Chromecast. Where's the Advertising Play?
While perusing a recent article by Corey Bergman on how Chromecast fundamentally changed the way his family watches TV,we are reminded that although Google's TV offering may be changing viewing habits, adoption and penetration of the device is limited at best. And its availability challenges should never have entered the equation as an obstacle in its adoption.
The trend of younger viewers adopting new and non-traditional ways to consume their video is both interesting and one we can expect to continue to grow especially in the 18-34 segment.
While the content that can currently be accessed benefits consumers, it leaves advertisers out in the cold still looking for a viable advertising solution.
As subscription-based services like Netflix and HBO don't have brand sell inventory or many advertising opportunities available, how will the TV industry combat these OTT devices? We can envision a premium being placed on branded and in-content driven executions as well as the social conversations generated by viewers tuning to shows such as House of Cards and other made-for-OTT platforms.
That doesn't come without its own set of risks, though. As the exposure of certain shows/content driven by the users grows, it will become harder to curate the conversation online and create mass social experiences and responses from the public. In the end, it's just a re-broadcast of what viewers are doing and the experience still lacks the interactivity that true smart TV and some consoles provide.
The phenomenon also raises important questions for mobile advertisers. Are their mobile ad units worth more when projected on a big screen? Are they now reaching a larger audience? Are the ad units now lacking quality, and as a consequence resulting in a poor viewer experience?