"A commercial has to be like a DVD extra. It has to be an added value, not an inconvenience."
That quote comes from Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. Thompson's quote is part of this article that looks at the myriad ways networks are trying to get around the problem of DVRs and ad skipping.
I lead off with Thompson's quote because I think he's right. It used to be enough to just inundate viewers with advertisements of various quality, but now that we have more control over what we watch, advertisers need to work harder to keep our attention.
The FOX owned FX channel in the UK, a sister site to the American FX Network, is planning to release a new type of commercial in the hopes of still reaching those time-shifting users that are using various technologies to skip ads. The new spot for the show Brotherhood will begin airing September 22. The idea is a rather simple one. To get around people skipping through commercials the entire 30 seconds of airtime will be one static image. So even if you are skipping you see the same thing as those watching live, just a little less of it.
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