Tuning Out TV
Advertisers are using a variety of methods to grab consumers' attention
Ditto for Revlon, which recently began airing two-minute minimovies in theaters featuring Halle Berry and other beauties. "We used to have to really convince clients to think beyond the TV spot," says Delaney. "But it's not so difficult now that they realize that the stronger your brand essence, the less it matters if someone zaps through your commercial on TiVo." Advertisers also are trading in their turf between TV shows for roles in them--and movies, too. The William Morris Agency and Creative Artists Agency now represent dozens of consumer goods companies, including Ford, Anheuser-Busch, and Motorola, which they bring to the table when movies, music videos, and TV shows are on the drawing board. When Ice Cube's new movie, Are We There Yet?, opens, it will be tough to determine who has the leading role: Ice or his jazzed-up Lincoln Navigator.
Then there is cable. Forget the old argument that all the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy showings can't equal one episode of The Apprentice . While that may be true, it no longer matters that much. For the first time, cable's aggregate audience will actually top the combined viewership of the Big Six networks, and the Discovery Channels and CNNs of the world are expected to commandeer as much as $1 billion of upfront ad money. "For advertisers interested in target marketing, the networks can seem inefficient," says Brad Adgate, senior vice president at Horizon Media, a media buying firm in New York. GM, for example, which reduced its prime-time spending by $40 million last year, is shifting more dollars to cable, the Internet, and other outlets to get its wide range of products in front of as many demographics as possible.
The Internet, which attracted $6.5 billion in ads last year--a 16 percent increase over the year before--is expected to jump an additional 6 percent this year. Online advertising offers not just interactivity but an easy way to mingle content and direct targeting in a subtle fashion--at a fraction of the network price. When visitors to American Express's Web site watch the minifilm starring Jerry Seinfeld and a comically neurotic Superman, for instance, the card is barely mentioned. "There are a lot of people asking what are we accomplishing," says Peter Tortorici, head of TV programming at MindShare, a media services firm. "Who knows, exactly? But we're capturing critical mass and bringing them to our site."
In a world where the average consumer receives 3,000 ad messages a day, simply reaching audiences is no longer enough. Advertisers want to have a one- on-one dialogue with consumers. And while many are content to let celebrities do their pitching, Procter & Gamble, for example, is turning directly to teens. Dubbed the Tremor Nation, its online focus group of more than 200,000 teens weighs in with opinions on everything from product names to packaging of P&G products. Then the word of mouth begins. So far, Tremor has been behind the buzz on CoverGirl's latest lipstick color and Pringles's newest potato chip flavor.
advertisement
