TV or Not TV

Back in the day old git alert buying campaigns on TV was not easy but it was one dimensional TV was a selleramp8217s dream A limited supply meeting everincreasing demand within a monopoly ITV back then also sold Channel 4 Revenues grew way ahead of any inflation despite what was referred to at the time as a quotcatastrophic ratings declinequot There was a whiff of arroganceSales directors sailed past in their limos whilst advertisers waited for the bus and in case you think thatamp8217s a bit colorful I witnessed that exact thing at the annual TV Conference in Copenhagen in 1987Regardless of the behaviors of certain largerthanlife ITV sales directors advertisers kept coming back for more Why Because it worked ITV had laid the groundwork brilliantly They ensured audiences were well measured so you could buy with confidence They invested in a comprehensive research program into consumer purchases called the Television Consumer Audit or TCA and used it to demonstrate effect to even the most cynical of advertisersAs an agency you bought ratings for a price You made sure you got what you paid for Auditors ensured you paid the right price for whatever it wasTV was a bought medium one dimensional Within this world ITV ruled amp8211 the Big 5 ITV companies controlled every aspect from deciding on what shows were made for network distribution and by whom and when they would be scheduled Independent producers didnamp8217t get a look in This was a chumocracy par excellenceToday we talk accurately of video not TV Legacy broadcasters have a fight on their hands They are still amongst the most effective of advertising channels but they no longer take the money as a matter of course Money follows audience unless youamp8217re in a monopoly when money flows in despite audiences even when the way that quotaudiencequot is defined is questionablePlanning is at a premium Concepts like brand safety verification context sustainability attention and sales outcomes are all out there and are being discussedWithin this world broadcasters still offer advertisers great benefits Theyamp8217re the premium the quality channel in a world where quotpremiumquot is worth a lot Noone worries about brand safety or verification on TV context is out there and can be recognized and or acted uponquotPremiumquot is a planning conceit it needs definition a shape in order to be recognized To stand out from the online platforms from the fraudsters and their botsTodayamp8217s media battles are fought by planners not buyers Buyers buy plans planners donamp8217t postrationalize buys I know thatamp8217s not as black and white as Iamp8217ve painted it but itamp8217s a darn site better than it used to beThe planneramp8217s world is a crossmedia one amp8211 with advertising as one technique to consider alongside other communication channels Within advertising thereamp8217s every channel youamp8217ve ever heard of and some you havenamp8217t Within channels there are vehicles Within vehicles there are buying opportunities for the buyer to unearthAt the top of that pyramid sits the advertiser with decisions to make Decisions that need maps guidance or as we refer to it quotresearchquot Research that needs to be controlled and paid for by the beneficiary of objectivity in planning That beneficiary is the advertiser the benefit a more effective use of his budgetsThe focus has shifted from buyer to planner from channel to advertiser Many would say thatamp8217s where it should have been all alongThis switch in focus from buyer to planner to advertiser is behind Origin and other related WFAdriven programs From the outside ISBA seems to be driving Origin along singlemindedly hiring well and setting up the mechanisms to fund their work in part via an advertiser levyThe broadcasters not just in the UK should support such an initiative They need to be on the inside promoting their values of quality and ensuring those qualities are embedded in the program Their hesitation driven by concerns over the online giants is understandable but better to be on the inside influencing outcomes not howling at the moon on the outsideRemember when the online evangelists told us TV was dying and Tess Alps made her famous remark that far from dying TV was having babiesThe babies are now grownups Time to move on to make their markSelfpublished at MediaVillage through the wwwAvrioB2Bcom platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Brian Jacobs

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