listen to the youth

When I was growing up I wasn't a particularly good student. And I'm being kind. I was, however, really good at watching TV. Unlike today's youth, I was limited to only 3 networks and two local channels but there seemed to be no shortage of something to watch. I was non-discriminatory. Sports. Soap Operas. Sitcoms. Dramas. Old reruns. Loved it all. My mom told me if I didn't turn off that darn tube and start studying I'd never amount to anything. Lo and behold, I run a company that makes TV commercials.

My brother in law posted an excerpt last week from Peter Hirshberg's talk at the 2007 TED conference. It's a group of 14 year old girls talking about TV. It further illustrates what we already know. Kids not only prefer their computers to their TV's but, with the introduction of Hulu and other quality programming sites, they see little separation between the two.

TV is primarily ad supported i.e. brand subsidized. No one seems to have cracked the code yet on how to monetize net content on a large scale. There are many models and innovations but it appears as if brands and their agencies are slow to embrace or invest in them. If they don't do so soon, they are in danger of losing the ability to market effectively to an entire generation of consumers.

At Dandelion we were speaking to a major content provider about a possible project. The project involved an idea we developed that would be brand sponsored content. We wanted to partner with the content provider to use their platform. We explained a brand was already attached to fund the project. Although these were the type of deals they were seeking, they voiced concern. They expressed that in the past, brands and their agencies, often tried to apply a broadcast model to their service. In other words, they wanted to interrupt the audience experience rather than enhance it. This lack of flexibility or understanding was more of a deal breaker than the financial negotiation. Although the content provider was eager to reap the rewards of brand association, they were more aware that a short term monetary gain would result in the long term loss of their audience if it placed advertising ahead of the site experience.

After several conversations, we put them more at ease. They felt confident that we were an honest broker acting in collaboration with an agency and brand but with sensitivity to their audience. It's still an ongoing conversation but I hope our clients will remain opened minded and continue to embrace a new connection with their consumer. If not, maybe I'll just anonymously send them the link above.

In the meantime, I need to get my daughter off that darn computer. She needs to go study.