IP: UPN May Welcome Infestation of Ad Bugs, was: TiVo drives advertisers to ever more desperate moves...

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 08:21:06 -0400
> From: Matt Murray <mattm () optonline net>
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
>
> Prof. Farber:
>
> Here's the Post's story. Notice that the last paragraph mentions digitally
> placing products in a show that were not there in the original production.
> Makes me proud to be in broadcasting.  :^Þ
>
> Matt Murray
>
> mattm () optonline net
>
>
> UPN May Welcome Infestation of Ad Bugs
> By DON KAPLAN
> New York Post
>
> Advertisers and network execs are preparing to drop yet
> another bomb in their escalating invasion of prime-time TV
> shows.
> It's another twist in the ever more devious marketing wars:
> UPN is mulling the idea of giving advertisers a chance to
> push their brands through the tiny transparent logo-shaped
> "bug" that has become common on the lower right part of
> your television screen, a knowledgeable advertising source
> says.
> In the era of 700-plus channels, bugs are typically used to
> remind viewers what network they're watching. And the
> appearance of diminutive NBC, ABC, TNT or even History
> Channel logos have become common within programming.
> Now it appears the little buggers are about to become
> commercials too.
> UPN is in the early stages of proposing extended use of
> logo bugs to McDonalds and Gillette, the source said.
> The logo-shaped bugs would be included as a bonus feature
> for buying large blocks of commercial air-time during
> prime-time, and would appear on the screen throughout
> programming, the source said.
> UPN denied that any such offers have been made - yet.
> "There are no offers out like that," UPN reps said in a
> prepared statement. But a network source confirmed that UPN
> execs "are looking into various creative ways of marketing
> and reaching advertisers." Sales of logo-shaped bugs to
> major advertisers are probably one of many ideas on the
> list, the source said.
> The potential infestation of corporate-sponsored bugs into
> prime-time comes on the heels of news that CBS planned to
> shelve several repeat episodes of "Family Law" this summer
> because one of the network's biggest advertisers, Procter &
> Gamble, objected to the content of the episodes and had
> threatened to withdraw its commercials.
> "This was an ordinary, internal decision in the process of
> scheduling summer reruns," a CBS spokesman told the AP. "If
> you only plan to repeat a few episodes of a series, it is
> common business sense to rebroadcast the episodes with the
> most sales potential."
> Because the ad market is particularly thin this year, and
> because CBS and UPN are both owned by Viacom, there may be
> a company-wide effort to adopt unorthodox methods (and, in
> the process, trample over viewer sensibilities) to keep the
> ad dollars flowing.
> TV industry experts say the bug-logo is the logical next
> step for advertisers.
> "Viewers will either accept it as they have accepted the
> logo and other things that have become normal on the
> screen, or they'll find it an annoyance," said one. "And if
> that's the case and they're verbal about it, it will go
> away. Advertisers are not looking to irritate potential
> customers, they're looking to attract them."
> In recent years, much of the brain-power behind advertising
> has been devoted to devising ingenious ways to insert
> marketing outside traditional commercial time.
> Especially threatening to the advertisers has been the
> advent of TiVo and devices like it, which allow viewers to
> record TV shows without the commercials.
> These new ways of pushing products have taken on a variety
> of forms.
> At least one company has already developed the technology
> to digitally place products into scenes of network shows
> once they start running in rerun syndication.



For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/