Television has seen a lot of disruption in its 74 year-old existence in the U.S. We experience "TV" in 2013 very differently than we did in 1939. But at least one thing is the same: The reason we watch.
While many like to proclaim the death of TV, the mass medium is quite fraught with life. It's not that television is dying but that its business model must adapt along with technology innovation and changes to our own consumer behaviors, else be left behind.
So what is the reason we watch TV? And why will that change the business of television?
The answer is detailed in an artical I wrote for Lost Remote. Check it out and I'd love to know what you think.
Although 87% of broadcast television is still watched when it airs, DVR usage continues to rise. And both TV networks and brands are getting creative with ways to increase tune-in to commercials. The latest is what Fox is doing on American Idol and its live results shows:
During the commercial break between when the bottom 2 contestants got announced and then when the last place contestant was revealed, the cameras kept rolling in the upper right corner. The brands advertising during that “pod” (Ford being one of them) had their commercial play but in a smaller player all wrapped around, for all intents and purposes, a giant display ad.
It’s an interesting way to keep the audiences engaged during commercial breaks and, at least, notice the brands while either watching live or time-shifted. (It worked on me ;-)
Should brands that aren't part of a given TV broadcast get involved in its corresponding Twitter backchannel?
That's a question I've been mulling around ever since the Oscars this year. Where's the line between inviting and invasive? And is a steady stream of snarky one-liners effective marketing for (most) brands?
I begin to just touch on this in a post I did for ClickZ as a prelude for the opening keynote I'll be giving at SES in a couple of weeks.
This is just one part of what I'll be chatting about at SES. Hopefully I'll see you there!
This past Thursday, I had a really great time keynoting my alma mater’s executive forum. What made the event truly awesome was that a bunch of students trekked down to Boston from New Hampshire to be part of it (which, BTW, had a 7:30am start time – and it was Valentine’s Day).
I spoke about the profound impact that my mentor, Don Harley, had on me both as a student and in life after graduation and how he expressed, at the time, that “now” (as a student leader) is the time to take risks as the consequences of failure are nil. As students we didn’t have mortgages to pay or families to feed – so we could be that much more daring, bold, and courageous – and in the process learn and grow more in a short concentrated burst of time than we would at any other stage in our lives.
If there was one take away that I hope everyone left the event with was that being actively involved in student run organizations (in my case the Student Senate) and having a mentor as a trusted guide was, for me, an incredible jumpstart into the world I’d be facing beyond campus – it was essentially leadership boot camp.
Back in 2003 &
2005 I shared some of my lessons learned at UNH’s Student Senate orientation. I
didn’t speak about these on Thursday but dug them up off my old laptop. Here they are:
It’s not about formal power - It’s about influence.
We spend so much time and energy agonizing over
organizational structures, reporting relationships, job descriptions, and
titles. But the only power that matters is the ability to influence others. And the power of influence can only come from
you through the relationships you foster. While your title might open a door or
two, people ultimately follow leaders who they truly believe in.
Money is always limited - Get used to making tradeoffs.
Getting things done requires constant compromises. Resources
are always scarce and “bandwidth” is always low. Those who are tenacious, can
creatively think quickly on their feet, great at triage + prioritization, and
can stay focused on the ultimate goal are usually the ones first to the finish
line.
Politics are everywhere - Learn to be politically savvy.
In every organization, there are those who will say or do
anything to further their own agendas. Take the high road, stay far away from
organizational gossip, don’t assume trust – and constantly deliver outstanding
work. Your career will be that much more fulfilling if you have a mentor who inherently
believes in you and always has your back.
There is no autopilot - “Drivers Wanted.”
Getting things done requires an entrepreneurial spirit. Ambition
doesn’t always equate to action. Leaders are inherently wired to want so badly
to get things done that they’re willing make the sacrifices necessary to reach
the goal. You’re not going to look back on your college days and wished you’d
partied more.
Student Senate isn’t a resume builder - It’s a skill builder.
Some students join organizations to bolster their resume.
Employers don’t care about what student clubs you belonged to; they care about
the skills that you can offer them. Use every moment as a learning opportunity
to grow your skills so you can demonstrate leadership at the entry-level.
Of course it’s tough - That’s what separates you from the rest.
From Don Harley: “Leaders
always work harder and longer; they endure more frustration; they receive more
criticism. Harry Truman said: ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the
kitchen.’ The beauty of [UNH Student Organizations] is that they begin
(only begin) to teach you how hot it can be in the kitchen.”
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Updated 2/18 - After I spoke, UNH students Aidan King '14 and Sam Nute '13 asked a couple (really good) questions for this video they produced (also embedded above). It was Aidan's question (after the fact) that prompted me to write this post in the first place. And the more thorough answer to Sam's question (which really got me thinking) could be a whole other blog post in itself. Challenge accepted! Stay tuned... ;-)
It's finally official after a day of reports. Social TV analytics company, Bluefin Labs has been aquired by Twitter just 3 months after Nielsen aquired (Bluefin competitor) SocialGuide.
After reading Twitter's announcement, I started to visualize in my head their description of the current ecosystem they've created around the much buzzed about (and forthcoming) Twitter TV rating. Here's my attempt at diagraming it:
But I doubt this acquisition is just about "social TV" and the Twitter TV rating. Brands continue to ask the tough questions about how social media is helping to drive their respective businesses. Data must be both the start and end points in answering this. And what Bluefin Labs has done with social analytics (by taking a "big data" approach) is innovative in helping to surface actionable insights.
Over half of Sunday's Super Bowl TV spots incorporated a Twitter hashtag. And many of those brands additionally purchased promoted Tweets from Twitter. I'm sure Twitter wants (and needs) to continue to prove its value as a place for brands and media companies to invest marketing budget dollars. Bolstering the company's arsenal of measurement and analytics capabilities is one way of doing just that at scale.
But there's even more beyond the realm of measurement. Let's not forget Bluefin's keen ability to map affinity relationships between lifestyle attributes and brands (and TV shows). It would seem that this kind of algorithm and intelligence could be used as a powerful (advertising?) targeting engine. And that may just have more imporant implications for brands.
Let's see what happens...
