And yet it moves!

This year’s Screenforce Day will take place just a few days after this magazine is published. After one of the most important events in the Swiss TV and media industry could only be held «remotely» last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will once again be held «live» this time: at the Kongresshaus Zürich, in front of a large audience.m&k had the opportunity to review the insights that will be presented there even before the event—and without giving too much away: they are, of course, fully in line with the Screenforce Day motto, «The Magic Of TV,» which promises great things. The event’s goal this year is twofold: On the one hand, Screenforce Day aims to show advertisers that their TV budgets are still in good hands (after all, companies like Admeira, CH Media, and Goldbach are behind the organization). The «most traditional» of the moving-image media, so the general consensus goes, has no reason to shy away from comparison with YouTube, TikTok, or Netflix. On the other hand, the event aims to demonstrate that, despite the medium’s long history, TV has by no means become rigid or stagnant when it comes to technological innovation. To paraphrase Galileo Galilei: «And yet it moves!»—the format that some streaming and social media prophets (including those in trade journalism) had long since written off.

A complex starting point

This willingness to be flexible certainly deserves recognition, because the starting point for the TV industry—that is, broadcasters, marketers, and ultimately advertisers—is no longer a simple one. Even if we assume that, due to the «truly unique» market situation in Switzerland, a large portion of the population has access to on-demand TV and thus more freedom of choice than with linear TV, television is still struggling to carve out its place in the infotainment mix.

Just a few weeks ago, for example, the Nielsen Institute (now world-renowned for its work) stated in its annual «State of Play» report: «Streaming services are the future.» The British «Daily Mail»—though, it must be said, not exactly a scientific journal—ran the headline as recently as April: «Television is dying along with its audience.» And a major German news site recently commented—citing AGF data from 2020, by the way—«Rest in peace, TV—we won’t miss you!»

It depends on who you ask

But as with any topic involving (advertising) funds and various stakeholders, it all depends on who you ask. Screenforce Day 2022 in Switzerland will seek to debunk the points mentioned—which have found their way into the minds of clients, at the very least as clichés or vague assumptions. To this end, the organizers are primarily presenting a survey designed and conducted by the Zurich-based Insight Institute. This survey demonstrates quite impressively that both linear and non-linear television operate on a currency that still puts them far ahead of other media formats: credibility.

A Study on Trust

Robert Schwarz, Managing Partner at the Insight Institute and director of the study «The Credibility Factor,» explains: «It was very interesting to see how much a channel’s inherent characteristics influence its credibility. The better a channel embodies these characteristics, the more credible it becomes to viewers. In this regard, TV continues to have a significant lead over other channels like Facebook or YouTube due to its long history and the familiarity most people have with it.» In other words: Perhaps younger people in particular today—though the figures vary depending on the study—watch TV at a lower rate than the generation(s) before them.

The starting point for the TV industry is no longer a simple one.

But they still feel positive about it; after all, they associate watching TV with fond memories. According to the Insight study, this also contributes to the fact that, for a majority of respondents, TV means «relaxation»: «For many, TV is a very familiar medium that they’ve known since childhood. It is therefore strongly associated with relaxation and trustworthiness. For many respondents, social media platforms still don’t feel quite as relaxing. However, it’s clear that younger respondents are much more comfortable with social media than older people,» explains Robert Schwarz. In any case, after a final review of the results, he is not concerned that television will become unattractive as an advertising medium: «TV will remain an attractive advertising medium, as established habits and learned patterns tend to change slowly,» the researcher is convinced.

Media Planning: A Technology Boost

Alongside credibility as a «calling card,» IGEM President Stephan Küng announced at Screenforce Day the launch of the planning tool EvoAd, which will replace the well-known MediaWizard. The large volumes of data that must be handled in the highly fragmented Swiss market (and which, according to Küng, «will grow massively once again» with the introduction of Mediapulse’s new hybrid measurement system) had pushed MediaWizard to the limits of its capacity. EvoAd, on the other hand, is a tool geared toward the future and replay ads, providing the market with «a valuable tool.».

Hope on the Horizon

And then there are also external factors that point to the successful continued existence of television as a medium—especially as an advertising platform: Television advertising may be comparatively expensive and, when delivered linearly, may not follow the trend toward «hyper-targeting.» But advertising on digital channels is also facing difficult times as the digital ecosystem changes and third-party cookies are phased out. Since data protection guidelines and regulations make it a priority to give users the option to refuse the storage of cookies on their devices, tracking and ad targeting are also increasingly being called into question. All of these factors are making investment in TV advertising increasingly attractive again. Marketers must, however, step into this gap before the OOH industry or print media marketers secure too much of the freed-up budgets.

«It's the content, stupid!»

Ultimately, content is what captures viewers’ attention. If television wants to compete with streaming services and apps, it must first and foremost offer compelling content. While this won’t be the main topic at Screenforce Day 2022, that’s exactly what screen-up—which takes place in September—is for.