TV Viewership Going Up, But…

A recent Nielsen report pointed out that Americans are watching more TV than ever before in their homes: 127 hours and 15 minutes per month. Unfortunately, that time is being spent over more and more choices. The report points out that two-thirds of American homes now receive digital cable or satellite signals for an average choice of 160 channels. The study also shows that 25 percent of homes now have DVR capabilities that enable consumers to time-shift programming and/or to skip over advertisements.

While the number of channel choices makes things more difficult for marketers, there are some pluses. Thanks to an increasing number of high-definition networks and programs, plus an impending digital TV deadline, Americans are spending a lot of money buying big high-definition sets. Advertisers who want to set themselves apart from the competition can now target these viewers with high-definition commercials.

Currently, only a small percentage of commercials are shot in a high-definition format. This seems surprising when you consider that companies know the challenge of differentiating their message in a crowded marketplace, yet often become penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to spending a little extra to deliver their message in a format that takes full advantage of the spectacular picture possibilities on present-day digital TVs. If a person is going to watch an interesting commercial (and interesting is the operative word), it is likely to have more impact delivered over a 46” LCD HDTV, than it will over a Blackberry. Of course, smart marketers are doing both!

Due to the number of television channel choices now available to consumers, it is more important than ever to make sure companies broaden their marketing mix to include other new media choices such as the Web and email marketing strategies. In addition, marketers are increasingly using their television advertising as a steppingstone to sell consumers by driving them to Internet sites that can take the time to more thoroughly engage consumers in their brands and complete the sales process.