Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts

I'll Have What She's Having

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I've seen some great TV commercials for restaurants. High definition footage of perfectly cut steaks, creamy pasta Alfredo, and the way the condensation rolls off the tomatoes and lettuce... But I've always wondered, why make the consumer's mouth water, when they can't do anything about it? They're sitting comfortably at home, probably having just finished their evening meal, and can't be expected to remember your :30 second spot tomorrow night.

One of the long-standing benefits of outdoor is the way it catches people's attention while they're away from home and in the marketplace, allowing you to reach a more convenient and susceptible consumer. Imagine driving home from work and seeing a brilliant, back-lit image of jumbo shrimp or chicken Parmesan. You're probably already thinking about how you don't feel like cooking, and along comes a sign beckoning you to "come in, sit down, and let us do the work!"

That's the power of outdoor advertising. Digital billboards take the concept one step further, giving restaurants the chance to display daily specials and price points. They can even show different designs at different times of the day, displaying quiche and coffee in the morning, burgers and wraps at noon, and salmon and sirloins in the evening. Make them crave what you're offering when they can actually do something about it instead of while they're watching American Idol on a full stomach.

TV Down: Can Digital Pick Up The Slack?

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Today, local NBC affiliate WFLA News Channel 8 announced that, due to tough times, they are cancelling their 11 am newscast and will no longer offer a 10 pm newscast on WTTA Channel 38. The change will take effect April 30th, and comes following a steady stream of bad news regarding parent company Media General's Tampa properties. The publishing and broadcast company lost $85.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Across the country, TV viewership is down, and most of the remaining viewers take advantage of TiVO and DVR technology which allows them to skip advertisements. Brands are shifting ad dollars away from television- but to where? In tough economic times, brands must reach people while they are away from home and in the marketplace, or risk losing customers to low-cost generic brands. The timeliness of outdoor advertising, coupled with the flexibility of digital makes digital billboards a unique and effective solution for advertisers, but it's still a relatively new medium.

Those who are jumping on board early (Carrabba's, Outback, Tampa Bay Downs, Knology, Snickers, Universal Studios, St. Luke's Eye Center, etc.) are positioning themselves to be leaders in what will inevitably become a popular solution to a common problem.