Everything Old is New Again

Just read about how the new Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show is going to revolutionize live TV by using the immediacy of technology such as Twitter to maintain an interactive relationship with viewers.

But, for marketers, I think the bigger story is that Fallon is going to incorporate live commercials into the show. This hearkens back to the nascent days of radio and television, when shows were sponsored by national brands and commercials flowed seamlessly into the fabric of the programming. WVXU, a Cincinnati-based public radio station has programming blocks dedicated to re-runs of classic radio shows like Burns & Allen and Fibber McGee and Molly. It's fascinating to hear how commercials blend into the story-lines and would often be extended by the stars through what sounds like impromptu banter. These early radio stars eventually transferred the idea of commercial integration to the new medium of television.

It will be interesting to see if Fallon begins a new trend and one that I've been anticipating for quite some time. We continue to hear that consumers are looking for more authenticity from companies. Perhaps we'll begin to see a "devolution" back to a model of advertising that is more straight-forward and authentic. Perhaps elegantly produced branding messages will begin to give way to simple, direct, factual messaging about a brand's unique qualities.

Beyond greater authenticity, of course, live commercials provide advertisers with a strategy to combat zapping. As DVR penetration approaches critical mass and time-shifting becomes second nature, commercial zapping will be a critical issue for TV advertisers. Commercial integration will be a critical defense mechanism to avoid the zap and live commercials are obviously the easiest way to achieve this integration.

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