Most everyone realizes clutter is a big problem. While broadcasters have said they would take steps to reduce it, some have and some have not. What some may not realize, however, in the days of iPods, video iPods, satellite radio and Internet streaming and downloads, clutter reduction is more important than ever.
Jean Pool, EVP/Director of North American Operations, Universal McCann and Chairman of Media Policy at the AAAAs, sees the issue, and over-saturation of product integration, as major problems for our industry: "This industry needs to suck it up and stop over-commercializing everything and destroying our business. 15-16 minutes an hour on television, in a fragmented medium, and they wonder why people channel change? Duh."
Speaking especially for cable, it seems there is way, way too much tune-in during each commercial break. The same ones, over and over, every break for shows the network is offering later in the week. Very tedious. Maybe just one or two an hour would help dramatically-just keep it to the paid advertisers.
Says Pool: "There's a lot of promotional stuff, agreed. That's advertising, and that's non-program [material]. And we are so far beyond the pall, we're destroying ourselves. ABC did a joke video five or six ago about branded content/integrated advertising. It was hysterical-everything was sponsored, everything was branded. Logos were everywhere. It's getting so close to that. It's no longer a joke, it's becoming reality. Then you go onto the internet, which is the pristine, new media destination, and you get pop-ups everywhere and you can't get out of it. Now what sense does it make to piss-off your consumer?"
The answer, at least for clutter, would be to charge more and have less inventory. Eventually the market would adjust, right? And, of course, cut down on the self promotion.
"Yes, I completely agree. It's the same with off-air. They're all 15-16 minutes per hour. Radio, oh my God, can go up to 22-23 minutes per hour. It's pathetic. And then they wonder why they have a .000001 share?! I'm very angry about all of it, I'm angry about what I see. Radio, I think, is near destroyed. I think music radio is a thing of the past. I think Talk radio still has legs. And I think Infinity is so right in promoting their radio new stars-because that may just save their life."
[Editor's note: Be sure to catch Jean's column in our January 2006 RBR/TVBR Solutions Magazine.]