A blue button for your fiftieth birthday
In February 2015, television advertising in Switzerland marked its first half-century. And what lies ahead? Filmwords and Publisuisse see the «Blue Button» for interactive television advertising as a possible future.
On February 1, 1965, advertising flickered across an SRG channel for the first time in Switzerland. Since then, TV advertising has become one of the most successful advertising media. "But television advertising is broadcast, just as it started 50 years ago," says Tobias Asch from Filmwords. Together with his business partner Martin Glauser, Asch has already launched companies and brands such as Cinergy, Cineman and Teleboy. The two pioneers then launched Filmwords in 2012. "The aim of this company is to make television interactive," explains Managing Director Glauser. Such interaction options have so far been used on the TV platform Teleboy and on the specially developed second-screen app Zwap.TV. Filmwords records several thousand social TV activities on these platforms every day. Viewers can connect with each other - directly on the main device or via a second screen - and access further information about the program. "Right from the start, we planned to develop these interactions further in the area of advertising," reveals Tobias Asch. A major project has now come to fruition: Filmwords and Publisuisse, the marketer of SRG SSR, have jointly launched the "Blue Button". The blue button will be activated as part of the "Adtracks" pilot project on the TV platforms Teleboy, Zattoo and Wilmaa.
The extension of the campaign
The Blue Button - other providers such as Swisscom TV offer similar services with the Red Button - is displayed at the beginning of the classic commercial break and signals to the viewer that they can interact with the individual commercials. If the blue button is pressed, an additional window opens on the screen. This provides background information about the TV commercials currently being shown. The keyboard on the PC or tablet can be used, for example, to arrange test drives for a car advertisement or order samples for a cosmetics advertisement. Technically, it is also possible to link online stores directly to TV advertising via the digital platforms.
"As Publisuisse markets the advertising block, we asked ourselves very early on what second-screen technologies mean for traditional advertising. It quickly became clear to us that this system offers the methodology with which we can also accompany a linear program with additional information and interaction in the area of advertising," explains Reto Hufenus, Head of Business Development at Publisuisse. The SRG marketer has therefore started talks with the private pioneers of Filmwords. "We want to be able to offer our advertising interactively before the 50th anniversary of the Swiss commercial in 2015," says Hufenus, who is well prepared for the future. The new services will be marketed via the same channels as traditional TV commercials. "Our sales staff can also offer traditional advertising customers the interactive add-ons." Filmwords is Publisuisse's technology partner for this.
Who owns the media consumer?
Hufenus emphasizes that this innovation does not mean that the classic spot is dead. "It doesn't always have to be either or. But in view of the fact that more and more budgets are moving to online advertising, we are looking for ways in which we can interactively supplement the classic advertising blocks in cooperation with digital platforms," he says, explaining the strategy for how TV advertising can remain attractive in the cross-media age.
More and more viewers are also consuming their TV programs via the Internet. With platforms such as Teleboy, Zattoo and Wilmaa, the business models have turned around. Retransmission is free of charge for the consumer. Refinancing takes place via commercialization on the platform. The digital platforms have become the "gatekeepers" to the consumer. Zattoo and co. can only insert advertising based on SRG programs. "We have to defend ourselves against this," those responsible are aware. "But the solution is not to prevent everything. Working together is the issue, it's cooperation. And as Publisuisse, we must try to continue to participate in the commercialization of our content as a marketer of traditional media in collaboration with competing platform providers. We have to develop new products in order to continue to get our share of the value chain."
The goal is an industry solution
The model that Publisuisse has developed with Filmwords is to be offered on a broad scale. The aim is that a customer does not have to negotiate with each platform individually and design an implementation after booking their classic campaign. "Advertisers should be offered a comprehensive solution as soon as they book their spots. Anyone who wants to design an entire campaign interactively should find the solution for all platforms with the Blue Button, including a uniform price," promises Hufenus. Publisuisse is convinced that only an industry solution can work. "We are now doing the pilot. We are using it to test the synchronization of features and interactive options. We are driving development forward, but always with the aim of achieving a simple solution for everyone. Because we want to strengthen the TV genre."
Andreas Panzeri
