Supertargeted Television Advertising

While watching a horror movie on the SciFi Channel, I saw a couple of ads done in a way that show that advertisers are at least beginning to understand the value of niche communities and how to effectively communicate with them.

This ad for the upcoming film, Hellboy 2, for instance, wouldn't work as well if it were placed on any of the major broadcast networks, but (without doing any research of my own to confirm it) the marketing team for the movie seem to understand who their target audience is and what they're watching. (Feed readers click through)

Importantly, it promotes both the SciFi show Ghost Hunters and the science fiction movie Hellboy 2, but it is directed at not just a specific category of audience, but at a specific audience on a specific channel watching a specific type of movie. Though this ad may work somewhat on other sister channels where research shows a significant overlap in audiences, it probably doesn't work any better than it does on the SciFi channel.

Except for the Super Bowl, I'd be hard pressed to find many television commercials that are tied to a specific network so tightly.

Likewise, this ad for Verizon Wireless just wouldn't work if it were placed in the midst of a rebroadcast of Steel Magnolias, but it worked well because it was attached to a horror movie.

This one, a not-so-subtle nod to the classic Stanley Kubrick film, The Shining, could be transported from network to network fairly easily, as long as it stayed within the horror genre.

I've always said that the most effective advertising is that which is most relevant to the audience. And as such, between the two, the Hellboy 2 commercial takes the cake. To wit, the thing being advertised, a science fiction movie, is most relevant to that audience's needs and goals, and it's done in a way that is nearly exclusive to what they are watching where they are watching it.

The Verizon Wireless commercial, on the other hand, relies entirely on its creative execution to communicate a message to a specific audience, but it's about a product that other audiences (anyone who owns or is thinking about owning a cell phone) certainly appreciate.

I don't heap praise on television advertising very often. Most of the time it seems mailed in.

However, I have to appreciate the thought and consideration these two placements show advertisers are giving to their audiences. - Cam Beck

Update: Jay Ehret of The Marketing Spot sent me a link that led me to this New York Times article that deals with this technique, called "pod-busting." Here's the money quote:

"'The engagement metrics are off the charts, when we do it well,' said Mike Pilot, president for sales and marketing at NBC Universal, part of General Electric."

I did notice that only Fox Broadcasting seems to be considering cutting down on the number or duration of commercial breaks to make what is advertised more memorable, but at least some media executives recognize this shortcoming.

"But Mr. Lotito of Media IQ dismissed pod-busters as 'flawed' for reasons that include the 'silly' nature of their content. He would prefer that the networks shorten each pod because, he said, 'anything more than three or four spots is just too many.' Often a pod will contain six to eight commercials and promotions — or more."

At any rate, it's still nice to see that advertisers are looking at more creative ways to use advertising to deliver relevant content, rather than just another opportunity to shout at their audience.

Since Fox Broadcasting is going to experiment with longer programming time with supertargeted pod busters, assuming they're done well, we'll likely soon have some metrics to learn from.

The commercials in these shows ("Dollhouse" and "Fringe," which will run in 50 minutes instead of the industry average 42 to 44) will come at a higher price -- both in terms of production and media, but potentially will fetch a higher ROI. We'll see.

Comments

[Jay Ehret]

Who would have thunk? Reducing commercial time and charging more, then making the content more relevant. What a great concept! Hopefully this will be a trend across all advertising platforms.

The extra programming content means that House gets to guess wrong a couple extra times before he cures the patient.