I will never forget the days of that colourful test pattern. six years-old, sitting
cross legged on the floor waiting in keen anticipation for the clock to strike and
for “TV time’ to begin.
One TV. No dual view, no PVR, no Box Office and no “On Demand.’ Just TV.
For a long time our job as advertisers was fairly simple: Be the interruption
between your favourite movie, soapie, news or sports broadcast, but be sure to
be a welcome interruption – one that dramatises the benefit of the product and
engages.
Today this principle remains but TV has developed many tentacles. It is no
longer the only source of viewing. Our smart phones, tablets, computers and
even gym equipment all provide access.
And we have developed multiple screen behaviour. We watch TV while on our
phones, our computers or with an iPad in hand. We keenly and deftly navigate
our way through the barrage of content and communication that is competing
for our eyeballs and attention.
For a short while we advertisers had a reprieve in that these additional screens
merely provided more places on which to watch the same content and the same
TV ads.
But then we started getting creative and discovered that the nature of each
kind of screen allows for a different way of watching, a different reward and for
huge levels of interactivity.
The “Coke Polar Bears’ is a great example. Through their iPads, millions of people
worldwide watched the Superbowl with a set of animated characters. Reacting
live to the game and the ad breaks, the bears made Coke’s proposition of
“happiness’ come alive. It proved that the brand has a real personality and the
ability to react to real life.
Another example is Intel’s “The Beauty Inside’ – a TV ad that was actually a film
– allowed the audience to participate by contributing their own content which
was included in the weekly episodes. An “ad’ that connected so deeply that it
sparked numerous debates on personal identity on social media platforms.
And speaking of social media, many ads allow connection to it through apps like
Layar & Shazam, gamification gives consumers a greater level of interactivity
and engagement. Interactive storytelling through YouTube gives the consumer
audience the choice of what path the video they are watching takes.
These links are exciting and they enrich the brand experience – from behind the
scenes look-ins, to hidden rewards, to the ability to manipulate an outcome.
With the above in mind, as marketers we need to ask ourselves if that
traditional ad we’re making does enough?
Consumers want individually relevant advertising which comments on or reflects
their world, their identity or their aspirations. They want direct engagement.
We’re moving from marketers being the sole storytellers to a world where
consumers are co-producing the content that is relevant to them.
Thankfully, what will never change is the need for great storytellers, directors
and production houses to bring brands to life in a beautifully crafted manner.
