Study: ads actually make TV more enjoyable

The ad industry has long felt besieged by DVR technology, which has given more and more TV viewers the ability to fast-forward through commercials. But what if the viewers are actually the big losers in this trend? What if commercials actually make TV more enjoyable? Counterintuitive as it sounds, that's the conclusion of a recent report in the Journal of Consumer Research. "Six studies demonstrate that, although people preferred to avoid commercial interruptions, these interruptions actually made programs more enjoyable," the research summary states. A wide range of tests found that people consistently liked a show more when it was interrupted by commercials, regardless of whether the ads were good or bad. "Watching a single program without a break led to the enjoyment dropping in the second half," the blog Ars Technica writes in its comprehensive report on the study. "Adding a commercial eliminated this plunge." Photo: spike55151 on Flickr.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on January 15, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Griner, Research

The greatest fictional ads from sci-fi movies

It will take a geekier geek than me to properly parse this fun-looking list of the top 25 fictional ads in sci-fi movies. I have a moderate Doctor Who habit, but I haven't seen the majority of the movies highlighted here, much less the fictional ads they contain. (The spot above is from Robocop 2, for Sunblock 5000.) Doctor Who (Saturdays at 9 p.m. on BBC America) has little in-story advertising—except for that seven-year product placement back in the 1970s, courtesy of Tom Baker, for Jelly Babies.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Published on January 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under Lists, Nudd

What's missing from this lovely DuPont ad?

The superb miniatures (with a dash of CGI mixed in) are the main draw of this DuPont "Miracles of Science" spot by Ogilvy. I'm not sure exactly what miracles DuPont's talking about, as the ad, directed by Gaelle Denis, is visually stunning but a little short on substance. DuPont does good things, probably via science—that's the take-away. The finely crafted cityscapes are almost magical at times, notably in the scene where that little car glides down the highway and the town lights up all around it. And yet, an essential element is missing, and I think we all know what it is. Little towns this meticulously detailed and lovingly brought to life just cry out to be stomped into fiery ruins by rampaging prehistoric reptiles, as tiny humans scatter on the streets and scream out of sync with the soundtrack! Where's Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra? Any classic Japanese movie monster would do. Come to think of, so would John McCain, as an early attack ad pointed out. Best of all, McCain should be available if DuPont decides to make a sequel.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on November 5, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Filed under DuPont, Gianatasio, Ogilvy

Study finds some ads work in fast-forward

Pretty soon, you might start noticing big fat logos popping up front and center in just about every TV ad. And you'll have two Boston College professors to thank. In a recent study of television viewers, Professors S. Adam Brasel and James Gips found that people actually noticed and remembered some advertising messages while fast-forwarding through commercial breaks on DVRs. The catch? They only noticed branding that appeared in the center of the screen. "In the age of DVRs," Brasel says, "advertisers who place their brands anywhere outside the center of the viewing screen do so at their own brand peril." Of course, DVRs are still only used by about 30 percent of TV viewers, which means 70 percent of the audience—and 100 percent of advertising creatives—are going to have to suffer through a deluge of ads featuring the Taco Bell logo dead-center for a painfully long 30 seconds.

—Posted by David Griner

Published on November 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Filed under DVRs, Griner

Physics and rap music finally joining forces

Now that we've got YouTube, everyone's a rock star, or a rap star, or some kind of media sensation. Science writer Kate McAlpine and some physics-minded friends have garnered nearly 700,000 views with a rap about the world's largest particle accelerator, now being built in an underground laboratory in Switzerland. We're told the potential for scientific discovery could "rock you in the head," and there's a rhythmic discussion of dark matter. It could be the first song to win a Grammy and a Nobel Prize. Actually, the Eppendorf epMotion boy-band sales video was more danceable and had better production values. Maybe the two crews could tour together.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Published on September 2, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Filed under Gianatasio, Web video