Andrew Frank

It’s safe to say that, of all the disruptive technologies to assault the media industry lately, DVR-enabled ad-skipping is one of the most potentially destructive. There are plenty of debates about how rapid or pervasive the problem is, but it’s clearly eating away at the staple of the TV business, the 30-second spot.

The reason the problem’s so deadly is that there are few practical suggestions for how to fix it. TiVo has introduced new formats to try to entice users to view ads, while agencies have tried to design formats that can message through the fast-forward blur, including use of still images. “Bottom third” ads have become more prevalent, despite creative objections from content providers. Some countries (such as Australia) have taken steps to suppress ad zapping technology in the interests of commerce. Others propose that the use of better targeting will help by showing people ads they’re more interested in and therefore less likely to skip.

All of this, however, amounts to another dimes-for-dollars proposition for content side of the TV business which, at the end of the day, really needs people to watch 30-second spots – or something very much like them – and not only watch commercials for brands they already like.

At NAB last month we explored the topic of social media on the TV screen with Integra5, an innovative developer of convergence applications for telco and cable providers. Among other things, they’ve developed an application to allow participating TV viewers to set up on-the-fly chat rooms on TV, integrating with any existing messaging system, from Facebook to AIM to SMS. (Participants can interact with non-participants, who will just experience this as a normal chat in whatever environment they’re in, alleviating the adoption problem. The chat room is assigned a temporary phone number for those using SMS. The app is based on EBIF, which will soon be deployed on tens of millions of set-tops in the US.)

Now here’s one of those ideas that seems cool enough to peek the interest of TV service providers. But, to hear Integra5 executives describe it, the lightbulb really went off when they demonstrated this for agency executives at Publicis who instantly realized the implications of this for TV advertising. Basically, when you’re engaged in a chat while watching, not only is ad zapping no longer an interesting option, but lots of other exciting things happen for advertisers: the viewers’ eyes are pointed at the screen! …and we can see when they’re actually engaged! …and (shh) we can even sample some of what they’re saying about our advertising! …anonymously of course….

Well, what about that? What if they’re trash talking the ads? Or what if they’re seeing different ads, as is bound to happen more and more frequently, and it’s making them paranoid? Worst of all, what if they’re ignoring the ads and just jabbering instead? For advertisers and broadcasters, all of this would be a substantial improvement. Perhaps this is what will make social media the killer app for TV.