The declining value of TV promos
Cory Bergman April 8th, 2007
While much has been said about the declining value of the 30-second commercial spot, what about all those network (and local news) promos that run in the same breaks that DVR viewers skip? As a 99-percent-commercial-skipping DVR owner, I find myself only sampling new shows when my friends mention them (which includes their blogs) or when I see them highlighted on iTunes. Old thinking: The best way to promote yourself is on your own station/network. New thinking: In order to build new audience, the best way to promote yourself is anywhere but your own station/network.
Case in point: The producers behind the CBS show How I Met Your Mother are using MySpace and YouTube as viral promotion vehicles. “People watched the video, linked to it, traded it around, sent it to friends, who end up watching the show the next week and are still with us. Without that, a lot of the younger viewers we have might not have found us,” said co-creator and producer Craig Thomas.
3 Comments Add your own
1. discreet_chaos | April 9th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
That “How I Met Your Mother” show is funny and it has an interesting concept. It was a little trying the first season because you knew who was going to be the mother. “Homicide: Life on the Streets” started with the introduction with Det. Bayliss and it ended, when he was finished.
Nevertheless, “How I Met Your Mother” is a good show, it’s just plagued with time-slot problems. At the beginning of this season, it was preceded by that god-awful “The Class”, then they moved it to the anchor slot at 8/7. Theoretically, the show could be an anchor, but I’d rather it come on at 8:30/7:30, so that I can watch it while I’m getting prepared for Kiefer.
Thankfully, the latest episodes are also on Innertube, so though I don’t have a TIVO, I can still watch it on demand.
2. discreet_chaos | April 9th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
PS and On-Topic: I don’t think promotion is an either/or proposition. I’d have to say that most of my knowledge of upcoming programming is from the network or local station, followed by the print media and blogs. Honestly, I can’t say that I’ve ever sought-out a show because I saw a clip on YouTube and well, I don’t have a MySpace. As I’ve said before, my wife would kill me.
3. The Tony | April 10th, 2007 at 7:08 am
Agreed. I’m actually less likely to see a movie or watch a show being hyped on MySpace or YouTube…
…because I just hate feeling like I’m being beaten over the head with something I might actually enjoy if they were just cooler about it.
Plus, my job would be cancelled if we went down this road, and I just can’t afford that.
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