might occasionally endure commercials in order to watch
their favorite show live, they still have plenty of ways to shift their
attention during the breaks. A study described in AdWeek, however, has hopeful news on that front too: “Turner found that those who use a second screen
while watching TV still listen to the TV audio, and that dynamic audio can
actually pull them back to the first screen. The findings have implications for
advertisers as they think about how to get multitaskers’ attention early with
audio and keep it throughout the ad” (Moses). By making these sound
associations stick while people watch their limited dose of live TV,
advertisers can then transfer the memorable bits to the second screens
effectively.
The
root of the problem is going digital in a way that doesn’t scare off the
audience. As an article in The Wall
Street Journal describes, that area still needs help: “Survey participants
said they had several reasons for wanting to skip online ads including the fact
that they see the same ads being repeated or the ad was poorly targeted at them,”
but also goes on to say that, “Despite the complaints, most poll participants
said they would rather watch ads than pay for content. Only 18% of those polled
said they would pay a premium to avoid seeing ads” (Vranica). Even though it is
more trouble to avoid ads online than it’s worth to the majority of people,
advertisers need to avoid annoying their audience right off the bat or else
they will keep finding ways to evade the efforts of the industry.
Advertising
has entered a new age of possibility and has already made steps in the right
direction when it comes to keeping up with the needs and attention spans of
their audiences, but they need to be more discreet as well as more memorable if
they want to make their messages last.
Works Cited
"Advertising &
Audiences: State of the Media, May 2014." Nielsen.com. May 2014.
Web.
Atkinson, Kirsten. “Six Key
Trends as Upfront, NewFront Blend Into a Giant Play for
Video
Ad Dollars.” AdAge. 8 May 2013. Web.
27 Jan. 2015.
Moses,
Lucia. "What Does That Second Screen Mean for Viewers and
Advertisers?" AdWeek. 31 Mar.
2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
Vranica, Suzanne. “What Do
Consumers Hate More Than TV Ads? Online Video
Commercials.”
The Wall Street Journal. 15 July
2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
Marechal, A.J. “Watching Live TV Vexes
the On-Demand Generation.” Variety. 27
Sept.
2013.
Web. 25 Jan. 2015
Most people try to avoid advertisements as much as possible. This becomes a challenge for advertisers. This is not surprising to me or to anyone who has grown up in the technology age. I have personally sat watching TV and looking at my phone or my computer at the same time. I will watch the show that is on and as soon as it goes to commercial break I look back at my phone or whatever I can to avoid watching the commercials. Everyone tries to avoid this. Advertisers look at the and must try and figure out a way to get people to interested in what they are trying to promote. They should start looking into what it is catches peoples attention and work that into their campaigns. Every once in a while there is a commercial that is so catchy that everyone knows it. People will go around saying it. Advertisement companies should look into what it is about these commercials that has everyone talking.
ReplyDeleteOn TV, ad characteristics such as the use of a relatable storyline, a
connection through humor or emotion or attention-grabbing sights and
sounds, are proven factors for the success quotient. Focusing on creating
an entertaining ad first—and educating the consumer second—is a key way
to boost memorability and branding. Understanding the impact that factors
such as ad characteristics, program engagement, complementary reach and
frequency have on an ad’s success is vital (Nielsen)
Advertisers have been getting better at targeting audiences though, even when they are using multiple screens. They find ways to increase live viewing. People want to be in on what others are saying as they are live tweeting a show. Advertisers can use this data to figure out when people will be viewing TV the most. They can also then figure out when to put on their best advertisements on social media. “While we're still hearing a lot of chatter around social TV, the multi-screen space will drive the conversation. Co-viewing behavior is exploding, and the industry will start seeing more advertisers market apps that coincide with TV shows and target consumers across the multiple devices in their hands.” (Atkinson) By doing this people can’t really avoid advertisements because they will be everywhere.
Advertisers have even taken over the online content. Previously ad free sites like youtube, have now become dominated by advertisements. They have made it so that you either have to watch at least the first 15 seconds of the commercial or watch the entire thing before you can view the video you selected. This is one way that they rope you into watching their advertisements, but people aren’t happy. “A recent survey of about 700 consumers found that about 36% of those polled said they find online video ads more irritating than TV ads.” (Vranica) Other sites try to make the advertisements more appealing to the people watching it. They let the person watching the video choose which ad experience they would like during the video or show. Hulu is one site that does this very often. It is a clever way of making people a little more interested in watching the advertisements. Advertisers need to start becoming sneakier, like the previous example, to try and get people actually interested in the advertisements.
