2008 Woodie Awards
Advertisers getting creative at World Series
Nathan Cape
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Editorials
- Page 1 of 1
According to a study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average American will spend 14 uninterrupted years of their life in front of a television screen and approximately three to four years of that time will be spent watching commercials.
But now, with the help of sporting events such as the World Series, you will be subject to commercials without even knowing it. Commercials are no longer enough to grab the attention of thousands of fans during the World Series.
Within one hour of watching the World Series, viewers would have seen several advertisements in the form of virtual ads (advertisements that are not physically where they appear to be). Just a few of the virtual ads that can be seen while watching the World Series are virtual ads behind home plate, ads that are projected onto Green-Screen signs that fans hold, and virtual ads that are projected onto the Green Monster in Fenway Park. These are all advertisements that you would not be able to see if you were sitting in the stadium, but as you sit in front of your television screen to cheer on your favorite team you are the targeted market of countless virtual ads.
Many viewers, including myself, tend to zap between television stations when a commercial starts in order to avoid mundane advertising. Marketers working with FOX Sports during the World Series have been able to ensure that viewers will still see their fair share of advertisements during games without the chance of zapping through channels. Beyond virtual advertisements, FOX Sports has used clever tactics between commercials, such as scroll bars bellow the official score that promote upcoming programs, as well as the Direct TV blimp flying above the stadium with several minutes of in-play viewing time without viewers zapping between pitches.
While watching the World Series it is virtually impossible to miss the constant stream of advertising taking place during every pitch of the game and during commercials. One thing marketers can always count on is thousands of fans willing to sit through the World Series to watch their favorite team in action. The fans may decide to zap between commercials, but commercials were just the beginning.
- Nathan Cape is a senior marketing major, a Monfort College of Business Learning Community Resident Assistant and a Mirror columnist.
But now, with the help of sporting events such as the World Series, you will be subject to commercials without even knowing it. Commercials are no longer enough to grab the attention of thousands of fans during the World Series.
Within one hour of watching the World Series, viewers would have seen several advertisements in the form of virtual ads (advertisements that are not physically where they appear to be). Just a few of the virtual ads that can be seen while watching the World Series are virtual ads behind home plate, ads that are projected onto Green-Screen signs that fans hold, and virtual ads that are projected onto the Green Monster in Fenway Park. These are all advertisements that you would not be able to see if you were sitting in the stadium, but as you sit in front of your television screen to cheer on your favorite team you are the targeted market of countless virtual ads.
Many viewers, including myself, tend to zap between television stations when a commercial starts in order to avoid mundane advertising. Marketers working with FOX Sports during the World Series have been able to ensure that viewers will still see their fair share of advertisements during games without the chance of zapping through channels. Beyond virtual advertisements, FOX Sports has used clever tactics between commercials, such as scroll bars bellow the official score that promote upcoming programs, as well as the Direct TV blimp flying above the stadium with several minutes of in-play viewing time without viewers zapping between pitches.
While watching the World Series it is virtually impossible to miss the constant stream of advertising taking place during every pitch of the game and during commercials. One thing marketers can always count on is thousands of fans willing to sit through the World Series to watch their favorite team in action. The fans may decide to zap between commercials, but commercials were just the beginning.
- Nathan Cape is a senior marketing major, a Monfort College of Business Learning Community Resident Assistant and a Mirror columnist.
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