By Karna
We’ve talked about interactive TV in the marketplace for as long as I can remember. We’ve seen iterations of it in hotel rooms and the cable companies are trying to dabble with it via there set top boxes. However, there just hasn’t seemed to be anyone who has truly, seamlessly brought interactive TV to life in a meaningful way, with an elegant user interface.
In comes the iPad. I’m not sure if the capability will be created through an app or through APPLE themselves, but I believe that the iPad introduces a new opportunity to more seamlessly integrate the interactivity of a web site experience in connection with streaming of video content.
My iPad is COMING SOON. I’d love to see an opportunity for me to view a show on the iPad and be able to interact with either the show, the content, the advertising experiences that are related to it, and/or my friends while viewing. I mean, seriously, every Monday night, I sit with my TV on Gossip Girl and my iPhone in hand, texting facebook updates about the craziness of the show. Now, I can do it a LOT more conveniently via the iPad. I know that I could have done it while streaming on my desktop…but watching GG at the desk just isn’t something I’m planning to do. Just not that comfortable.
I can envision this applied to other forms of streaming content and interactivity as well. The ability to take some of the “TiVO” learnings. Watch a show that has a tune in commercial for another show…or a trailer for another movie, and be able to (1) click to tell my iPad or my home DVR box to record the show or (2) click to buy movie tickets for the film that just previewed.
Again…these aren’t new ideas for sure. I’m just feeling pretty bullish that these ideas can now come to life in a much more scalable way thanks to the capability, format and elegance of the iPad.
We’ll have to watch and see. :0)
By Karna
I’ve spent a good deal of time, recently, researching what progress is taking place in the world of driving consumers from ad exposure to purchase action (online or in store). When I look at the majority of advertising creative in the marketplace, especially offline, I’m intrigued by the gap that still remains between the call to action within the message (if there is one) and the subsequent purchase. Why does such a lag still exist? Why are we still relying so heavily on “hope of recall” to move someone from their exposure to a message through to acting on that message?
It seems that the wireless device, the always on…always in my pocket connector, could become the more immediate action bridge between ad exposure and purchase.
Assuming that retailers have taken the initial steps to operationalize transactions or content for mobile consumption, what I’m proposing for messaging is as simple as a clear, prominent mobile oriented call to action. But, as simple as this sounds, few retailers have taken the steps to operationalize mobile app/web transactions. Plus, we also still live in a world where many creatives still only use calls to action or URLs as brief required text at the end of creative, rather than a valuable step towards driving creative ROI. So, I expect it will be even harder for some to elevate the value and subsequent prominence of a mobile oriented call to action that’s REQUIRED in advertising that could be consumed on the go.
That said…how could this work? Let’s first look at a low consideration purchase like a meal from Pizza Hut. They have implemented a very savvy mobile strategy with app, mobile optimized web site and TXT options for executing on the go purchases. So…the operational challenges are a non-issue. Yet, of all the various forms of advertising to which I’m exposed outside of my home or office (radio, print, outdoor and even TV sometimes), I can count on one hand how many executions exploited the mobile technologies as the call to drive my action, versus phone number or web site. How powerful would it be for me to see (or hear) a great pizza offer and be driven to immediately purchase it from wherever I am located via my wireless device. Now, PizzaHut.com has been somewhat optimized for mobile browsers, but it certainly isn’t as easy and user friendly as their iPhone app…and it is MUCH slower. But, even with that, making mobile purchases is new to consumers…it is a behavior that needs to be constantly reinforced to become commonplace.
Now, let’s look at a more considered purchase product like a grill. Imagine I’m away from home (on the go) and I see a Home Depot print ad or billboard promoting their portfolio of grills or a specific grill. Perhaps rather than simply driving me to HomeDepot.com, which requires me to recall this ad and think about it the next time I’m at the computer or near the store, the retailer could in fact deliver a call to action within the message to go onto mobile.homedepot.com via my wireless device or text GRILL to 33768 (DEPOT) to learn more and buy now. This mobile site would offer me the necessary information to choose which grill is most relevant to me, and then complete the purchase directly from my cell phone. I acknowledge two caveats to this example
(1) a grill is a considered purchase that typically requires decision time. This example assumes I am already aware of the retailer and am already in the product consideration and research phase of the grill purchase cycle and
(2) it assumes that I’m informed enough about the product that the smaller bursts of info and short transactions will be easy and acceptable from the device.
Again, this seems so simple to me. So, I am just bothered by how seldom this is happening. We have an opportunity as marketers to drive greater transactions and ROI through something this simple.
By Karna
So, I read an interesting article on “Ad Age” about a company that is sending RSS feeds to populate a highway billboards with up to the minute hospital emergency room wait times.
My first reaction was, “What the heck?” That seems very pointless. Unless you’re in a war zone (literally or figuratively), is there really this burning need to know how long the wait time at the hospital emergency room is…up to the minute? I guess perhaps somewhere, but it seems like pretty high cost to do this.
That said, if you take this odd application of the technology out of the mix, the execution introduces yet another evolution of the digital out of home landscape, which allows for real time information updating on a high reach medium. This presents some interesting opportunities for recency and interactivity within the OOH experience.
An example of how this can be an engaging part of a fully integrated plan might include taking the TGI Friday’s Facebook Fan of Woody campaign, and extending it into the OOH space. Last month, TGI Friday’s set out to grow their Facebook Fan membership through their TV character, Woody…fast. They initiated a TV ad campaign that promoted the challenge, and offered all customers a free burger if TGI Friday’s reached their fanship goal. Friday’s could have utilized these billboards to extend the reach and frequency of the campaign by placing the RSS updating billboards in locations around TGI Friday’s restaurants. The boards could have presented up to date fan page membership numbers and reinforce the message of joining and getting a free burger when the goal was met. This not only drives the desired brand interaction…but it also then could have also driven a burger purchase through top of mind awareness around the stores.
Another opportunity for this technology to be used may be in industries where information is variable, but is still a critical driver of action, especially retail or wireless action. This could include things as basic as up to the minute interest rates or as unique as the number of Wii’s remaining in inventory at the local Target store during Black Friday.
The key to this being successful is in really considering when and where recency of information is relevant…in the right mode. On the go and at or near point of purchase are both interesting opportunities to consider.