Work Cited
"Advertising & Audiences: State of the Media, May 2014." Nielsen.com. May 2014.
Web.
Atkinson, Kirsten. “Six Key Trends as Upfront, NewFront Blend Into a Giant Play for
Video Ad Dollars.” AdAge. 8 May 2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/upfront-newfront-blend-a-giant-play-video-advertising-dollars/241331/
Vranica, Suzanne. “What Do Consumers Hate More Than TV Ads? Online Video
Commercials.” The Wall Street Journal. 15 July 2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2014/07/15/what-do-consumers-hate-more-than-tv-ads-online-video-commercials/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKara Felegian
ReplyDeleteI agree that in today’s society there has been a shift rom the once live stream media to now enjoying media in a variety of ways at different times. Although in today’s society many of us are watching TV delayed through DVR’s or online through Netflix and other online streaming sites, there is also still a large group of the population who does not time shift media. They consume the traditional advertisements that have always been used for years. Also, for those who jump through advertisements on time shift devices like DVR’s are still getting screenshots of advertisements. Although we may not necessarily be watching the whole thing we are still in some ways receiving the required advertisements message or brand whether we realize it or not.
Furthermore, in order to get away from advertisements we must pay for the service. According to the article by Suzanne Vranica, “Despite the complaints, most poll participants said they would rather watch ads than pay for content. Only 18% of those polled said they would pay a premium to avoid seeing ads” (Vranica) I will say that I am one of the 82% who will not pay. I don’t even have Netflix. I sometimes use my family’s Xfinity account to access shows, but those still have advertisements. Although I do not really pay attention to the advertisements while they play between my show they are still passing on the message through. I typically like many others use multiple screens during this time by using my phone, responding to e-mails or do other things to get away from the advertisements. According to the article, The Rise of the ‘Connected Viewer’ “38% of adult cell owners reported using their mobile device to keep themselves occupied during commercials or other breaks in a program they were watching. (Smith) I am honestly surprised in some ways that this statistic is not higher. The issue that I find with many online advertisements is commonly they repeat within the same show. I feel like the Geico commercial is played every 30 seconds. I wish they would ay least mix it up, but at least they are getting their message through no matter how annoying it is.
Like I mentioned before many people today are still watching media live, even I do sometimes. There are certain shows and events that I want to watch live because I want to be able to talk about it the next day with my peers. It is the idea of the “Must Discuss TV” that pushes many people, including myself to watch live. By watching certain things live it allows us to remain a part of conversation with friends, co-workers and the Internet the next day(Marechal). For example the Super Bowl this past weekend I don’t think I would have enjoyed as much or even watched the entire thing if it was not live. But on the other hand that is why these “special events” or popular time slots when the companies know people will actually be watching the TV the add costs are so very high.
Works Cited
Marechal, AJ. “Watching Live TV Vexes the On-Demand Generation.” Variety.com. 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 2 Feb. 2015
Smith, Aaron, Jan Lauren Boyles. The Rise of the ‘Connected Viewer’. Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. 17 July 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2015
Vranica, Suzanne. “What Do Consumers Hate More Than TV Ads? Online Video
Commercials.” The Wall Street Journal. 15 July 2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
Evan Conti
ReplyDeleteWe are definitely living in a time period where most of our generation are plugged into a variety of different media outlets at once. This has become a trend that has been quickly adopted between the emergence of twitter and the ability to have access to multi-screen viewing. We have become a society where social media gives the viewer instant access to watch or discuss whatever is going on at that specific time no matter the topic.
In an advertisers prospective it has to be careful with how to approach how to get viewers interested in their product. Lucis Moses said “On the one hand, advertisers will have to work harder to get and keep people's attention as they flit from screen to screen, the studies suggested. On the other, second-screen apps that complement the TV viewing experience can heighten people's response to the advertising and programming” It is very important for advertisers to say the proper words vocally to engage the viewers’ attention because viewers are more likely to be looking at their phone or another screen when the commercial is being broadcasted. “Turner found that those who use a second screen while watching TV still listen to the TV audio, and that dynamic audio can actually pull them back to the first screen. The findings have implications for advertisers as they think about how to get multitasks attention early with audio and keep it throughout the add”
Online video commercials have also become very popular and regularly aired on popular websites like YouTube and ESPN. They could also be very annoying to the viewer. A recent survey of about 700 consumers found that about 36% of those polled said they find online video ads more irritating than TV ads. Nearly half found both TV and online video ads “equally annoying” while only about 12% thought TV ads were more annoying”
Advertisers for the most part need to start becoming cleverer on how to sell their product. Most viewers are already annoyed with online ads so in my opinion there should be more comical relief to lighten up the fact that the viewer has to watch the advertisement. Who knows? Maybe that would make the viewer interested in the product.
