Fast-Forwarding Through the World of Advertising

One major outlet for advertisers is T.V. commercials, but with the increasing popularity of DVR services, commercials are beginning to disappear.  Last night I sat in the living room with my roommates to watch our Sunday night T.V. shows at about 9:30 p.m.  Although our favorite show starts at 9:00, we let our DVR service begin recording the show at 9:00, but we don’t watch it until around 9:30, so we can fast-forward through all of the commercial spots.

 A recent online articleby Technews World states that by 2010, over 50 percent of Americans will have some sort of DVR service in their homes.  Will this statistic be detrimental to the effectiveness of television commercials?  Most researchers say that it won’t be a problem.  Because television commercials are not the only outlet for advertisers, not many advertising agencies have been concerned.  In addition, DVR services are beginning to attempt to include advertisers in the DVR process.  For example, TiVo has proposed using pop-up icons of advertisers on the television screen when individuals are fast-forwarding through commercials (see graphic on the right).

Viewers will then be allowed to click on a company’s logo to view an advertisement or have additional product mailed to their home.  However, I don’t think that this advertising stunt will be very effective.  One of the main reasons people get DVR services in the first place is so that they don’t have to be bombarded with advertisments.

However, I don’t think that the increasing population of DVR services will have a large impact on the advertising world.  Though DVR services provide a way to avoid some advertising, advertisers are just going to find other ways to advertise.