• by Chris Pizzurro , October 29, 2009

Interactive TV advertising is DEAD in the water! There, I said it. And while I am at it, so is video-on-demand advertising. It's been 15 years since Time Warner's Orlando Project, and these advertising vehicles have seen broadband video and mobile advertising capture more hearts and minds of advertisers in a much shorter amount of time. So, put a fork in them.

 

Now, even though iTV and VOD advertising are dead, as of June 8,  digital TV advertising is very much alive and kicking, beginning to deliver on all the promise of the last 15 years: the sight, sound, and motion of TV with the accountability and consumer-response mechanism of the Internet. Because of conveniences such as the DVR and VOD, consumers look to their TV remote to do more than change the channel. And with these capabilities come innovative advertising opportunities for marketers.

I won't use the "C" word, "convergence" -- OK, I just did. So sue me. Now that every TV is a digital TV, we finally have one unifying place in which to put iTV ads, VOD ads, advanced advertising, enhanced advertising, (you can stop me any time now) emerging advertising, activation, and now IPTV. You can't expect advertisers to put their trust in something if you can't even agree on what to call it.

Now, since everyone from PC Geek magazine to People loves Top 5 lists, here a few of my own. First....

The Top 5 ad Units of Digital TV

1. Program Guide Banner Ads
2. Video on Demand :30's
3. Branded Destinations
4. Linear :30's with Polling / RFI overlays
5. Linear Addressable targeting

Next --  I talk about this one a lot...

The Top 5 Things Digital TV Should  NOT Be

1. A Web site accessed on a TV
2. A one-off execution
3. Disruptive to consumer viewing patterns
4. Just interactive or just branding
5. A threat to TV ad dollars
   

And finally....

The Top 5 Things Digital TV Should Be

1. Simple and convenient place for consumer to get new and/or recycled information
2. Integrated with elements of the overall communications plan
3. Adding value to current viewing experience
4. Creative ad placements tailored to meet client goals
5. Enhancement to TV ad dollars

So please, let's get our heads out of 1994 and starting talking about 2010 solutions for advertisers. Let's talk about raising brand awareness, brand recall, and purchase intent. Let's talk about the consumer convenience of engaging with a brand via the remote control. Let's talk about "what's next" for advertisers. Let's talk about digital TV.