Work Cited
Moses, Lucia. "What Does That Second Screen Mean for Viewers and
Advertisers?" AdWeek. 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/what-does-second-screen-mean-viewers-and-advertisers-148240
Vranica, Suzanne. “What Do Consumers Hate More Than TV Ads? Online Video
Commercials.” The Wall Street Journal. 15 July 2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2014/07/15/what-do-consumers-hate-more-than-tv-ads-online-video-commercials/
Tyler Speed
ReplyDeleteAs a business major, here at Quinnipiac, that wants to pursue a career in the media advertising and marketing space I couldn’t agree more with you that advertisers are facing a dilemma right now. It seems to me, like you stated in your blog that more and more people are becoming “multitaskers” and instead of paying attention to commercials or advertisements that are happening on the TV in front of them the audience is grabbing their laptops or cell phones and focusing on something else during the breaks of their favorite shows. In the article titled The Rise of the “Connected Viewer” it states that ,
Television’s solitary screen is being supplemented by multi-screen interactivity. Half of all adult cell owners (52%) have used their phones recently for engagement, diversion, or interaction with other people while watching TV. (Smith, Boyles)
It is interesting to me that even though advertisers have the knowledge and information available to them about what consumers are doing during commercials they still are choosing to try and stay predominately in television. I am not sure whether this is because currently upper management of the companies advertising are refusing to change what has become the norm for so long, or if it is simply because they do not know what to do. In my personal opinion I think that it is a combination of both, I think that management doesn’t want to think that this way of advertising is changing but I also think that they simply don’t have an answer for how to handle the changing. If it were up to me as an advertiser right now focusing on the television audiences, first I would identify which audience or target I would be trying to hit with my content. Then I would do some research and see what that audience does primarily during commercial breaks. As stated by Neilson in their The Total Audience Report,
Declines in traditional TV viewing have us all searching for the audience, trying to explain the shift away from viewing and away from content. Increased opportunities for content discovery on digital platforms,
through over the top services, or through media companies’ providing
their content online, accessible across an array of devices, all provide a
vast media playground for the consumer who is now in control of what
they watch and when they watch it. (Neilson)
Once I have figured out what my audience is doing during their time watching television I as an advertiser would put my ad in a place where it has the highest chance to be seen. So, for example, if my audience was 18-24 year olds I would simply use Neilson’s data that shows that 18-24 year olds are using their smartphones to go on social media the majority of the time they are not watching live TV. Due to the fact that my audience is on social media on their phones I would instruct my advertising team to use our social media accounts to create sponsored ads during the times of programming in which we know our audience is watching, thereby ensuring we engage with them, or at least get seen by them and not ignored.
Work Cited
Smith, Aaron, Jan Lauren Boyles. The Rise of the ‘Connected Viewer’. Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. 17 July 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2015
Tourrill, Dounia. "The Total Audience Report, December 2014." Neilson.com, Dec. 2014. Web. 3 Feb. 2015.
Jessica Betsy
ReplyDeleteAs I sit here and type, I can see Kate Upton in the background talking about the online mobile game “Game of War” on my television screen while I wait for Modern Family to return from the commercial. Not only do I have my TV on as I sit here and type away on my laptop, but I am also on my phone texting my friend about how much a round trip plane ticket costs to travel to California for spring break.
Like many people, I love to multi-task. Then again, our generation is completely capable of multi-tasking. It seems to come natural to us.
Though for me, this is not the problem. The commercial that I am watching of Kate Upton is the problem. Not only have I seen the same exact commercial of Ms. Upton on TV today six different times, but I have also seen it on Facebook as I was scrolling through my news feed and even when I was playing the mobile game “Trivia Crack.”
In general, I do not like watching commercials or ads while I wait for a show, movie or game to come back on or download, which is why I divert my attention to a different media platform while waiting. So therefore, what I am trying to get at is how annoying advertisements can truly be, especially ones that you may see more than once or twice a day.
Actually Melissa you stated, “advertisers need to avoid annoying their audience right off the bat or else they will keep finding ways to evade the efforts of the industry,” and I couldn’t agree more. I can honestly say that I feel like I do try and find ways to avoid seeing advertisements as much as I can because sometimes it becomes a bit too much.
