Friday, July 06, 2007

News: NBC Testing Effects of Fast Forwarding Commercials

Thanks to my WKYC directing colleague, Matt Babb, for tipping me off to this one...

Those of us who have Tivo or other DVR's know how nice it is to skip over the commercials in the shows we record. But, NBC is trying to figure out a way to keep our attention as those spots go zipping by.

According to an article in the New York Times, NBC's research department is trying to convince advertisers viewers are just as engaged while watching fast-forwarded commercials as they are when watching live TV. NBC-commissioned a study by Innerscope to measure biometrics such as heart rate, eye movement and breathing patterns. Viewers who watched the first 20 seconds of live ads scored an "engagement" score of 66 while those watching the same ads in Fast Forward scored a 68.

It's fascinating reading... Read the entire article. CLICK HERE