HD Commercial Bull’s-eye
May 23rd, 2006 | Posted in Strategy
I time-shift television. This week I was fast-forwarding the commercials during one of my “season pass” shows. I have had Tivo for several years, so I am an ace at commercial skipping. But, this time while skipping I noticed the screen went 16:9 (High Definition). I immediately paused and went back to actually watch the commercial.
Commercials in HD are rare, but they too are stunning.
This particular commercial in HD was for Target. It featured amazing visuals, transitions, colors, and animations interlaced with live-action actors. After 30 seconds of total immersion, I realized I was actually entertained. I liked it. It was fun to watch. From a branding standpoint, my impression of Target was impacted positively. On the surface, they are clearly promoting themselves from a retail perspective, but the subtle hidden message is that they are cutting edge and strive to be creative and innovative. How many others in their industry are advertising in HD?
So, as most 18-34 year old males would do, I went to the Web to search for the ad. I wanted to see it again online—perhaps Target incorporated this video into their integrated marketing communications.
No mention of the commercial on the Target website. No opportunity to see it again.
In fact, no video at all on the site.
The thought occurred to me; why invest so heavily in one area (i.e., video) and not have it impact or enhance other marketing communications vehicles (e.g., Web)? It would be very easy to provide commercial videos online, wrap some very focused messaging around it, and even link to HD hardware available for purchase in the store. HD has almost as much marketing buzz as the Web. It could be a slam dunk to blend the two.
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