I do understand that time shifting and multi-screen viewing presents problems for advertisers. In fact, according to Nielsen, “identifying how to reach them [us] has become more complicated due to an explosive number of viewing options” (Nielsen). Because of this, I realize that the goal advertisers seek is much more different and more complex than in years past. However, how much is too much? Yes, as consumers we encounter ads on whatever media platform we use, but we do not want to see the same exact advertisement five different times within a single hour. Why? Well for one it’s annoying, and also the message the advertiser is trying to get across to their viewers becomes old and becomes less memorable.
Whether we watch Sons Of Anarchy on Netflix on our tablet or whether we watch the Oscars on TV and live tweet, as viewers we will always be consuming some type of advertisement. It’s just how it works nowadays. And mind you because we are always on different devices whether we are scrolling through our Facebook news feed on our phone while online shopping on our laptop, we need to remember that we are setting ourselves up for advertisements. Like Dan Tynan stated in Explained- Here’s How Advertising Tracks You Across the Web, “As in the real world, your behaviors on the web affect your future” (Tynan).
When it comes down to it, as much as we shift our attention from one form of media to another in hoping we will avoid commercials and advertisements, like you said Melissa, advertisers are making the same shift. They are following and learning our behavior.
Works Cited
“Advertising & Audiences: State of the Media, May 2014.” Nielsen.com. May 2014. Web.
Tynan, Dan. "Explained - Here's How Advertising Tracks You Across the Web." Yahoo Tech. 17 Nov. 2014. Web.
Connor Powers
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I believe that your blog bring up a lot of interesting points when I read it about the struggles that advertisers have now when trying to gauge the attention of a multi tasking generation of viewers. It becomes increasingly harder for advertisers to gain the attention of viewers because of how many different outlets there are that can distract and entertain a viewer better than advertisements. Furthermore, with outlets such as DVR audiences can just tape their favorite show for the sole purpose that they can skip through all of the ads. Also, outlets such as Netflix and HBO GO are ways that people can view their favorite shows also without having to watch any advertisements. Personally, for me the only way that advertisements really get me is when I am online and am trying to proceed to a certain site or video that makes you watch a mandatory 15 to 30 second advertisement before proceeding. That is the most effective way for advertisers to get to me. But, also there are many ways to avoid seeing ads even if you are watching live television because there are so many different outlets that can distract you. This can include using your phone during commercials or browsing on your laptop as well. To effectively advertise now, advertisers have to become more innovative and smarter to find ways to get to their audience besides from just the traditional television ads. This is important because research shows that using television for advertising has become a less and less useful way of getting your message across because of all the different media outlets. Reaching an audience through advertising has become increasingly difficult and a harder business to go into. It needs innovative thinkers that can find out the best ways for reaching an audience in this evolving media market.
Work Cited
Marechal, AJ. “Watching Live TV Vexes the On-Demand Generation.” Variety.com. 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 2 Feb. 2015
Moses
As the media industry continues to grow, I agree with Marissa’s post that finding new ways to advertise products and services to consumers gets increasingly difficult. With time shifted viewing and the presence of multiple screens, consumers don’t pay attention to the ads that are being directed toward them. I certainly don’t. When I come across an ad, I will do almost anything to ignore it and fill the time gap. If I’m on YouTube, I’ll open another tab and read Buzzfeed articles. If I’m watching TV, I’ll check my phone. It is almost habitual to ignore what is being involuntarily shoved in our faces – and when it comes down to business (and money) this isn’t good for ad agencies, their clients, or media companies.
ReplyDeleteSo how do we fix this?
If “The days of ‘Must See TV’ are giving way to the era of ‘Must Discuss TV,’” than advertisers should do the same. I think that the way to save advertisement is by making ads more than strict business. Ads need to become a text themselves. This way people can discuss commercials as well as their TV show.
Social media has picked up on this trend and is very successful in having ads come up as content. It’s less annoying and allows you to easily click on comments or links to follow up for more information. I think this product placement and sponsored messages could help save the ad industry. Nash Greir of Vine makes of skits around products and gets millions of views. Likewise, Kim Kardashian features products in her Instagram. People crave good, professional content, and what better way to bring it to them then through their spare internet searching time?
If changes in population are becoming younger, more diverse, more tech-savvy as Neilson claims, than I think that advertising must adapt with that.
Work Cited
"Advertising & Audiences: State of the Media, May 2014." Nielsen.com. May 2014. Web.
Atkinson, Kirsten. “Six Key Trends as Upfront, NewFront Blend Into a Giant Play for
Video Ad Dollars.” AdAge. 8 May 2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
Marechal, A.J. “Watching Live TV Vexes the On-Demand Generation.” Variety. 27 Sept.
Maggie Folsom