We don't just watch TV anymore. We are no longer just passive observers.

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It seems we are no longer watching TV. 


We are interacting with it.


We are doing much more than just passively watching it. We are getting involved, interacting and expecting more and more than ever before from the programs we are watching, and increasingly from the ads we see on there.


At a recent ThinkBox event called TV + Mobile, Tess Alps the CEO, reminded us about the main activities people do while watching TV, and these are getting more common and growing as technology enables them to be done better and easier


1: People have always liked to chat and discuss TV shows they are watching. TV is a social activity not just a passive one. People like to comment, discuss and express opinions about the shows. Like it or not, social media is making this a bigger and more general conversation. As anyone who uses Twitter or Facebook and is following a how will know. It will happen without you, so best to embrace it and add content, enable conversations and help this conversation take place.


2: "Gamifucation". People have always shouted out answers to gameshows on at the TV. This is now something that program makers are increasingly understanding and enabling people to play online or via the "red button" on digital TVs. In the UK the "Million Pound Drop Live" is an example where they let online audience play and they run the stats and feedback into the live show. Honda ran ads which enabled people to catch characters with their mobile devices. Some programs as getting people to do things online and send into the show, like a clothing manufacturer sponsoring a Style Challenge where viewers used tools online and emailed in their suggestions, the best being shown live.


3: TV triggered realtime mobile buying. As people watch the ads, they are often going online via laptops or smartphones to do more research, price comparison and buy. Over time this will become easier and more enabled, apps like "zeebox" today let you track and get data and twitter feeds based on the program, and eventually will enable the same for. Also there is image recognition technologies available that will tale you to online content. These are still a bit "clunky" but the technology is moving fast, enabling you to either hold a camera enabled smartphone or tablet up to the TV, it recognises the ad and takes you to the content. 




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Extraordinary time of change for TV: why and what it means!

It can be easy to forget when you are in the middle of a evolution, of just how much is changing and how fast it can accelerate and over take you.


This was one of the thoughts that struck me while attending the UK Commercial TV Industry sponsored ThinkBox conference called TV + Mobile recently.


In her opening comments, Tess Alps (the CEO of Thinkbox) reminded of the kinds of trends and changes taking place literally in front of out eyes:

• The growth of "catch-up" TV, be it on Sky +/ TIVO or online services. People are shifting when they watch programs, and where they watch them.

• So many different devices other than the TV in the corner of the lounge are now able to receive TV, and are growing in popularity and usage. They include X-Box; Smart Phones; Tablets like the iPad; and of course laptops and desktops. The tablet may be one of the biggest game changers, as they have been designed as media consumption devices and are very portable.

There is also some key changes going on in TV, and all have possible implications for how advertisers and marketers think about what and how people "watch" and enjoy TV content. Tess Alps spoke about 4 she sees as key:

1. Huge enhancements in how you can view TV content, thanks to advances like High Definition and 3-D in home. The quality and experience is being revolutionised and improved.
2. TV is becoming more and more about portability and where and when people watch the content. As mentioned earlier, devices and computers are playing a growing way of viewing.
3. Connected TV, while devices are offering an alternative to the TV in the corner, The TV itself is also now increasingly connected to the internet itself to allow more "on demand" and interactivity.
4. Integration across home networks and communications, where more and more various media and internet devices are starting to be able to share, connect and increase the cross media and social interactions.

There are many implications for not only the makers of TV programs, but also for advertisers and marketers as people. No-one really knows where it will all head, and what will finally work and be embraced. But it is time to experiment, be bold and learn..

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TV versus "The TV": why understanding the difference is key to the future of marketing..

I was at the Thinkbox (the UK association of commercial broadcasters promoting TV) seminar called TV + Mobile: Up Close and Personal this past week, and learnt a lot and came away with a lot to think about. I will share the thoughts in a series of blog posts.

Tess Alps (CEO) made a point during the opening session that for me needs to be core to the way not only the industry but also marketers/ advertisers increasingly need to think. This is the biggest, and most profound, thought that I came away with.

