• by P.J. Bednarski , Staff Writer @pjbtweet, May 9, 2014

After a week and a half of traipsing through the hyperbole of NewFronts presentations, I was more than happy to see some sarcasm directed toward producers of millennial-minded promos.

Thankfully, that happened.  This week’s  “14 Things We Found  On The Internet This Week That Justified Its Very Exixstence”  by Econsultancy’s  Christopher Ratcliff  included a new YouTube video titled,  "What Every Celebrity Commercial Sounds Like." 

What makes it really, really good is that it really is what every celebrity commercial sounds like.

Especially if the celebrity is rock musician.

In this case, the commercial is a parody of Jay Sean’s spot for Monster Audio’s DNA.  In this version Sean thinks deep, deep thoughts.  A voice over tells us what they are and well…it’s worth watching.

But you can’t help going to events like the NewFronts and not learn something.  For example, I learned, from Tremor’s Doron Wesly, that there are three principle places in the home where consumers use connected devices: 

Living Room: 55%.

Bedroom: 35%

On the toilet: 10%.

I don’t know the source of the research, or the plus-minus.

From executives at BrightLine, I learned only one out of eight TV viewers know what they’re looking for when they turn on the TV, and three out of five say one of their goals for watching is to expend minimal effort.

This tells me interactive’s  impediment may be the “active” part of that word.  I mean, do I HAVE to lean forward?  Maybe not.

When BrightLine  presented at an IAB conference earlier this week, I realized just how fully voice recognition systems, like the one on Amazon’s Fire TV and other places, could fulfill the real consumer dream of making all purchase decisions while semi-dozing on the couch.    

And that’s why, a week earlier, there was such an outsized reaction to news that Hulu has made a deal with PizzaHut that will allow a consumer to order pizza while watching Hulu, and even be able to pause the program while they decide if they want anchovies or not.

It occurred to me, the pizza-by-TV reality is  so…Jetson.  It’s what this whole interactive digital-schmidigtal  journey has been about. I think it’s been possible for years and years, really.  As Business Week noted, “It’s true that ordering pizza—now possible to do online, via app, or with an actual telephone call—is already about as easy as it gets. Then again, no one ever lost money underestimating the American couch potato’s desire to do as little as possible.” 

Though, you might want to check with Aereo on that one.

Finally, I think the very smartest thing I heard came from Yvon Kreiz, chairman and CEO for Maker Studios, who observed earlier this week that, “Social [media] is the EPG of this generation.” That’s exactly on the money, for right now, and maybe plainly evident too, but I’ve never heard it put so simply.

pj@mediapost.com