• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, December 2, 2015

So what if you saw a traditional TV commercial for a car insurance company, and somehow the next commercial, hacked by scammers, told you what a lot of bunk that insurance company was up to?

Perhaps the first commercial said it would file your claim quickly -- or that you wouldn’t have to pay anything for your first accident. And the second commercial acted like a comment at the bottom of a digital media story, showing a different “truth.”

Would you pay attention? For sure.  

Still, TV is not there doing this yet -- and may never be.

But when looking at the digital media world, with hacking, robo-digital ads, and so-called “malvertising” that can infect consumer’s devices, you may wonder where we are headed.

And think about this: At this week’s global conference on climate change in Paris, some 600 outdoor billboards were “hijacked” by a London group called Brandalism. Fake corporate billboards were created by a group of artists, looking much like their intended targets.

For Volkswagen, there was a familiar-looking car (and VW logo) in an ad with the headline: “We’re sorry that we got caught.”  An ad for Mobil, with an off-shore oil rig in the background, ad reads: “We knew about the impact of fossil fuels but publicly denied it.”

The rise of ad-blocking technology by consumers may be a part of this. Consumers not only don’t want traditional-looking ads, they want more “truth” in the corporate messaging they receive.

TV, of course, is a different animal. When it comes to “ad-blocking,” viewers have had time-shift technology for almost two decades now. But what if you take this a step further -- especially as TV networks move more of their assets into the digital space? What happens then?

For its part, CBS, for its digital platform, CBS.com, has blocked consumers who use ad-blocking technology from streaming its content. Others networks are taking a wait-and-see approach.

That said, TV networks don’t (or can’t) take the same approach  when it comes to ad-skipping technology on traditional linear TV.  

Maybe TV’s future advertising is will be a complex mix of brand engagement — and ad “interference”  from restless consumers and others wanting deeper understanding, or to cause some mischief.