More than ever before, the issue of branded television is being addressed by content and technology experts alike.
The ease with which consumers have effectively become their own content producers through technology that allows the skipping of ads, has meant that advertisers can no longer rely entirely on the 30-second commercial to communicate to consumers.
As concerning this is to those of us who create moving images that sell, we have to trust that with the demise of one medium comes the birth of a multitude of others. Brands have to become lifestyle driven and messages, while commercial, cannot be seen to be the shameless plugging of sales they have been making way for rather a more subtle, relationship focus.
We spent a lot of time last year evaluating and testing new digital technologies and looking at the related marketing opportunities and the threats to "traditional" advertising and finding solutions. Consumers are getting new choices and more control. Technology, information, entertainment and marketing options are multiplying, making marketers and media firms work harder which means marketers need to reach consumers in new ways by embracing new technologies.
We understand the media gambit has changed and the television commercial is no longer the sure fix it used to be. Busy lifestyles have also caused TV viewers to be far less attentive and there are many more entertainment choices.
In South Africa, the 2004 AMPS has shown that young adults appear to have less time or inclination to watch TV, read newspapers and magazines or listen to the radio. The incredible growth of the Apple iPod and MP3 music players means that people are choosing to listen to their own music rather than what's on the radio which is a significant threat to radio advertising.
Television stations are stretching the viewers' already limited attention levels by accommodating more commercial breaks and running too many ads in each break. Our task is to ensure that ads are unique and not repetitive so that they can compete with all the media noise. Much the same is happening in print where magazines and newspapers seem to increase the ratio of ads while the ubiquitous billboards have merged into the landscape like ugly weeds.
Research shows that younger people are more likely to believe a stranger in an internet chat room than a TV advertisement and we know the 30-second commercial is further threatened by technology such as Personal Video Recorders (PVR's) and Video-on-Demand systems which allow consumers to easily skip commercials with some systems even doing this automatically.
Video is, however, still the most powerful medium for engaging and inspiring customers and it can now be used in a variety of ways. Brands do not have to settle for simply being the interruption between television programmes, they can become an integral part of consumers' lives - the programming itself.
The plethora of new and emerged media technologies has created more empowered consumers, and brands need to find new ways to engage them. Technology is revolutionizing the way we consume content. As we can no longer market directly to the masses, other approaches that were once considered a novelty, are all we have left.
According to an article in Marketing Mix magazine, converged media devices aren't only important for the havoc they play with traditional distribution models, they do something else too: By acting as editors and filters they put consumers in control of the messages they receive. Whether it's on the Internet, the mobile phone or the TV, increasingly, consumers only need to be exposed to, and consume, the content they actively demand. The old "interruptive" model of marketing is being replaced by an "attractive" model where consumers demand the content they want, when they want it, to the device of their own choice.
I believe that New Media is not just about changing the distribution flows, costs and effectiveness; it also means the cost of making great television is plummeting because of the affordability of new technology. Advertisers can participate in more powerful media propositions than ever before - at a considerably lower cost than traditional television ads.
A fashion editorial, highlighting the season's styles, colours and accessories, brought to you by Foschini or YDE is far more valuable and informative to a consumer than an expensively produced television commercial.
As pioneers in DVD production, Platypus Productions has created the DVD magazine or D-Zine as a low-cost but high quality delivery medium. By creating programming that is either themed or brand based, we are providing advertiser and consumer with something they both want - special interest branded content.
Stanley Edwards is MD of Platypus Productions. Its Branded Television offering - their descriptor for sponsored content, is about creating engaging and entertaining "branded" content that weaves in a commercial message in an unobtrusive manner.
