Hey all you Mad Men & Mad Women out there, here’s a stat for you to ponder with your morning coffee. As you can see from the image above, 27% of consumers say that they’d be interested in real-time interaction with TV commercials from a mobile device or second screen. Notice the phrase “real-time“.
Let that sink in as I’ve got a question for you. What percentage of brands and their ad agencies are developing commercials that satisfy the consumer’s desire to interact with the spots that you’re producing? My guess is that number is in the low single digits…if not zero.
Where did this information come from? It was published in the “Borderless Lifestyle Survey” produced by Verizon. So what exactly is a borderless consumer? I’m glad you asked. Means you’re actually interested in learning something. That alone may keep you from being hit by the comet. (sorry for the dinosaur reference…well not really)
Borderless consumers are an important and rapidly growing segment, almost 40 percent of U.S. adults. These consumers use several devices and require connectivity, flexibility and choice whenever and wherever possible. They are defined as consumers who own a laptop or desktop, own a smartphone or tablet, have an Internet-enabled device at all times, are motivated to make technology and connectivity upgrades and are interested in the benefits of a connected home.
I’ve been getting acclimated to the world of social television for quite some time now and I see this being revolutionary in the advertising world. Yet, when I talk to ad execs at major agencies, I get blank stares back at me. They seem wholly unprepared to even discuss this much less implement anything to address the coming revolution.
Many of them want data and proof, but ignore it when it’s presented to them. I think the problem is that if you haven’t been involved in social for the last few years, and don’t have any presence or practical knowledge of social…then you’re already so far behind the herd that you may never catch up.
As much as I’d like to run a marathon, it just isn’t in the cards for me right now. Could I do it? Sure. I’d have to go on a strict nutritional regimen, begin training, develop a runner’s mindset and devote months of training to hopefully be able to complete one. And even then, that would just be crossing the line, not winning one.
Same thing with a lot of ad execs in regards to social television. They could spend some time trying to get up to speed, but the lifestyle change from Mad Men and Mad Women, might be the impediment that actually holds them back.
So here’s the problem. With an obviously increasingly wired consumer, who is desiring a different style of advertising and marketing, how are today’s ad execs who are worried about TRP’s, GRP’s, etc….ever going to be able to be in a position to give the consumer what they want?
Here’s the bigger question, IMO. What are brand managers and CMO’s going to do with dinosaurs who aren’t giving consumers what they want? Especially when some networks are TELLING their audience to DVR shows knowing full well they will bypass commercials?
Something has to give.
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