That’s encouraging news for advertising creatives steeped in video production and storytelling. In fact, it’s yet another piece of evidence that despite what others may want to assert to fulfill their agendas, television is not dead. But it has migrated. And looks like it will keep moving.

Start writing those scripts…

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Olson

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But neither is broadcast the entire answer, particularly given the ever-escalating costs of that investment and ongoing channel fragmentation.  So traditionalists who’ve kept their head in the sand over our evolving media world need to wake up fast.  Especially after those numbers-nutty statisticians at Nielsen released new data last week showing a direct correlation between video exposure both on TV and online and a tremendous increase in message effectiveness.

Focusing on direct-to-consumer drug advertising, the study proves the efficacy of integration and cross exposure in dramatic fashion.  Despite sounding like the most wonky of buzzphrases, “cross-platform media synergies” stands as the single greatest way to impact media effectiveness, particularly given the way we consume information.  Nielsen believes  TV has unparalleled influence early in the decision cycle,driving consumer awareness and interest, and creating desire.  The Internet then provides engaged consumers with more in-depth information about product specifics, along with opportunities for couponing and even the actual purchase.

The real lesson here is the same one we learned in grade school, the same one espoused by all sorts of religions: play well with others.

Some day we’ll actually take that one to heart…

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By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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Tod Sacerdoti, CEO of BrightRoll, wrote a smart piece for Video Insider where he outlines the reasons why all great internet companies eventually buy a video ad network.  This quote pretty much sums up his point, and perhaps not coincidentally, the business plan for his own online video business:

“Video advertising is the preferred ad unit for most major marketers, so as budgets continue to shift, video demand will increase. The research and data are undeniable; video outperforms every branded ad unit on the Web.”

That statement should turn the head of anyone who’s actually paying attention.  Essentially, Sacerdoti contends that the :30 TV spot is not dead, it’s just migrating.  Constantly and restlessly.  Like a great herd of peripatetic bison, video units now travel far beyond the narrow habitrails of network or cable, wandering off to all sorts of corners of the web.

Of course, not all of these video branded video units will be :30′s.  Now they can include :27′s, :33′s or :42′s: essentially any length that maintains a high-level of engagement and breakthrough.  The onus will be on the creators of that content to recognize when their work jumps the shark and becomes self-indulgent or boring.  That’s not an easy task, but then, it’s always been the challenge of video storytelling.

As web metrics and algorithms come together to address issues of scalability and targeting, video production will power back to the fore, albeit in a vastly evolved manner.  The days of big-budget, A-list production are not over, but those types of shoots will become far less frequent for the typical agency.  Instead, lower-budgeted, video-based content shoots will become increasingly prevalent.  Which means once again, smart agencies will beef up their in-house production capabilities, particularly now that high-end finishing tools have become so widespread and cheap.  Because either agencies learn to handle these types of shoots in strategic, cost-effective ways, or they will be outsourced to production companies and even networks like Mr. Sacerdoti…and our piece of the marketing budget pie will shrink further.

No, television is not dead, it’s just diversified.  And evolved.  We better all start doing that too, Darwin.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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...And Everyone's Watching

For advertisers, that’s terrific news. But candidly, it’s even better news for traditional ad agencies that long specialized in television production. Because despite the flurry of new formats and technologies, the fundamental consumer desire to watch video thrives unabated in a platform agnostic manner.  Clients who ran to new media shops based on the strength of their technical prowess alone may want to reconsider; the viewers are there, but you can’t assume they’re an eager advertising audience.  It takes compelling content to earn an audience, and that starts with story.

Two recent posts on this subject actually make for an interesting compare and contrast. Last week, Chris Rohrs, the president of the Television Bureau of Advertising (find their rather hideous website here), posted a persuasive editorial in Adweek where he cited recent Nielsen       time spent data that registered the highest numbers in their nearly sixty-year history.  Nielsen suggests the average American household spends eight hours and twenty-one minutes in front of the TV every day, with the precious Teen demo logging nearly three and a half of those hours.

He went on to cite a March study from Ball State’s Center for Media Design, hailed as the “largest observational look at media usage ever conducted.”  Rohrs takes great delight in that study’s finding that ninety-nine percent of TV viewing in 2008 was done on a “traditional” TV with less than 5 percent of that viewing using DVR playback.  Web video from YouTube, Hulu and all other Web/cell phone media accounted for less than one percent of all viewership.

Obviously Mr. Rohrs has a bias to present but still, he uses these facts well to rebut the conventional bromide of so many new media advocates: “television is dead.”

Of course it isn’t Chris.  Say it with me, won’t you?  ”Television is not dead, it’s just diversified.”

And that’s the point Gavin O’Malley made yesterday on MediaPost: viewership on all three screens has never been higher.  Special events added extra fuel to online viewership numbers as people watched the Inauguration and the Final Fours from their desktops.  Again citing Nielsen, US online video usage grew thirteen percent year-over-year while mobile jumped more than fifty percent.

The two mens’ numbers around DVR use seem to conflict but the undeniable truth is that we are watching more video than ever…which must have something to do with this great nation’s rampant obesity, but that’s another blogpost.

Call me self-interested but my takeaway from all of these findings is that agencies deeply schooled in television production can no longer be cast as behind the times.  The collective skill and experience all that commercial production engenders gives us a leg up over any putative content provider, particularly if we’ve moved aggressively into new media anyway.

Like so many things, the means don’t matter nearly as much as the ends.  Facile skills on specific platforms mean nothing if the content isn’t there.

Stories, drama, ideas always come first.

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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On one hand, the widescreen, hi-def technology revolutionizes everything from DVD movies to evening news broadcasts, creating a high gloss plasticity for the former while revealing the all-too-human imperfections of the latter.  Finishing TV spots in HD adds considerable cost, not only for the dedicated versioning, but also to finesse the pan-and-scan headaches associated with aspect ratio changes.

But that’s the high end.  At the other end of the spectrum, everything from streaming video to the TV audience’s acceptance of reality programming has created widespread tolerance for lower production values.  With apologies to Tony Scott—casual viewers seem far more interested in what’s seen and said than the chocolate filter limning the cumulus perfection of late afternoon skies.

Necessity? Or T-Rex?

Which leaves those of us who tell stories on video with a Sophie’s choice: chase (and fund) high end production value or choose (and accept) lo-fi verite.  Candidly, that creative decision must be decided before any video project begins.  And given the rise of online video viewing—over three quarters of internet users watched over 13.5 billion videos online last October alone—things don’t look good for HD.  Short of a client with a large buy during televised sports, I’m not sure it merits the investment yet.

That said, things do look good for a creative revolution.  Because once again, technology democratizes video production, allowing those without Hollywood budgets equal opportunities to change the game based on the remarkability of their ideas.

The big question is, assuming you do have the courage to speak honestly with your clients about where they want to make their investment…will they have the courage to choose one and not both?

Somehow, I think the smarter ones will…

By Dennis Ryan, CCO, Element 79

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