Comcast touts their pending deal, giving them control of NBC/Universal, as good news for advertisers seeking to better target customers. It’s the same argument that no doubt gave birth to All-You-Can-Eat buffets: more is better. Truth is, quantity seldom increases quality. Strategic targeting doesn’t compensate for lack of a compelling message.
Your message is everything
What this ratchet-click of media consolidation means to you: it’s more important than ever to get your message right. Where it runs will matter less. Good ads connect. Get caught up in targeting and you’ll fall victim to one of the 12 Most Common Mistakes in Advertising. And, here’s Comcast touting it as a primary benefit of their pending union. Go figure.
Test your message: How well do your ads….
- capture attention by interrupting the expected
- connect with the felt-need of your customer
- close loopholes that undermine your credibility
- communicate an authentic call to action
Run campaigns scoring high on these four points and targeting becomes less critical.
Even if you don’t reach the so-called “target,” a well-crafted message reaches relatives, friends, associates, or others with decision-making influence. Since we tend to trust the word of a friend above advertising, that’s a big win–even bigger than Comcast’s coming one-stop targeting shop
Dark side of Comcast’s NBC deal
Unless there’s been a Saul-to-Paul conversion I’ve not read about, Comcast is a poster child of legacy media-think. That’s bad news for the likes of Hulu.
Comcast’s current online television offering, Fancast, requires you first be a cable subscriber. Unless you’re a Comcast cable subscriber, don’t try popping on Fancast to watch your favorite show. How’s that going to mix with Hulu’s current free advertising-driven model? Not a match made in media heaven. Thankfully we advertise here on earth where results matter more than calculations of consolidated reach.
Whether the consolidation of NBC/Universal content engine with Comcast’s delivery pipeline is an advertising blessing or curse will be revealed over time. Comcast’s efforts to focus our gaze at the growing platter of targeting options in its right hand leaves me wondering what lurks in their pesky left.