She asked "what is TV"?

TV is DIFFERENT from "The TV". The latter is the thing that sits in the corner of your sitting room. While TV is all the content, programs and material broadcast. Increasingly this is being consumed on devices that are not "the TV". Be it tablets, like the iPad, smart phones and laptops.

It is also important to understand that while watching "The TV" tends to be a physically social thing, as family or friends sit around watching shows together and discussing or commenting.  The consumption and watching of TV on devices is much more personal and unlikely to be as physical a social consumption. Though, it does not mean that other social media tools are not engaged to enable that interaction.

While today most of TV watching is on "The TV", as some other speakers pointed out, for the 16 - 24 age group this is changing fast. While Channel 4, for example, only have at most 5% of consumption hours not on "The TV", for some 16 - 24 year olds it has been already as high as 34% (for their "Made in Chelsea" docu-soap show). 

So we all need to be thinking more and more about where and how people will watch TV content, and what it means for program making - and advertising and sponsorships.

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The cure is not cost cutting! The cure is to innovate out of your predicament. Wise Words?

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dangerpup/5557523630/sizes/z/in/photostream/

I came across a short quote that someone had posted on Twitter that I found insightful, provocative and relevant to the world we are living in. A world where countries are basically going bust - and people are too from over extending themselves.

It is really good advice to leaders of companies and brands. The quote was attributed to Steve Jobs when he returned to Apple in the 1990s when it was really struggling. He reportedly said: "The cure is not cost-cutting. The cure is to innovate out of the current predicament".

Today, we see all around us companies, countries and brands focusing on costs and how to cut those, for example:

• We see brands taking price effectively by reducing the quantity or count of product to try and hide that they are taking out cost of product.
• We see advertising that gets safer and safer, and more generic and alike others and the category. Focused on deals on offers.
• We see price promotions galore, trying to hold up sales while demand softens.
• We see companies looking to cut heads and to reduce the number of people managing, innovating and creating value.

However, in a recession - or when things are tough  - has also been the times when major breakthroughs and innovation has taken place. This proves the point Steve Jobs made, the only way to really break out of the problem is to innovate, not just focus on cost cutting.

Some of the biggest and most striking breakthroughs that have turned lives, companies and brands around have been when backs have been against the wall, and in times if recession and crisis

For example:

• Most agree that the Second World War was the major reason for huge break-throughs and leaps in flight and planes. In those troubling years, major advances were made in aviation - revolutionising the industry and what was possible before the war and after it.
• As we have seen, Apple has boomed and still booms through the tough economy through the focus on changing the rules and innovation, driving demand and value.
• In a recent podcast I was listening to (BBC's On The Money) they argued that items like the Internet, Post-it notes and so on all came out during recession
• Microsoft and Disney, 2 of the biggest companies in the world were created during major downturns.

The easy thing to do when times are tight is to retreat and cost cut. But the bold focus on innovation. These seem to be the ones that win.

Thoughts? Leave a comment on the blog posting!

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Christmas TV Ads 2011. One I love and 2 I think miss it..

In the UK, and no doubt everywhere, the rush of Christmas ads has begun.
Mostly they are about deals and hot items, while a few have tried to make the ads more in the spirit of the season.


The challenge is always to do something that is more about your brand than generic to the season.


This is why I think that the Boots campaign is one of the stronger ones, as it builds on the on-going campaign of "Here comes the Girls" and reinvents it to make it a "blockbuster" style spoofing a Bond film. It manages to be well branded and memorable as part of the established campaign, and showcases many products. It has stopping power. It is fun, entertaining and easy to watch many times




On the other hand, the M&S campaign for me falls short. It uses the X-Factor finalists from the UK show. I feel that it ends up being more about the X-factor show and generic shots of people at Christmas, and could be for any retailer in reality. I also suspect the X-factor contestants distract as they are voted out each week, and so the borrowed interest gets in the way of the message and brand! People may focus more on "oh remember them" than the brand....









