The Show Is the Commercial

THE SHOW IS THE COMMERCIAL
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Gyula Kangiszer, Deloitte Consulting]
[Commentary] As digital video recorders advance viewers’ habit of skipping past commercials, advertisers must create new ways to increase product awareness and purchasing. There is one easy solution: Let consumers choose the commercials they want to see. Automatic skipping could be reduced by including a listing of ads in the beginning of the break so viewers could choose which to watch. In the future. advertisements on digital channels will likely be automatically matched to customer profiles and/or self predefined interests. Furthermore, entire channels dedicated solely to commercials may even emerge. In the meantime -- and possibly forevermore -- the show itself will become a constant commercial. To combat ad-skipping, advertisers will need to work with content creators to write products directly into scripts. You can't skip past products placed in shows without missing the program itself. So don't be surprised if everything you see on screen is for sale: 1) Product placement will dominate programming and account for the majority of props, background and style. 2) The use of props will be precisely defined. For example, a round table might be shown two times for 25 seconds each, the first time by itself and the second time with a popular actor leaning over it for five seconds. 3) A few key closed electronic marketplaces will emerge to facilitate product placement, matching the prop need to the highest bidding advertiser or manufacturer. 4) Prop availabilities will be acquired via open auction. Many props will have dual value: Marketing value, to enable viewers to buy identical products (e.g., a new line of clothes by a high-profile designer); or one-time revenue opportunity, for selling actual items (e.g., a specific dress worn during the program). 5) DVDs may get similar interactive remastering. For example, a soft drink in a movie or TV series could be sponsored through digital edits by different advertisers at different times (depending on the initially negotiated rights).
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6366057.html?display=Opinion