Live from Promax: TV CMOs Look to ‘Snipes’ to Reach Viewers
In the quest for things to monetize, the next move among the broadcast networks might be those “snipes” that pop up regularly on TV screens to plug programming.
That prospect was broached during the network TV summit of chief marketing officers from six of the networks during yesterday’s Promax/BDA conference in New York City.
John Miller, NBC CMO, said the advent of sponsored “snipes” isn’t too far off.
“We’ve resisted so far,” he said, noting that his network’s ad sales executives have been pushing to make it a reality.
The reality of network TV is a landscape of competitors that includes the networks and all the other electronic media competing for consumers’ attention.
“We’re a single-revenue business, so we have to do whatever we can to keep the audience,” Miller said.
Reacting to Miller’s observation that network marketing is a mix of science and art, George Schweitzer, president of CBS Marketing, said, “I wish we could prove some of the things we do. When you can prove it, it’s science, when you can’t, it’s art.”
Schweitzer recalled that some network executives were shocked when the Fox Network started flashing scores of other football games on the screen during live National Football League action. That quickly became commonplace in sports coverage. Now, the marketers say, it’s a question of defining boundaries to avoid being too intrusive.
“Part of your role as a marketer is to push the envelope and take risks,” said Maryam Banikarim, Univision CMO, who noted that the network avoids running “crawls” or “snipes” during the novellas that populate its schedule.
Michael Benson, executive vice president of marketing, advertising and promotion for ABC Entertainment, said it is important to set limits.
“There’s a real delicate balance,” he said. “When someone’s sitting at home with a 52-inch screen, you can disrupt the pure viewing experience. Less is more in some cases.”
Benson pointed to the need to keep viewers engaged off-air and to the success ABC has had with “Lost” in keep viewers tuned in online year-round.
The prime difference in the current environment is the proliferation of content online and a lot of buzz is created off-air.
“Word-of-mouth is becoming more important,” Rick Haskins, CW executive vice president of marketing and brand strategy, said. “Viral is becoming as important as major media.”
But with the increased competition for eyeballs, it’s imperative for TV networks to grab viewers’ attention with “snipes” or any other devices while they’re watching their TV screens.
“You have to be very respectful of the viewing experience, but you have to reach when they’re reachable,” Joe Earley, Fox executive vice president of marketing and communications, said.
