The undercurrent of the Association of National Advertiser's 2012 Association of National Advertisers' (ANA) TV & Everything Video Forum was that television still remains a vital beast in brand marketing. But television and streamed video – a partnership often delivered simultaneously on a variety of screens – will become a powerful monster in the near future.

Bill Duggan, the ANA executive vice president who opened the day's program, anchored the assembly discussion in three data points:

Bill Duggan

  • The 2012 Grammy Awards had some 29 million network-television viewers. It was the second largest audience for the ceremony, topped only by the Michael Jackson 'Thriller' 1984 telecast.
  • The Super Bowl – another recent broadcast spectacular – attracted a record television audience of 167 million.
  • New data from Nielsen reports that Americans now watch an average of eight hours and 29 minutes of television a day.

But, Duggan allowed, "This isn't about traditional television. We already have more TV sets than we do people. It's not just about traditional TV. It's about multiple screens… it's about 'social TV', with consumers interacting with programs and involving brands."

The ANA EVP offered two cases in point, each presented during the Super Bowl, each driven by Chevrolet:

  • 'Chevy Game Time' offered a means to experience the Super Bowl [marketing] experience in a whole new way.

    Chevy

  • Chevrolet also produced a music video – driven by a commercial aired during the game – that, according to Duggan, "gave viewers and brand enthusiasts a second, and longer, opportunity for engagement.

     

It seeded both presentations with a 'What's Next' trailer."

Continued Duggan, "This is just one example of advertising using traditional commercials, along with a game-time app, and a music video to take advantage of the new media landscape."

And, he offered, that landscape is about to become richer with a variety of "social television" programs that encourage a kind of viewer engagement that offers the promise of increased brand interest.

"In terms of advertising dollars, online video is projected to grow 48% in the next year." And, he added, a new Forrester/ANA research report disclosed that 63% of marketers agree that online video is about to become a more important part of the total communications program.


Warc will be reporting from this conference. Stay tuned to Warc’s conference reports page for write-ups of the key insights and best practice from the event.