TV networks getting sneakier about commercials

It is interesting to see that the latest form of creativity in the industry today is about inventing new vehicles for delivery of advertising.

From an excellent story on cnn.com:

The Geico cavemen have become popular enough they've become the subject of a show.


Story Highlights:
• Viewers paying less attention to standard commercials
• Broadcasters trying new ways to attract attention
• Nielsen is starting to rate commercials

NEW YORK (AP) -- Some of the most creative thinking in television these days has nothing to do with comedy or drama. It's about the commercials.

Fueled by a growing sense of desperation, networks are inserting games, quizzes and mini-dramas into commercial breaks. They're incorporating more product pitches into programming. Two experimental programs without traditional commercial breaks will premiere this fall. NBC has even called on Jerry Seinfeld for help.

This is all being done to stop viewers with DVRs from fast-forwarding through advertisements, or to circumvent those that do. (Blog: All commercials, all the time)

Adding to the urgency, this week Nielsen Media Research begins offering ratings for commercial breaks, instead of just the shows around them.

"We all need to become more creative in how we incorporate sponsors into a program," said Ed Swindler, executive vice president for NBC Universal ad sales. "No one on the creative side or the business side wants to make commercials intrusive, but we do need to commercialize efficiently so viewers can afford to get free television."

Read the entire article on cnn.com