Penelope Keith says that young people bash up old people because families don’t sit round watching sit coms together in the way that they used to. Really she did say that.. in an interview reported in the Daily Mail : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2061599/Penelope-Keith-blasts-youth-cult-TV.html.
In Keith’s heyday people had to watch what was on the TV whether they liked it or not, because there was very little choice of viewing and little else to do, particularly on a Sunday evening. The days of watching something because it’s the only thing on the TV that’s decent have gone forever. (Although frankly in those days teenagers weren’t watching the telly with their families either. They were listening to music in their bedroom (on something called a record player) or possibly roaming the streets on the look-out for elderly victims.)
A major piece of research by MTM London on behalf of Red Bee explores actual trends in media consumption patterns. I was on a panel last week exploring the main findings (http://www.redbeemedia.com/insights/tomorrow-calling). One of the key issues pulled out of the study by Red Bee’s creative director Andy Bryant was that the consumer is more demanding than ever, and set to become even more demanding in future. TV viewers are frustrated by their inability to find what they want to watch easily, and say that they want more control over a personalised TV schedule. “Couldn’t TV be more like i-tunes ? “ asked one of the respondents of the research.
Despite the claimed frustration highlighted in the report it is the continued strength and power of scheduled TV and the new importance of live TV event viewing exactly at a time when there is so much else to do that is remarkable. As fellow panellist Neil Mortensen of Thinkbox said TV’s continued ability to re-invent itself is amazing. New developments like Channel 4’s deal with Zeebox around Desperate Scousewives offer new commercial opportunities for advertisers (http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/1103944/C4-partners-social-app-zeebox-reality-show//). Sky IQ is set to revolutionise targeting mechanisms and potential return on investment. (http://skyiq.com/)
The audience at the Red Bee event were asked to vote on a series of predictions for 2020. These included whether on demand would account for 40% of all viewing time; whether more primary sets would have Google or Apple rather than YouView and whether more than half the UK will “like” programmes on a weekly basis. See the podcast for the full results at the website above but its fair to say that the audience were split. These are interesting questions.
The recurring question about the future of TV viewing is when we will be able to get a proper audience measurement for the increasingly diversified viewing behaviour. By 2020 do you think ?
Winning the race for status, losing the race for the industry
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011Have you seen the YouTube video yet where a man is chasing his dog, chasing deer in Richmond Park? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GRSbr0EYYU.
The nation seems divided over whether it is funny or not, but it gives me the excuse to talk about a deer related subject which has lessons for our business.
Let’s talk about Elks. Robert H. Frank is an economist at Cornell University who has just published a book about the Darwinian theory of Economics (The Darwin Economy, Liberty, Competition and the Common Good). Frank argues against the commonly accepted theory that out and out competition is good for the nation as a whole because it delivers a stronger set of businesses.
He illustrates this by describing Elks (though the deer in rutting season in Richmond Park would probably work as well).
The outsized antlers of the bull elk function as weapons in their competition for female elks. At their largest they extend to more than four feet in width. Satisfying as this is for the elks with the biggest antlers, as a whole this severely compromises the ability of the herd to move through forests and makes them more vulnerable to predators. “A trait that evolves because it helps the individual prevail in battle against members of the same species typically constitutes a handicap for the species as a whole”.
The analogy runs that the characteristics that have made people win status and position in the economic battles that have been traditionally fought could have a negative influence on the overall strength and success of business.
If you have achieved status and position by stepping on your peers you may have done very well relatively. But your organisation might not be best placed for long term survival in the new global and digital economy. For example if you beat the competition by being cheaper than the rest it might result in a win for you, but will drive down prices and profitability in the industry as a whole.
The advertising industry as a whole is still rife with heritage practices. Is this because the antlers of the alpha elks have grown too big for flexibility?
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