Talking Back to the TV

Marketers are eager to bolster the performance of TV ads. In a 2008 study of big advertisers, more than 60% said TV advertising had become less effective over the past two years. Consumers are unhappy with the large amount of ad clutter that appears during commercial breaks, leading to the explosion of devices that allow viewers to circumvent TV ads altogether. Advertisers believe that the longer they can keep viewers engaged with an ad, the more likely they are to buy. So companies such as Unilever PLC, Johnson & Johnson and Kraft Foods Inc. are increasingly turning to technologies that add interactive capabilities—games, coupons and informational videos—to their TV pitches. Interactive features, which are available from cable and satellite services as well as from technology companies such as TiVo Inc., provide more proof that viewers are watching ads—an important issue for those on Madison Avenue—as opposed to leaving the room or fast-forwarding. They also allow marketers to know which ads viewers are responding to. This month,Burger King Holdings Inc. will roll out an interactive TV ad campaign that is part of the fast-food company's elaborate movie tie-in with "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," the second film in the popular vampire-werewolf series. Viewers of the ads, which will appear on the satellite DirecTV service, will be able to use their remote controls to take a quiz testing their knowledge of the film.