Image by IMMI
I read a report today that women multi-task better than men. Published by Integrated Media Measurment Inc, the survey looked at how almost twice as many women both use the Internet and watch television at the same time compared to men.
While I found the survey a little obvious (everyone knows women multi-task better than men!), it did make me wonder – how is this information being used?
Let’s look at the key group, for instance.
The biggest percentages of women that are using the Internet while watching TV are the ones that fall between the ages of 19 and 39. For this age group, many of the most popular shows include Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Medium, 30 Rock and Big Shots.
This doesn’t take into account the most popular genres like soaps, lifestyle, reality TV and chat shows. So the question then becomes are brands using this audience effectively?
Media Convergence
Let’s say I’m the marketing director for one of these shows. I find out that while my target audience is watching the show, there’s a good chance that they’re also online at the same time. So shouldn’t I be using that to my advantage? How about…
- I offer fans of the show the option to register at my show’s website.
- When the show is on, anyone using the Internet at that time gets pinged with a time-sensitive message offering exclusive offers for the duration of the show. It could be fan apparel, memorabilia, discounts on DVD boxsets, etc.
- Pick random email addresses by location, give them free tickets to their favourite show and run their website username along the bottom of the screen as a way of saying, “Thanks for being a fan”.
These are the really obvious approaches and they’re also limited to first runs and live shows. Yet the concept is feasible and the technology is there. As far as costs go, take it a little step further with your advertisers. Show them the numbers of online users you have outreach to, and allow them to place similarly unique offers to those online users for a nominal fee increase in their advertising rates.
What do you think? Would you be interested in your favourite show or brand engaging you in this way? If not, and you fall into the group the IMMI survey mentions, what would you advise when it comes to brands interacting more with your online use?
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Great concept, Danny. . .and I think it could be very easy to implement with very little upfront, if any, cost. The best thing is it allows marketers and their respective firms to test out social media and even mobile media at the same time, with an ROI in mind first. The more often marketers look for the return before establishing the "creative", the more often marketers will maintain a space in the C-Suite. . .despite any economic woes, because they'll be demonstrating quantifiable value at every turn. Cheers, Doc
I think that it will (does?) boil down to perceived cost a lot of the time. As I mention in the post, they're pretty basic ideas and that's where market research will come in, to gauge what would work and what wouldn't.
As you say, if it can be proven to be cost-effective as well as effective, the limits will only be invention.
A crawl on the screen thanking me for being a fan? C'mon.
Although I'm a smidgen outside of the age demo, I'm definitely a women who watches two of those shows regularly. I'm also often at my computer or iPod Touch at the same time. However, I'm usually doing something completely different there. I wouldn't be the least bit interested in any of the ideas you've suggested. Sorry.
A couple years ago Will & Grace fans could buy some of the clothing and accessories online following an episode. I'm not sure how successful the experiment was but I give them high points for trying.
If a show wanted to engage me online, sure promote a new feature at the end of the episode or at an end of a commercial break. Be innovative online but don't play with me while I'm watching an episode on TV.
That's the beauty of basic ideas, Eden – they get improved with interaction and suggestions, like the ones you're making now. Offers during advertising breaks, as I mentioned with the show or product's sponsors, would be a way to interact to your preference.
There's a way to go and ideas to be approved/dismissed, yet just starting the discussion has to be better than not having it at all?
Finally, a site that actually put my ideas into concreteness. Online marketing promotion is really becoming the fad amidst all this global financial crisis. However, I think there are also some online businesses that are also greatly affected by the global financial crunch. Yet, I think, in a similar sense with traditional advertising, an online "marketeer" should also come up with his own understanding of the ins and outs of the business he is playing in. So, at the end of the day, still, it's strategy that beats the game.
I fall into that demographic exactly: I'm 20 and read this while watching TV.
My favorite television show is American Idol, and last season they mentioned online content at some point during a show which I immediately checked out. More recently, Ryan Seacrest (and by that I mean some intern) has been posting online short videos that he shot with his phone during the week.
If I were the marketing director, I would set up a web page specifically for Ryan's videos (or other content mentioned during the show) and sell boatloads of advertising on those pages after communicating to advertisers that the viewers will most likely be female. Idol fans are a little intense, and my guess is that this would pay off very quickly!
That's a great example, Jessica – my wife is a huge Idol fan and she normally has her laptop beside her when it's on. It's finding ways to hit the demographic with extra content that they want (and in the way they want it) that has to be worth looking at.
Particularly when you hear of companies shelling out $3 million for a 30-second SuperBowl ad – there has to be a better way?