The Network Shiny Metal Object

An article off iMedia has NBC talking about something I found thought-provoking:

 Advertising in programs streamed online has a better rate of recall and is preferred by users to similar ads served on TV, according to new research from NBC.

The study surveyed users of NBC Rewind, a web-based platform that lets people watch NBC shows online. According to the study, which polled about 5,000 users, ads streamed online were perceived as being less disruptive. Ads with interactive elements tended to deliver a higher rate of brand recall

I think it's fascinating to watch the way the networks have been marching towards integration. NBC (full disclosure: They're a client of Operative), has been very lucid in the considered, GE way they've found and acted upon new formats, new content types and new advertising models. 

However, it seems that across the network board, there's a new urgency towards being able to port their content to any format, to the extent where they actually are finally beginning to ding broadcast advertising efficacy with their new super-duper online datasets. Watching from the sidelines, this is certainly a healthy change for those of us in online but seems strangely at odds with a renewed focus on integration.

It seems highly likely that the 5000 people viewing Rewind were young, online-literate and open to new forms of viewing media. If I allow myself to get pass the obvious survey bias, I still find myself at a loss to explain why this is something that NBC thought was entirely positive. Sure, their clients are now happier about their online buy, but is this something you want to talk about when pushing integrated campaigns and the surround-sound effect of the dual-screen (if not the triple)?

Where is your Silk Cay?

Mine is off the coast of Belize. A quick boat ride away from the town of Placencia. It's a about 100 feet long and 50 feet across and everything about it was serene.

Serenity. Not something I usually find particularly interesting. Like most of those who live and breath digital media, and do it in the startup world, I tend to thrive on innovation, stimulation and a healthy dose of data, served hot and steaming.

I did generate some data from my time on Silk Cay. 50, the number of coconuts we opened up. 20, the number of bananas I managed to ingest in the 5 days we spent on the island. 4, the number of tents we stayed in while on the island. 3, the number of kayaks we used to get from cay to cay. I could go on in this vein for a while but it'd begin to sound utterly repellent.

 We left the island wanting more but in order to do that, I needed to burn my way right back into the heart of the City again and earn that time. I hope this blog will document some of my thoughts till I get back to Silk Cay, and can't get my hands on a wifi connection for love or money. Or bananas.