MGEITF 2004: Ad-Funded Programmes To Revolutionise Television

The way television is produced and traded needs to be fundamentally rethought as advertisers begin to question the efficiency of the medium, according to Stuart Misson, managing director of marketing agency Octagon.

Speaking at this year’s Edinburgh International Television Festival, Misson called on broadcasters to reassess the way their programmes are funded, as advertisers begin to look beyond the traditional 30-second spot to connect with consumers.

The marketing chief warned that brands would move away from television unless it started to deliver better value. He called on independent production companies to start working with advertisers and broadcasters to make branded entertainment a viable alternative.

He said: “Media spend needs to work a lot harder because if it doesn’t advertisers will start planning away from television and will start seeking other forms of media to sell their brands. Big FMCG advertisers are never going to exclude television completely but they are going to start questioning their return on their investment.”

Advertiser funded programming looks set to take off over the next few years as brands seek more innovative ways to cut through the increasing amount of advertising clutter. The US Discovery Network expects around a third of its $3 billion annual revenue to come from branded entertainment programmes over the next five years.

Claire Heys, head of commercial partnerships at Flextech and UKTV, claimed that it was vital for production companies and broadcasters to understand the potential of advertiser funded programming to revolutionise the creative process.

She said: “The more advertiser funded programming that goes on in the television landscape the better. It is pioneering, hugely impactful and unquestionably the way television funding in this country is heading. We cannot afford not to understand it.”
Andy Bryant, director of creative services at BBC Broadcast, emphasised that branded entertainment is highly successful in delivering value to brands. He said: “Advertisers need to be aware that funding the right kind of programming can create meaningful moments with consumers that fit with the overall brand proposition they are putting forward.”

However, Chris Harrison, managing director of Spring London, the company behind Five’s controversial Dinner Doctors series, called on production companies to be more imaginative when creating advertiser funded programming.

He urged the industry to stop making “obvious” branded entertainment and invited them to get inside the “hearts and the minds” of the audience. He said: “Advertiser funded programming is not going to be a marginal, niche activity. It is going to be the most significant development in branded communications since the internet.”

MGEITF: 020 7430 1333 www.mgeitf.co.uk

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