When Television Imitates Digital
As talk around the water cooler breeds interest in possible messaging “pop-ups” during network programming, this platform could soon imitate online digital nuances.
Initially, we all watched the dynamic change from the acceptable “snipe” usage on television, which typically showcases the network’s logo or animated tagline at the bottom of the screen. This tactic then transcended into the idea of having our TV screens bombarded with “bugs,” “pop-ups,” logos—or whatever you decide to decipher it as.
This creative but slightly distracting feature has now caused advertisers to glare in the potentially bright direction of utilizing this feature for product placement. Clearly we are navigating away from the days when displaying a loaf of Wonder Bread on a kitchen counter during a TV episode actually cut the mustard. More effective approaches are being sought after.
Microsoft’s Bing capitalized on the opportunity to have their ad placed on FOX during certain episodes of a highly viewed television show. Now ask yourself: could this be the new TV “pop up” that will drive product sales or keep viewers engaged and encouraged not to rely on the DVR playback tool? Will this speak only to the tech-savvy generation of information-crazed web surfers? Who will be more accustomed to this type of penetrative advertising? It’s highly plausible that this could be the future—this fusion of digital and TV, as long as it doesn’t become an overused, cluttered tactic that fizzles during this creative collision course.
Now if this “bug” offers some kind of limited-time promotional incentive for viewers that only lasts throughout the two-hour duration of my favorite singing competition, The X Factor, then I am all for it. Maybe if it inspires an immediate call-to-action attached to the message, I’ll possibly think twice about using that DVR record option that I know too well. Either way, the line is becoming pretty blurry as the light flickers on the way traditional television and digital advertising platforms have been used in the past.
-Michelle Nash
