Denise and I just returned from a “breakthrough” media conference and probably the one thing that struck me as not breakthrough were some of the mega-digital ad network purveyors pushing the fact that “video’s going to be huge on the web!” No kidding, dude? Up on a big screen, a clichéd Euro-produced TV spot for a US brand car rolls, everyone in the audience is drooling, and the speaker goes on about expandables and rich media and video production facilities and bla bla bla.
What’s breakthrough about that? It’s Broadcast Media part deux. And these guys, who probably used to make millions selling TV and radio flights are now putting together more digital ad networks and selling their magic again. And sure, if you produce a super-beautiful-expensive-sexy spot featuring a leggy chick and a cop (I’d seen the same concept 30 times before), you too can get these really great engagement rates, like, 4%! Yeah, that beats your standard display banner, and you can click on the banner and it’ll send more groovy footage to your smart phone, but so what? It’s old school. It’s one way. It’s not the be all and end all. 96% won’t be engaged by it. And can you estimate its ROI?
Social Media engages the viewer in a two-way conversation. It’s not about a one-way, 1 million Euro-produced TV spot and a huge network buy. And if you do it right, you have measurable metrics that you can track directly back to your campaign. And it’s affordable in a recession-driven economy. Don’t get me wrong—I’m a creative director and for the most part, we consider big film or video shoots as perks rather than work. But I’ve seen the writing on the wall (as have, unfortunately, many production companies) and it isn’t the high six or seven-figure shoot and buy.
