Cee Mee – Cee Who – Cee What

I got into interactive TV in the late 1990′s.  I was so happy Canoe Ventures took up the challenge of interactive advertising  (though they now seem to be dropping interactive TV) and conducted some research but I just read the report that was posted – very light.  We are talking about 4,000 televisionaries and results around their tests and experiences.  The market for this in USA alone is 115 million -  4,000 does not seem a big enough sample.  Why aren’t more brands and agencies getting into this?  Canoe Ventures got some $150 million to make some headway into the new media world for the cable industry.  I sincerely hope there is a more detailed report somewhere.  Love the concept but feel we are missing the Internet, mobile, ipad and tablets and user interaction with TV +++

Canoe starting to paddle?

Canoe Ventures CEO, David Verklin, revealed at the National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE), that seven networks will allow advertisers to run interactive TV ads in over 20 million cable households in about 90 days, according to a report by MediaPost’s David Goetzl. Comcast-owned E! and Style and Cablevision-owned AMC are already selling a Canoe-developed platform enabling RFI spots, while Bravo, Discovery, History and USA will offer the platform by early summer, Verklin said. Verklin also stated that Canoe plans to add DirecTV and DISH Network households to its footprint of ITV advertising-enabled households; and he said that Canoe expects to roll out an ITV polling app by the end of summer that will offer sponsorship opportunities.

Mobile video advertisers up eightfold in 2010

The latest MediaPost research shows mobile video is gaining traction.  Dell, Toyota and Draft have all run campaigns.  Automotive and telecom as well as travel and hospitality are the key industry areas jumping in as early adopters

What was the real outcome of the cable interactive solutions event?

The recent Cablelabs and Canoe Ventures initiative on advanced advertising seems to have been a real hit with brands according to several blogs.  Twenty four companies participated (not clear if they were selected guests or an industry invitation was sent – also not clear who paid for what which usually shows if the event was meaningful).  Key interactive vendors (mostly long time cable suppliers) also demonstrated solutions.

The event lasted a week and Id love to see the agenda and what was actually gleaned from the event.  I believe these insights are what Canoe needs to be learning and sharing with their investors and advertisers.  Any clues from Cablelabs or Canoe greatly appreciated but the summary that vendors were enthusiastic about a common platform was a bit lame – well yes – one platform, one format, easy implementation – but I had over ten companies working with me on interactive applications in 2001 and the interactive world of cable got bogged down with cable supplier battles and ad agency myopia.  Will it be different this time?  Yes, yes, yes – roll on interactive cable apps!

Publicis Chief predicts the end of free digital media

Publicis CEO Maurice Levy forecast a new era of the Internet and predicted the end of banner ads, the need to pay for content and said that advertising would not be able to pay for the continued expansion of digital media as it had with TV and publications.  No kidding!  The prediction continued with a forecast for a wealth of new intuitive and interactive features (I guess he was promoting their new web site).  Social networks also came under the gun with valuation questions and long term viability.

Certainly shows an opportunity for web 3.0 thinking and emphasized the need for metrics and targeting and probably the need to look again at how we do things manually and then replicate and improve on them in the connected digital world.  The big question is the fusion of creativity, process and technology and Im back to thinking the techies have the upper hand here and the agencies much to lose.  Frankly, the ad industry has been way behind the curve with trend forecasts for the Internet – maybe the bean counters are now starting to see how new media has impacted the bottom line and want to be earlier into the next wave!

Google – from science to creative

A recent WSJ article by Jessica Vascellaro highlights a major shift for Google from the science of search into creative for online ads and new tools for advertisers.

Big advertisers such as Hewlett Packard and Ford Motor Co along with JC Penney and PepsiCo are all actively working with Google on new online ad initiatives.  David Roman, a marketing vice president for H-P’s personal systems group, says Google recently helped it with a new Internet ad campaign.  As part of the campaign, Google engineers built a tool that allowed people to upload and edit their own video clips.  Mr. Roman declined to comment on the cost of H-P’s ad campaign, but says it was the most the personal systems group has spent with Google on a campaign. H-P shelled out nearly $58 million on Internet display ads in the U.S. in 2008, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

With the acquisitions of YouTube and DoubleClick, Google has huge space for non-search ads and it looks like Google is installing a team that can develop and run campaigns working directly with the client or via their agencies.

Cable is moving in interactive – are there paddles in Canoe?

Cablevision announced cautious roll out of interactive services in New York area and Comcast is dipping its feet in the water in Chicago. Time Warner has several initiatives and then there is Canoe. The latest news on Canoe Ventures is an alliance with a graduate advertising program. While this is forward thinking and a way to nurture new applications and innovations, will Canoe start to take a lead on new interactive applications or be a lumbering body that plays catch-up as the industry forges ahead?