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Channel 4 to broadcast first Live advert tonight

(May 2008)

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JO
Jon
According to this article Channel 4 are to show a live advert tonight.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/29/advertising.channel4?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Quote:
But it is also part of a wider drive by broadcasters to maintain the relevance of TV advertising in the era of fast-forward. Advertising agencies have been forced to raise their game in recent years, to get viewers' attention. Increased choice and viewer fragmentation, driven by the explosion in digital channels, have made advertising breaks easier than ever to avoid. "Time shifted" viewing via personal video recorders like Freeview Plus and Sky Plus has also made advertisers and their agencies work ever harder to prevent viewers skipping their commercials.


It's seems Channel 4 have been quite pioneering of late, when it comes to advertising, in particular their themed advert breaks and now this the broadcast of the first live commercial.
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Do those eBay adverts with real time data on the price of items for sale not count as live?
BR
Brekkie
Well they're probably just automated - and are no where near as likely to go wrong as this one. They're definately taking a big leap into live TV advertising.
CW
Charlie Wells Moderator
Whilst it may be a 'big leap' it's definitely 'big publicity stunt', as it's getting free advertising via press coverage about it being the first live advert.
JC
JCB
wells posted:
It's seems Channel 4 have been quite pioneering of late, when it comes to advertising, in particular their themed advert breaks and now this the broadcast of the first live commercial.


Meh, I'm still going to skip it.

If they put a bit of effort into their programming they might be able to conjure up something other then a cooking show.
AG
AxG
I see all the big stunts, and some of the most creative adverts are made by Honda.
IS
Inspector Sands
There have been live adverts before. A tabloid newspaper (either The Mirror or The Sun) did them in the 80's and Carphone Warehouse also did a few with Mike Smith
TW
TWO ident Founding member
The only previous time I can remember tuning in to watch a particular advert rather than the programme, was for Walkers Cheese & Owen crisps circa 1998.

It was plugged by Anne Robinson on Watchdog on BBC 1 - "It'll be on around 7.30 on the other side". Yep, BBC 1 promoting adverts on ITV! The idea for the name had got coverage on Watchdog previously though.

I'll probably watch this tonight, it is a bit of an innovation and if it turns out right should look quite spectacular. I won't be watching programme Laughing
MS
Mr-Stabby
Quote:
But it is also part of a wider drive by broadcasters to maintain the relevance of TV advertising in the era of fast-forward. ......... "Time shifted" viewing via personal video recorders like Freeview Plus and Sky Plus has also made advertisers and their agencies work ever harder to prevent viewers skipping their commercials.


An odd way to describe why they might be making this advert considering that the whole point of Sky Plus is that you can fast forward through adverts in recordings, whether they were transmitted live or not. Laughing

It's a good idea, and i really like the way Honda advertise because they always do something quirky and different. However is anybody going to deliberately watch it who knows about it being live? I know i won't be, even though i like the idea. It's likely that most of the people who do watch the advert won't know its live anyway.
BR
Brekkie
Probably not so much here, but in the old days in the US didn't ads used to be live, with the actors of the programmes walking off set to be featured in the ads.


There were rumours the US networks are considering going back to that kind of model, with actors from programmes featured in ads during their programmes, in an effort to prevent them being fast forwarded.
GS
Gavin Scott Founding member
Inspector Sands posted:
There have been live adverts before. A tabloid newspaper (either The Mirror or The Sun) did them in the 80's and Carphone Warehouse also did a few with Mike Smith


Ads went out live even earlier than that, didn't they?

In any event I won't be tuning in just to be sold a car I can't drive. Its a gimmick, nothing more.
CO
Colm
And come to think of it, weren't most "admags" in the early days of ITV live?

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