With the increased penetration of broadband, the way users consume media has dramatically changed.
The PC is now becoming a hub for entertainment, whether that be music, gaming or video. 2007 saw the launch of Channel 4’s 4OD, ITV.com and BBC’s iPlayer which marked the move away from users watching clips on YouTube to actual lengthy programming. And 2008 sees the impending launch of “Project Kangaroo” – a collaborative platform which will bring together on demand TV services from the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV amongst other broadcasters. Internet TV is an umbrella term encompassing any kind of television content delivered to the consumer via internet technology and can therefore cover both IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and Video on Demand (VoD).
TBG London does not differentiate by the method by which the user is watching the programming but by the state of mind of the user and the type of content being consumed. There are two states of mind which need to be taken into consideration: lean back and lean forward.
The “lean back” state generally occurs during full length programming when the user is relaxed and watching in the same way that they would watch terrestrial TV. The method of delivery is usually video on demand such as Tiscali TV (formally HomeChoice) and BT Vision where TV is delivered to a household via broadband.
The “lean forward” state occurs when the user is browsing and still in a surfing mode watching content that is short, such as video clips and music videos. The method of delivery is via Internet TV where video is consumed via a PC terminal using sites such as YouTube and MetaCafe.
The benefits to the user with regards video consumption via the internet are based around the fact that both allow the user to consume what they want and when they want it – their attitude is one of “I want it now”. The main difference between the two is again the state of mind.
As an advertiser, have various options with regards advertising via Internet TV. As can be seen in the diagram below, direct response activity is more suited to those in a lean forward state due to the fact that they are open to action based messaging and more receptive to moving from the content to the advertiser’s site. Brand response activity is more suited to those in a lean back state due to the fact that they are in a relaxed state and open to brand and / or informative messaging.
Targeting comes in many forms; lean back targeting is defined by the audience demographics of individual programming, working similarly to broadcast. For lean forward, in-depth targeting can be defined by use of log-in user data. All targeting can also be adapted and altered by user activity using cookie technology. The tracking benefits of internet marketing also follow into Internet TV marketing. In comparison to broadcast, where the OTS (Opportunity to See) method is limited and unreliable, Internet TV can use user impression tracking to monitor the users activity after they have viewed the ad placement.
There are two methods by which to advertise; surrounding the content using various ad unit sizes such as banners, skyscrapers or buttons and within the content using pre-rolls, ad segments and post-rolls, where pre-rolls are video ads placed before the main programme, ad segments are placed mid-programme and post-roll ads are placed after the main programme ends. It is vital, however, that broadcast adverts are adapted to the medium, specifically when targeting those in a lean forward state. One of the major benefits when creating adverts for use in the Internet TV environment is the ability to develop video based ads which allow for user interaction.
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