Relevance

relevant adverts

customized AND personalised to my needs

I have just come back from our annual CFO conference in Morocco ( I recommend taking a long weekend to this mystical place , which is only 3 hours from the UK )

In between discussing the numbers and compliance , I spoke to the assembled bean counters on the subject of marketing technology and the importance of ' relevance '.

Technology delivery channels are beginning to blend more – material is being used and re purposed for use in the offline and online world – TV is now regarded as online through the advances in interaction.

Customers – people we are talking to expect a more personalised / customised and most of all , relevant conversation with brands.

The increase in lean forward activities , i.e. web browsing has meant that now with the knowledge people are imparting through their implied actions or information they provide to us, it is no longer acceptable to deliver a one size fits all solution to their questions and purchase options.

Simply being on the web is no longer enough

Personalisation - This not just about inserting a name

First we have to listen and then respond to my requests and needs.

It is no longer good enough for people to invest their time to only receive standard material – it shows we are not listening

Are you really listening ?

The example of this is my recent enquiry in an Audi dealership. After spending over an hour in the show room working out my options , specification I was then handed a standard brochure – with a finance plan which had no transparency or information for me to make an informed decision on – this is not good enough.

I should have walked out with a tailored brochure to my time spent with the rep, options which were relevant to my personal circumstances but maybe not sold or talked about in depth during our time together – such as children’s fold down tables, heated rear seats other child friendly options - the technology is available , why do marketing not use it ?

Googles acquisition of double click demonstrates their desire to listen - and then more importantly enter into meaningful dialogue.

Most countries now and all in the future, viewing audiences are changing. Sporting events such as the World cup are one of the few time audience figures are massive, even here though relevance should still focus on segmenting the audience – again it is no longer good enough to rely on mass to get your message across – this mass can be made to work better through relevance.

War

In the UK a war is happening. Sky and Virgin are basically fighting over the control of the Internet connection in the living room. They know TV delivery is changing – control and understanding that technology is allowing will allow economies of scale give back the return on advertising clients are demanding – by using the knowledge they collect to convert into relevance . Combine these lean back activities and habits with my online behaviour and you can take a step forward in delivering a relevant offer.

The 30 second Ad – they say this is finished however there may be life left in this , as long as it is delivered in the correct context.

We touched on the impact and implications of ‘ Virtual Me ‘ and how moving traditional concepts into the online world and how this engaging lean forward content and activity is the perfect place for a 30 second or similar advert.

Just make sure it is relevant.

Why virtual TV will be a success , but for different reasons

Eletronic Arts and Endemol announced a interesting partnership which will expand traditional TV programming to the virtual world, with the release next month of their Virtual Me platform

EA the company behind such classic hits such as the SIMS, Endemol is the company responsible for bring the ‘ reality ‘ TV show Big Brother which now has local variations in over 70 countries.

Taking the concept from MySpace participants are able to create virtual selves ( or aviatars as they are commonly known on the internet ) to compete and take part in variations of these hit TV shows – not in person, but with virtual representations of themselves.

I have to say it is interesting Endemols decision to partner with EA rather than leverage and already established community that is second life, however it shows an interesting transition of thought by expanding the tradional position of TV programming onto the Web.

Money

Big Brother’s revenue comes from advertising ( not product placement ) and also mainly from the SMS voting that takes place to evict or keep the contestants ( know as housemates – ironically by the are at the end , they are anything but ).

But how would this work in the online space when this will not be an audience lead activity.

As yet there are no successful examples of pre-role ( the short advert placed before content of value / interaction ) on the web. Most is ignored through the ability to close or skip, the remainder is mostly irrelevant in either context or content, this therefore leaves :

Sponsorship

Pure and simple association to raise awareness, but without engaging in dialogue with these participants is there any real value in what will be in the short term at least, a niche market ( in both volume and type of player )

In game – virtual brands, signage and clothing.

Levi’s is apparently doing a roaring trade in 501’s online, how long will this last ?

In this lean forward world where people are participating rather than sitting back and observing using traditional signage such as posters cannot prove to be effective, the ability to clutter this restricted space is also a threat and could all but trash this opportunity.

Also, while engrossed how much awareness does this bring ? Ask a professional footballer what adverts were around the side of the pitch while he was playing.

Payment upfront

This seems the more likely , in order to win / participate you pay. Pure and simple gambling , all be it wrapped up in a different wrapper.

Exclusive

On the internet there could be 1,000 big brother virtual shows happening at any one time - nothing is exclusive on the internet , it needs to work the numbers.
Combine this and the fact no matter how advanced the technology, people have a wonderful ability to express and behave in subtle ways which at the moment cannot be replicated online – I challenge anyone to be entertained for any length of time sitting watching Second Life.

The one thing the TV has over the internet is exclusivity and to a degree, authenticity.


Know your enemy

Generally game shows are run with a degree of ethics, although not perfect as Who wants to be a millionaire cheat Major Charles Ingram will contest, they do through the ability of “ seeing is believing “ remove some of the trust barriers the internet cannot break down .

Virtual icons

Above is a virtual concert with star performers U2, although the virtual Bono has some fancy dance moves I would not pay to watch these unanimated objects for any length of time.

Would you pay to watch a virtual game of soccer, would these virtual avitars be the next location for marketing and promotion deals, will we ever have a ( god forbid ) virtual David Beckham?

By making the barriers to entry too easy, by leveling the playing field, it removes the draw and passion along with the appreciation of the attributes that make these people great and thus the desire for us to watch and appreciate – this will therefore never be an audience led medium no matter how much the technology fools us visually, therefore the revenue generation models should reflect this.

As Buddy ( aka Syndrome ) said in the incredibles ‘ I'll sell my inventions so that *everyone* can have powers. *Everyone* can be Super!

And when everyone's Super... No one will be.