• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, July 8, 2008

MTV Networks says it will reinvent commercials to keep viewers tuned in. The network, known for its progressive content, has partnered with Cadbury and DISH Network to launch its first ad-supported interactive TV campaign that lets viewers have a two-way dialogue via the TV remote.

In the deal, Cadbury's Sour Patch Kids becomes the first sponsor for interactive voting and polling. Sponsorship for the eight-episode series Queen Bees, MTV's new reality show through The N TV network aimed at teens, premieres July 11. The campaign runs exclusively in DISH Network homes nationwide through the company's interactive TV application that lets consumers find product and retail store information, as well as make purchases with their channel clicker.

Scott Higgins, DISH Networks director of interactive programming, says asking timely questions will make the interactivity soar. In a traditional 30-to-60-second spot, brands only know how many people watched the commercial, "but they need to make people move, motivate people on the couch to pick up the remote and participate in the poll."

The campaign gives TV viewers the chance to interact directly with people in the show, as the audience is prompted with three sets of questions and results on the bottom third of their screens: "Fill in the Blank," "Sour or Sweet" and "Star Chart Play Along."

The two-way interaction gives viewers the ability to participate in the content they watch, adds Neil Sharma, head of advanced TV ads sales. "This is very early stages of interactive TV programming, but over time it will become part of the normal viewing experience," he says.

Forrester Research Principal Analyst Shar VanBoskirk says marketers want engaged, two-way dialogs, not clickable commercials.

Questions appearing before commercial breaks and voting results immediately following aim to build brand loyalty and encourage viewers to stay tuned throughout the show to discover the correct answer. For example, in Queen Bees several girls in a school hallway are seen talking, but the TV audience can't hear them. The question in the lower third of the television screen asks "What do you think they are talking about?"

When the commercial break ends, the tallied poll answer appears on the screen, but the television audience doesn't discover the real topic until the end of the show. MTV plans to weave Cadbury's Sour Patch Kids product into one question each episode, along with branding incorporated throughout DISH Network's interactive application.

Several challenges remain and some analysts question the effectiveness of a marketing technology that targets a small audience. For starters, Queen Bees target kids ages 12 through 17. Ian Olgeirson, SNL Kagan senior analyst, estimates about 90 million U.S. television households subscribe either to cable, satellite or broadband. DISH Network supports 13.8 million subscribers, but not all can interact with ads.

Ben Bajarin, director of consumer technology practice at research firm Creative Strategies, says the deal signals the beginning of true interactive television. It connects consumers to personalities in a reality show and lays the groundwork for future technology that will provide branded marketing tools to reach consumer, he says.