Hollywood has been racking their brains trying to figure out how they can keep viewers from surfing away during commercial breaks. There's a growing dissatisfaction by advertisers and agencies in how much impact they're having and how many viewers are really tuning in, which is putting price pressures on the market.
In response, ABC Family (DIS) has come up with several ideas to try to keep viewers tuned in:
1. "Tease 'N' Reveal" - This first one is a simple gimmick that's used by many media companies already. It's similar to a commentator on a
news broadcast telling you about what's coming up at the end of the break, or later on in the show.
It could include a promised scene outtake. Battlestar Galactica did this last season by promising a scene that wasn't included in the show, and it worked with me, as I also waited through the commercial to see what the scene was.
2. Opening Commercial Break with a Question. This is another simple teaser that asks some type of trivia question which will be answered later on. The idea being that it plays to the curiosity of the viewer and keeps them tuned in. This would be more effective with movies, where people are used to being asked these types of questions in theaters before the movie starts.
3. Viewer Rewards Program. With this program, viewers will be directed to ABC Family's website where they'll be asked questions about the content of the show and commercials. Those answering correctly will be entered in sweepstakes and be given points that can be traded for prizes.
"We listened to our advertisers and are attempting to address their needs," said Laura Nathanson, exec vice president for ad sales at ABC Family. "We believe these tactics reflect our commitment to finding advertising solutions."
These are great ideas to try out! I like it because it gets away from arguing about how many people are really viewing commercials, to getting down to the business of finding creative ways to keep people watching.
Do you think they're good ideas?
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