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Five Ways Brands Can Participate In The Future Of TV

TV isn’t dead. It’s evolving. People are watching more TV on more devices from more content creators than ever before. As sexy as it is, the standard TV spot just doesn’t cut it anymore. Here are five ways brands can take advantage of the future of TV and not get left in the dust.

1. Don’t place. Integrate. 

Product placement is, at best, easily missed or glazed over, and at worst mocked for being obvious and out of place. (“Modern Family” is notoriously bad at this.) 

A far better way to succeed in the new TV landscape is seamless integration into the programming; be a part of the story, not part of the furniture. 

For example, check out the Oreo integration on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” It’s not shoehorned awkwardly into the content; it is the content. Or take Honda partnering with the band OK GO to use its UNI-CUB to create a stunning, incredibly intricate music video. Its product isn’t placed in the background; it’s an essential part of the music video. (OK GO also did something similar with the Chevy Sonic.)

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2. Be the content, not the interruption.

Advertising isn’t annoying. Ads are annoying. They interrupt the content we want with content we don’t. So what better way to get people to pay attention than by being the content, not the interruption?

“The Lego Movie” and “The Internship” (á la Google) are well-known examples. More recently, both Intel and Dell created a beautifully done four-part miniseries called “What Lives Inside,” aired exclusively on Hulu Plus. It perfectly illustrates the power of a processor to unleash creativity with content people actually want to watch. It even included a crowd-sourced monster design contest that put the winning entries into the show. 

This is content that goes way beyond dropping a 30-second spot and walking away. It’s harder work and more expensive, but far more effective and memorable.

3. Take advantage of the third screen.

Cell phones, laptops and tablets are the perfect places to give people content that supplements and goes beyond the standard TV program, like exclusive content, live coverage, behind-the-scenes looks, alternate camera angles and more. People not only get more of the stuff they love, but also feel like insiders and VIPs. And they have you to thank for it.

During the U.S. Open, Chase gave its cardholders access to different, exclusive viewpoints through its U.S. Open Review Channel, via ESPN. During the VMAs, MTV used its Periscope channel to give fans behind-the-scenes, up-close-and-personal red-carpet access to the VMAs. It also produced an incredible, live-streaming, 360-degree virtual-reality video experience that let users explore the red carpet and inside the VMAs simply by moving their mobile phone in any direction.

4. Take advantage of new ecosystems.

Snapchat, Instagram, Vine, Periscope, Facebook’s new 360 video — the list of new content ecosystems goes on and on. So to get the most out of the future of TV, you have to produce a lot more content. Just make sure it’s quality, relevant content and not just a regurgitation of the last commercial or pre-roll you made. Explore new channels, experiment with new mediums, or even create a new ecosystem. Which leads to my last point…

5. Create your own channel.

If you’re hungry to create or share content, or are already doing so, cut out the middleman and start your own channel. It worked for Red Bull, which created its own channel full of newly produced, original content. It’s also worked for Totinos, whose ridiculous fan site encourages people to “Live Free. Couch Hard.” It also hosts a couple of Web series and a whole lot of weird Internet stuff. It has worked for a lot of brands that realize it’s not about selling a product; it’s about selling a lifestyle.

The future of TV can look overwhelming. But if you know where the opportunities lie and aren’t afraid to take risks, you can conquer it and put your brand far ahead of the curve.

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