Web zealots have been espousing the end of Television since the first internet graphical user interface Mosiac started getting downloaded in 1993. It’s 17 years later and TV hasn’t disappeared yet. In fact, the Eye on Australia survey last year found albeit sadly, that watching TV is still the second most common family activity behind eating together.
So the battle for eyeball supremacy between TV and the internet never actually happened. So far, they’ve lived separate lives and if anything have actually co-opted the emergence of our screen culture.
Our entire existence is being augmented by screens. Not because they are being forced upon us, but more because we expected them. We expect our lives, decisions and all information presented to us be augmented by screens. And now that the technology is cheap enough (on average a Plasma or LCD TV is 10% the cost of the same size 10 years ago), everything electronic has one. A quick list of where we’ll see screens on an average day gives us a little clue: TV, mobile phone, laptop computer, iPad, desktop, shopping center store directory, supermarket checkout, seat on airplane, car dashboard, GPS device, elevators, and more often walls in shopping districts are also screened. I’m sure you could add some to this list.
Then add the fact that all these screens are generally web enabled, and what we have is the convergence we’ve been talking about for almost 20 years. TV isn’t dead it’s just everywhere and now it has 5 billion+ channels. And the real kicker is that the TV in our lounge room isn’t isolated from the revolution. In fact it’s the biggest beneficiary. All sets being manufactured these days are web enabled both with broad band cables and wifi.
Web enabled TV’s in our house will change a few things. Firstly, we’ll enter a new era of narrowcasting. Media will fragment further, and boring advertising will be invisible. People just wont have to endure it anymore. All the stuff they do on line now while at their computers, all those behaviours will be translated into the lounge room. TV will also become hyperlinked and non linear. Which means attention spans will continue to decline while audiences will be wooed with tasty redirections to special deals and related content during our allocated screen time – not in between it. We’ll get all the entertainment we need on our own schedule.
It feels like brand built content and the lines btween advertising and real information will be blurred further. Sponsored links might just evolve into something more disguised. Things will change dramatically.
So in the spirit of being prepared entrepreneurs here’s some closing thoughts on how we can use this knowledge in our existing startups or potentially to conceive our next one:
Advertising will only be watched by choice.
Create campaigns which integrate across all digital channels, which doesn’t mean taking a grab from the TV ad and splashing it around. It means we need to start using the medium again. Just like the old hot soup outdoor from the 1950’s with the steam rising. We need to ask ourselves what the modern day screen equivalent of this is. How can it be done and do these companies even exist or should we create them?
2. Create tools interesting enough that they give people ‘ego credits’ when they send to their friends.
Why will they share this with their people. What is in it for them financially or socially?
All presented information will have somewhere for people to click through to on TV – just like websites do.
The little red dot on foxtel asking if we want a ‘free brochure’ is a little bit like the Wright bros flight is to modern day air travel. It the start of something big. Something which has no real business powerbass creating and selling it. Maybe it should be you?
We need to start considering what we want our brand to stand for?
What value does it really create for our audience and how can we build on this with our own micro brand channel or brand built TV concepts where we are integrated into entertainment seamlessly and purposely – not as cheesy product placement.
All these screens know where they are?
How do we serve geographically relevant information and advertising to our audience as they engage with all these screens?
Start thinking beyond 30 seconds.
Long copy will make a comeback with unlimited channels. Blogs have lead us into a situation where we want more information. 30 second TV ads told nice short stories on why their washing powder was best. But in a fragmented market where we might consider investing $200 in a pair of custom made sneakers from Osaka Japan – we want a to deep dive into how and why. Could our brand hold an audience for 3 minutes, 10 minutes or even half an hour? It might need to.
And finally, remember that all this stuff is already here, and when it comes to communications if we can think of it, there is a very good chance we can do it.