action time vision
Following yesterday's mini-rant in which I hypothesised that the statement which declares 'TV plus multi-channel campaigns are more effective than TV alone', in it's structure is simply reinforcing the myth of TV authority and makes more sense by flipping it and saying multi-channel campaigns are more effective if the include TV in the mix, some serendipitous further unravelling occured.
Following the links within Andy Whitlock's excellent post An insight about insight in which he correctly points out that;
'Insights are most exciting/dramatic when we’ve previously been looking at the wrong thing'
As an example Andy pointed to this startlingly simple yet revelatory insight from Mark Sorrell.
'There are a lot of surveys and statistics and sound-bites out there saying things like “The majority of viewers now watch TV with a second screen in front of them...I don’t doubt that the basic numbers are entirely correct ...but the entire statement is back-to-front.
The majority of home internet users have the TV on in the background...The internet is usurping the TV as the primary source of entertainment in the home.
The TV is still being switched on [but is] suitably ambient...Mostly, it just chunters away to itself, pleasing human noises filling your lounge..
TV is the second screen'.
Absolutely spot on. We've been looking at it back to front and as Beaudrillard said 'Systems...retain authority only as long as we treat them as having authority'.
Television is ambient, it's background, it's shared and commands only partial attention.
It's more like radio. A comforting noise in the room that occasionally, sporadically holds our interest.
The internet however (and I'm not distinguishing between devices, mobile means internet and vice versa) is personal media.
It's not about X replacing Y. This has never happened.
There's still books, newspapers, cinema, radio etc. Despite the fact that the mobile platform can in fact replicate all previous media it has not killed them, it's just changed their role.
TV has done a decent job of disrupting itself over the years. Recognising that it is not the focal point any more but simply one of several platforms that deliver content and mesh together is it's current disruption.
Alternative TV.