John Lewis Christmas 2011

The John Lewis department store falls, in my view, into the trap of telling a lovely - but generic - story about Christmas. It has a nice twist and is very well observed - but it is not unique to the brand. It could be for any department store, mail order company or gift store. It is very well shot and the story telling is charming, but the branding is only at the end and is not weaved in using established branding elements (like the Boots ad) has.


The one thing that John Lewis does though, is they manage to create noise, PR and buzz around what they do with communication. And so they often achieve awareness and understanding through that than just the ad itself. Maybe that in itself is the trick




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10 important things I have learnt in 24 years working to date

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3 Years after started at company I am with today.

  This month it is 24 years ago since I started working at the company I am with today. And about 30 years in all I have been working.


I was reflecting on some of the big things I have learnt over the years about how I have been managed, and what found works.


Here they are:


(1) Only recruit people that you believe and will want to work for eventually. The danger many make is to hire people focused on today, but you need to think about who has so much potential that one day they will be your boss. Remember, they will be grateful to you, so hopefully nice to you on the way up!


(2) Never put work before you and your family. Ever. They are more important that your job. Spend time with them. Enjoy them. Do not plan to do it "one day when things slow down", as that day may never come. 


(3) Always be kind, friendly and interested in the people around you. The receptionists, office services, canteen people, finance clerks. They will make your life a dream, or subtly make it hell. In my career it is these people that have got me out of a hole, stepped up when needed. 


(4) Have fun. The best ideas come out of teams and people that are having fun. Enjoying life, enjoying work and are excited and stimulated. It is not just a job. If the fun stops - leave


(5) Think about what your legacy will be. What will people across the organization remember, admire and thank you for. It may not just be something directly in your job specification. Make sure you leave a positive mark.


(6) Make your team believe they are part of something special and amazing. It is not just about sales, share or profits. What are you trying to do that makes a difference in the world. There is a saying that people will remember you for how you make them FEEL, not what you did. The best bosses and leaders I have ever had have done this.


(7) If your boss is a dick to you, they probably are to everyone. Speak up. Just chose to who and when, and make sure you have documented examples.

(8) Stand up for what you believe is right, and even if everyone else around you is not ethical or fudging the lines, do not do it. The good guys always win in the end, a saying from my Mother than I believe and have seen.

(9) Focus on what you can do or influence. Not what could be or should be. People spend too much time waiting for leaders to led. Focus on what you can do or influence and make it happen.

(10) Take informed risks. Doing what others do will do nothing more than keep you in middle of the pack, the people that win will always lose some and win more. Followers never win a race. Ever

Steve Jobs: Things I learnt #2: Making people feel they are part of something important and visionary story telling

I was at an internal training session once about PR and building powerful story pitches for the media. Other than being an enjoyable day (on an area that I used to think was a lot of puff and not really worth spending time on and now am a big convert to) there was one thing that really stood out for me.

One of the trainer / panel members was talking about building stories and how the key is to find something that is dramatic, sticks and resonates personally. 


He used the example of Steve Jobs and how good he is at telling powerful and memorable stories. Stories that grab people and motivate. He spoke about how Apple in the early days while still a small start-up had been trying to recruit someone from Pepsi to be the CEO. 


After many attempts by head-hunters to convince the chap, Steve Jobs gave him a call and asked:

“Do you want to work the rest of your life on selling flavoured sugar water, or on something that will change the world”

Hard to resist and it stuck in the guy’s mind and he moved. It was motivating, personal, compelling and short and snappy. Just like any great headline and copy should be.


There are a few things we can learn from this:


(1) importance of creating short, snappy and memorable story for PR and consumers,


(2) even more important is having a short and snappy way of capturing what you as a company and brand are trying to. Specific enough, but also open enough to encourage innovative and new thinking


(3) making everyone that works in your company or brand feeling they are part of something important and significant.

Love it.