Viewers who do not see an on-air promotion for a show will almost definitely not watch the show, and yet broadcast networks tend to reach far less than 100% of potential viewers.B As the Fall 2009 season approaches, network marketers should always be in the market for more reach.B
In less than a month, the broadcast networks will roll out their new shows for Fall 2009 season.B Among them are NBCb s Mercy, ABCb s Flash Forward, CBSb s The Good Wife, FOXb s Glee, and the CWb s Melrose Place.B With new shows comes the barrage of promotion, via television, radio, online ads, outdoor billboards, and within magazines/newspapers.B B Resistance is futile.B Thou shall not escape the networksb attempts to help you b learnb about these new shows.B B Or maybe, just maybe, thou have.
Earlier this year, Accenture released its Global Broadcast Consumer Survey titled b Television: Entering the Era of Mass Fragmentationb .B B The report highlights the ways in which consumers learn about new television content.B Of those polled, ads/promos garnered the highest response representing 40% of the group, followed by channel surfing (33%), and friends/family (30%).B More recent methods such as blogs, web content stores, mobile ads, and DVR/PVR recommendations were towards the end of the pack with 8%, 6%, 5%, and 2% respectively.B
In view of this Accentureb s survey results, it would seem that networks canb t afford to not reach all potential television viewers when it comes to on-air promotion.B B That is, however, exactly what is happening.B
Note: Data from TNS Media Researchb s Charter LA.B Time period: 2008-2009 episodes of the showb s most recently completed season.
B The table shows that less than half of potential viewers have been reached with an on-air promotion for any networkb s new program.B These numbers will improve as the season approaches and finally begins, but as the following chart shows, even last season there was still a large population of viewers that had not seen a single promotion.
Note: Data from TNS Media Researchb s Charter LA.B Time period: 2008-2009 episodes of the showb s most recently completed season.
Marketers are not reaching a large portion of the television viewing audience.B That a sizeable percentage of the potential audience does not see a promotion creates a downward spiral.B If you donb t see a promotion, chances are you wonb t know about the program.B If you donb t know about the program, then you canb t watch it.B And if you donb t watch it, then ratings might decrease.B
The solution to this problem is simple.B Networks must increase their promotional reach prior to program launch and maintain it during the program season.B
A conversation from The Sandlot (1993) humorously illustrates the point of this issue, showing that people canb t consume something they know nothing about. B
Ham Porter: Hey, Smalls, you wanna s’more?
Smalls: Some more of what?
Ham Porter: No, do you wanna s’more?
Smalls: I haven’t had anything yet, so how can I have some more of nothing?