Paul McEnany over at Hew Haw marketing has a very interesting take on the writers strike. Hadn't thought about the fact that the writer's could just use the internet as a new distribution tool and forget about TV all together. That's a pretty interesting scenario. I mean, would people watch installments of 24 online instead of TV?
And this strike is going to have a major impact on the advertising industry. With TV budgets already facing challenges, what client is going to pay premiums to either be on reruns or some lame reality show that they networks put together just to fill the air? Not likely. And if TV just isn't pulling the numbers, advertising will leave for other areas. And unlike the last time there was a writers strike, there are a lot more places to go. So it will be a real challenge for TV advertising to maintain it's levels, especially when we're hearing that the strike could go 9 or 10 months.
So the question for people like us who do a lot of non-traditional work, is how much advantage do we take of the situation? Do we start pushing the message that this is speeding the decline -- not death -- of the 30 second spot? Do we encourage the writers to move their content to other distribution points? Do we talk to our clients about how TV will be less effective for the duration of the strike and that they should move their advertising dollars out of network buys?
We can imagine how the networks are feeling about the strike, but I also wonder how much this will start to impact the media buying companies as well. Already harder then it used to be, how will they ramp up to convince buyers that TV is still a place to go? And at what point will they just pack it in and tell their clients to put their money somewhere else?
I’d love to get feedback from other folks in the industry, so if you’re part of a network or a media buying company, what are you thinking these days?
Really, It's Just Media. Pay up.
Just one quick thought on the WGA strike. What if all those rich writers put some money together and distributed their own content on the web? What if the crew from the office got together and told NBC to go fuck themselves, and made their own version?
For the first time ever, that could actually happen. These networks are playing with fire. Not surprising when you throw common sense out the window and let lawyers run your company. It's apparent that being a big media conglomerate requires that you become stupid and out of touch. Same mistake, over and over, doesn't matter if it's the networks, record labels, the mpaa, riaa or Prince, it's a constant struggle for sameness when there's nothing left that's the same.
Luckily, Ze Frank came back to break up the blackout.
Link: Hee-Haw Marketing: Really, It's Just Media. Pay up..