Pardon the Interruption?

Americans, More and More, Say "NO!"
Study Creates a TV Guide for Millennials & Beyond

Once upon a time, back when gas was cheap, Rock 'n Roll was new, and the sun was always shining, there were only three television stations to choose from. It was called " Broadcast TV." Everyone watched. And everyone watched the same things. Hour by hour, day by day, everyone had the same three sitcoms, dramas, or game shows to choose from.

Back then, TV was beamed from a big antenna at the broadcasting station (forget webcasting for a moment - that's still decades in the future). A small wire antenna on your house received the television signal, and you settled for whatever quality of reception you had, even if the picture was scrambled and tumbling in static.

Back then (and until very recently, really) television was the perfect medium for what is known as "interruptive advertising." Commercial breaks of 60 seconds or two minutes were not only tolerated, they were expected. "A word from our sponsors" was the price we paid for being able to watch TV for free.

Artifacts of this era are the highly anticipated annual Super Bowl commercials. The advertisers understand that you don't have to watch the commercials. Heck, you've got TiVO.

Hence, the level of creativity and budget invested in the advertisements is enormous.

From a non-profit's point of view, of course, the notion of a Super Bowl ad is absurd. In fact, the fiscal responsibility non-profits must show puts most advertising out of reach.

Even when using Public Service Announcements, return on investment must be calculated, in terms of eyes viewing your message. The financial and human resources you've invested in production and distribution must be reconciled with annual budget.

In any case, any discussion about television advertising may be pointless. A new research study by SAY Media, IPG Media Lab, TRU and comScore has revealed how media consumption trends and behavior are changing.

The research indicates "56 million 'Off The Grid' consumers are slipping past advertisers." These "Off the Griders" are removing themselves more and more from live broadcasting, through DVR, DVD, and online content. Consequently, these consumers are also removing themselves from television advertising.

Following is a snapshot of some of the findings, published by TRU, a pioneer in youth market research (Click here to see the full press release):

• Online consumers are increasingly more difficult to reach through live television, because one third of the adult, online population in the United States - according to comScore, nearly 56 million people and growing - are "Off the Grid" of live TV.
• The ease of skipping commercials presents the opportunity to decide whether it is easier to avoid interruptive ads or tolerate them.
• KEY FOR NON-PROFITS: The "Off the Grid" population is educated, digitally focused, connected, engaged and influential.
• Within the Off the Grid segment, consumers can be further categorized into the sub-groups of On-Demanders and Opt Out:
• 20 percent of online consumers fall into the On Demander segment. All watch less live TV than they did one year ago. On Demanders access video through a variety of devices that allows them to time and location shift to meet their busy schedule.
• They own an average of 5.4 devices for watching video, including TVs and computers; almost half subscribe to Netflix; 40 percent own video-enabled mobile devices like smartphones or iPads.
• Time and device shifting allows this group to consume 30 hours of video each week - compared to the Internet average of 25 hours per week.
• This group (which is educated, digitally focused, connected, engaged and influential) is the most turned off by intrusive, repetitive advertising.
• 13 percent of online consumers have completely Opted Out of live television and get their content by streaming across devices, through their DVR or on DVD.
• 90 percent does own a TV.
• This group skews younger, with 30 percent falling into the 18-24 demographic.
• Opt Outs consume 21 hours of video content in a typical week - half of which is online.

This study vividly illustrates the character of the Millennial segment everyone wants to reach. It also reflects the nature of Gen Xer's and many Baby Boomers. The "educated, digitally focused, connected, engaged and influential" of each of these generations is likely to figure large in the On Demander segment, as well as the Opt Out.

So, how does a non-profit use this information to its advantage? Is the captive audience represented by print media suddenly looking better again? Are online banner ads more attractive? How about "product placement" of your cause, within the content of a popular drama or sitcom?

I'd like to hear about how your organization is using "new" and "traditional" media, to communicate your message. Email me at RGondella@CauseWare.Net.