• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 9, 2012

Just in time means giving you something when you need it. For instance, I need a Broadway-themed, musical drama -- preferably on Monday nights.

What luck! NBC seemingly has one. And -- despite my prior knowledge -- just-in-time advertising apparently would have helped me out. NBC had planned to run a boatload of commercials about the new program during the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, a Sunday night. 

So I say, "Yes, I'll watch this show called 'Smash!’” And what great timing! NBC has scheduled the show to air the night right after the Super Bowl -- on Monday.

While marketers increasingly use TV for more just-in-time advertising -- also termed "recency" by media research executives -- just-in-time advertising for entertainment has always been in vogue, if not in hyper-drive. It isn't just for new TV shows, but for theatrical movies needing big TV commercials on Thursday night for films opening that weekend -- and weekend commercials for DVD rentals and sales that start on Tuesdays.

But digital entertainment platforms will need to work harder -- more of a "just-this-nano-second-advertising." Unlike buying a new car -- say a Toyota -- I don't think I need too much decision time to "purchase" (make that watch) an episode of HBO's "True Blood," ABC's "Modern Family" or the syndicated “Dr. Phil." 

Going forward, as entertainment options become more plentiful with digital services, traditional linear networks, and thousands upon thousands of shows, how will everything get marketed so quickly to follow every whim of my brain's hunger for entertainment?

Will I increasingly have to depend on social media, friends, family and business acquaintances to figure that I want to see "Walking Dead" or season two of "X Factor"?

In the near future, entertainment marketers will need to figure out the last moment of my desperation on a Tuesday night when there is nothing to pick out on my TiVo-recorded list of shows.

"Recency" marketing efforts are being pushed by media agencies to glean more exacting consumer behaviors and preferences from the supposedly valuable data on cable TV set-top boxes -- when it comes petproducts, car insurance products or home improvement sales.  But they will also need to do a better job when it comes to consumers entertainment choices.

Just because I watch CBS' "The Good Wife," which can focus on courtroom/soap opera drama, doesn't mean I'll look to try NBC's new "The Firm," a courtroom/thriller drama.

It'll be far more difficult to figure out. Good luck. I'm waiting for instructions.