Networks Trying to TiVo-Proof Advertising

A few weeks ago, I wrote that the only way I thought consumers would watch commericals in the age of DVR is to have them play during the actual show. NBC and car satellite-navigation company Garmin International seem to agree and are recycling a technique from the early days of TV advertising--the live commercial. Next Tuesday's broadcast of The Tonight Show will air a live skit promoting Garmin's product, the WSJ reports today. The promo will play right before the show goes to commercial break and will be followed up by a spot for Garmin taking the first slot (Leno's MC John Melendez will even wear a lab coat with the Garmin logo on it to discuss "Direction Disorder" or men's reluctance to ask for directions). Per the WSJ:

The Garmin deal "obviously is a reaction to the DVR issue and a reaction to commercial ratings," says Marianne Gambelli, executive vice president, sales and marketing, for NBC Universal. Marketers are increasingly looking for these types of ad deals, she adds.

Garmin hopes to magnify its message by twinning the live spot with the conventional ad in the commercial break. In the past, when NBC has integrated a product into the story line of a show and given the marketer the first ad slot in the commercial break, research has shown advertising recall jumps by "40% to 50%," Ms. Gambelli says.

NBC says it's looking to expand use of the live commercials during late-night TV and sees the Garmin ad as a test. Not that they'll appear a lot. "You want to keep it unique," Ms. Gambelli notes.

In recent months, other networks have tried an array of other gimmicks to keep viewers watching through commercial breaks, including adding quizzes and short videos.

"We have killed and mauled the golden goose of commercial breaks," says TV historian and author Tim Brooks. "For a long time, the audience has put up with it, but now they have the ability to dodge commercial breaks, so networks can't get away with it any more."