Advertising Is Content

from the let's-try-again... dept

This has been an ongoing theme around here, but it looks like slowly, but surely, TV execs are realizing that advertising is content. For too long, many people assumed that content was what brought people in, and advertising was the annoying stuff they put up with to see the stuff they wanted. When you begin to realize that advertising itself is content (and that any content can be used for advertising), it opens up a whole new world of possibilities, where things like TiVo and unauthorized downloading aren't scary. In fact, they're so not scary that they start to look like wide open opportunities. E-Media Tidbits is noticing the fact that commercials are apparently starting to become entertaining enough on their own that there's now a whole TV channel devoted to them. I don't think this is really that new. For years, there have been successful TV shows playing "the funniest commercials." AdCritic was hugely popular in attracting visitors (though, never came up with a good business model) years back showing that people wanted to watch commercials. In fact, it seems like a TV show of commercials is actually a step backwards, making people sit through random commercials, rather than letting them pick and choose, such as at AdCritic or one of the sites that have tried to do similar offerings.
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  1. identicon
    None Given, 26 Jul 2004 @ 3:29pm

    shoot your tv

    Uhh TV became a constant stream of advertising 10+ years ago. It is now purely the domain of the adolescent and intellectually crippled.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Clinton East, 26 Jul 2004 @ 5:30pm

    Viral Marketing

    You can already see this with email forwards; some are quite professionally produced and aimed at being done by referral.
    The really interesting thing about this strategy is that all the advertisers' resources can be devoted to production. Distribution is paid for by the consumers. Quite a clever system :)
    Interestingly, it's cleared the way for people with not much money but lots of passion. Rememeber that 'Meatrix' forward? With the cow, called 'Moofius'? Those guys definitely had an agenda, but it was entertaining enough so that people wanted to forward it!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Jul 2004 @ 10:09am

    Repetitious ad

    Advertising is interesting/entertaining when they are shown 1-3 times. When they are shown 100 times, they are pain inducer.

    I'm willing to watch commercial breaks *if* the commercials are much more varied, e.g. I don't see the same ads again and again (and again).

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Jul 2004 @ 10:44am

    Re: Repetitious ad

    Shit,

    I came to work today and ONLY because of one reason: ADVERTISING !

    Last month I was stuck @ my SO's home sick with the flu ... outta sheer boredom I started counting the commercials for " advanced education schools " between episodes of Ricki Lake & Jerry Springer ... You know, ones for crap like Barbizon & one's that tell you you can make the big moola drivin' the " Big Rigs " in just three SHORT weeks ...

    Well from 8:00 am ( when I officially started counting ) and 5:00 pm ( when thankfully, my SO got home and forced me to turn off the tube ) I counted 53 " school " advertisements !!!!

    This does NOT even include ANY of the OTHER approximately 200 commercials my glazed over eyes viewed during that excruciating time.

    This morning, while pulling on my pants ( both legs @ once mind you ) I briefly, BRIEFLY contemplated calling in sick to spend the day fucking off ... that is

    UNTIL I SAW A COMMERCIAL FOR GETTING MY DEGREE !

    My God, if I worked 3rd shift and chose to watch TV during the day I would have to assume from all the commercials for education that I saw that I must be a complete idiot.

    ADVERTISERS: If I don't buy your product after the 1500 first commercials, you can assume your ad 1. Sucks 2. I will never deal with you 3. Your ads appeal to monkeys.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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