TIVO Advertising Search: the killer app?
2November 29, 2005 by Colin
Stan Merkel
Street Performer
“This means I won’t miss another beer commercial with hot chicks in thongs – ever!”
Christ. The news release from TIVO announcing their upcoming commercial search capability has more quotes from more people than a multi-level government funding announcement for a new children’s hospital in a rural area. I should know. I write those for a living.
The nub of the announcement? “TiVo subscribers, if they choose to use the search capability, will retain control over their viewing experience through the creation of a viewer contributed profile via the set-top box that will enable them to receive advertisements based on their interests.”
I will love to see the accumulated data for favourite searches – when they’re available. That information will kick a lot of television-dependent advertisers in the teeth. Some of those marketing folks will look like the Hanson Brothers after meeting up with Ogie Ogilthorpe. Actual permission-based information on advertising preferences? Fantastic!
Want to take a guess at possible favourite ads among the general television viewing audience? Beer ads. Foreign Beer ads. Soda pop ads with Diddy in them. Doritos ads with Ali Larter. Nike ads – but only if they start featuring hot Olympians again. Or the new members of the LPGA. Oh – and anything with Martha or Oprah.
And since we’re still talking about early adopters with PVRs here – any Apple ad.
Will there be an option for “ads with Jessica Alba in them”?
Technorati: advertising Tivo PVR
Colin,
Great post. What I think will be interesting to see is how much havoc this plays with the networks who recently announced they were going to start counting TiVo and other DVR/VCR recordings in their Nielson ratings. It seems to me that with this announcement, TiVo has found a way to get around the broadcaster altogether and sell ad time and, more importantly, consumer access directly to the advertiser.
Ouch. That’s gonna hurt.
I’m adding this post to Wednesday’s “Much Ado About Marketing” blog in the hope that we can get some more discussion on this subject.
Thanks.
Mike Bawden
Brand Central Station
TiVo Announces Ad Search Capability
Colin McKay – a.k.a. the Canuckflack – is at it again with a pithy and relevant post about TiVo’s new ad search capability which is expected to break this Spring. This is big news, folks.