Quickies

- The consumer is becoming more resistant to marketing, right? Tell that to Apple and Toyota. Here’s what the consumer is becoming more resistant to: generic, undifferentiated products supported by smug, benefit-free advertising.

- If I have to read one more quote from one more brain-dead agency boob with the word “engagement” in it, someone’s going to die. The engagement crowd is trying to convince us that the effectiveness of advertising is highly correlated to the level of interest a consumer has in the program. Baloney. Ads have to stand on their own. Good ads are good anywhere. Bad ads stink everywhere.

- ”...the spread of digital video recorders is making TV a less effective medium.” ADWEEK, March 3, 2006. Only one thing wrong with this well-known fact. It’s not true.

- Facts: Among viewers 18-49 Nielsen reported in November 2006 that 2.6% of total tv viewing is playback on a DVR. Those who playback skip commercials about 60% of the time (New York Times). So a whopping 1.56 percent of commercials are being skipped because of TiVo-ing. There are more spots missed by people leaving to change their Depends. (See Nailed)

- From ADWEEK 7 months later: “Some advertisers actually gain significantly from DVR usage.... thanks to the DVR (The Office) added 12 percent more commercial viewers.”

- The internet and new media are also killing tv, right? Wrong. American families now watch 9% more tv than they did in 2000.

- Put these facts together and here’s what you get: Since 2000, the positive effect of more tv viewing is 6 times the negative effect of TiVo-ing. Try finding that fact somewhere.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE AD CONTRARIAN