PVRs can now be found in almost 60% of Canadian households so anyone who advertises on TV has to be concerned. Those households are recording about 25% of their primetime viewing and fast-forwarding through your commercials when they get around to watching their favourite shows. And those numbers are going nowhere but up.
TV networks don't credit you for those lost viewers. And cable networks just make it worse by providing many shows "On Demand" where they replace your commercials with ones promoting their own shows.
What can you do?
1. Buy shows that are much less likely to be PVR'd or watched "On Demand". There are certain types of programming that audiences want to see live and they'll watch the all the commercials on those shows.
2. Produce your commercials in a way that makes them work even when they're being fast-forwarded. People still watch the spots as they spin by and you can still have an impact if you do it right.
3. Use your knowledge of PVR and On Demand trends to challenge network pricing. Rates are based on audience size and you shouldn't pay for what you're not getting.
4. Call us and let us take care of 1, 2 and 3.
Joe Hill Communications has been buying media for over 20 years and we've delivered real savings and great service every time.
You can reach us through info@joehillcommunications.com if you'd like to learn more or for an analysis of your current media buy. We can also provide you with full creative and account service, but if media is what you need, we're happy to focus on that.