Tivo’s Least Skipped TV Ads

Posted October 3rd, 2007 by Jose Alvear

Tivo released their June Stop||Watch rankings of their DVR users recently and discovered that the least fast forwarded commercial on TV isn’t a major brand, but for Cort Furniture rentals.Say what?

Rounding out the top three are the Dominican Republic Tourism, and Hooters Restaurant.

Well, it’s somewhat obvious why the Hooters ad isn’t skipped. But Cort? The Dominican Republic?

BusinessWeek has this great article analyzing the results of the least forwarded ads on TV based on Tivo’s Stop||Watch data on 20,000 households. They say that the one lesson from the Tivo ratings is that “relevancy outweighs creativity in TV commercials–by a lot.”

Why are these seemingly diverse, not very funny or not very entertaining commercials the least forwarded? Do ads of the future have to be lifeless and un-creative? Let’s analyze further.

Ads Are Well-Tailored to Audience. BusinessWeek say that the No.1 least-fast-forwarded ad during primetime was for Bowflex, makers of the home gym. Apparently Bowflex placed their ads exclusively on professional wrestling on the CW network.

Smart Media Planning. Says BusinessWeek. “Smart media planning, not creative ads, seems to be key. These advertisers put the product –whether it’s a desk, a Dominican beach, or, ahem, the good food at Hooters–front and center in the most straightforward way.” These niche audiences maker it easier to target to the right audience.

Ads Ran During Daytime Cable. Many people don’t bother fast forwarding shows on daytime cable, especially news or daytime talk shows. Also, people are probably just watching the shows delayed or near-live, so there’s no incentive to fast-forward.

No One’s Watching the Least Fast-Forwarded Ads. The chances are very high that many of the least fast-forwarded ads were because no one was watching at the time. People go to the bathroom, talk on the phone, vacuum the living room, do the dishes or any number of things while watching TV, especially day time TV.

Least Fast-Forwarded Brand Campaigns

All Measured Networks - Daytime & Primetime

1. CORT Furniture Rentals
2. Dominican Republic Tourism
3. Hooter’s Restaurant
4. IDT Long Distance INTL Residential
5. Tax Masters Tax Service Con Svc
6. Skyteam Airline Network

Broadcast Networks - Primetime

1. Bowflex Exercise Equipment DR
2. OnStar Vehicle Monitoring Sys
3. Hyundai Autos Sonata Leasing
4. Warner Bros Harry Potter/Order/PHNX
5. Lunesta Sleep RX
6. Plavix Blood Thinner RX

[tags] Advertising, DVR, Tivo [\tags]

Posted in Advertising, Tivo

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