Feature: Red button technology

Last month Ofcom published its Communications Market: Digital Television Progress Report for the second quarter of 2006. The report shows that by the end of June 2006 70.2% of UK television households (17.7 million) were watching digital television on at least one set in the home - up from 69.7% at the end March this year. In addition to this, in a recent survey by the BBC, only 37% of respondents knew that analogue TV is to be switched over to digital between 2008 and 2012. Considering some of the opportunities that digital TV represents are the all marketers aware of this?

“The return path”

Interactive digital television (iDTV) allows information to flow two ways, both to the consumer and back, enabling a viewer to respond to an advert or access internet-based services. Viewers can play games, make purchases and send text messages and emails, all through their television set. Therefore the viewer can spend more time on an advert and forges links with the brand, giving control and choice back to the consumer.

Many of the real benefits of digital TV are just around the corner with the profiling of each consumer, sending personalised direct mail with consumers allowing just certain brands into their living rooms. However it still seems to be underused as a marketing media and outside the digital agencies this is partly due to lack of understanding.

The Sky interactive website has lots of useful information and as listed below, gives the four main ways in which an interactive advert is created.

Dedicated advertiser location (DAL): A visually rich site that enables advertisers to provide a greater depth of product information interspersed with dramatic video content, textual information and a built-in response mechanism. It could even be described as an advertiser’s very own TV channel. A DAL can include video, audio, animation and graphics.

Mini-DAL: This is a scaled-down version of a DAL. They are effective mechanisms for brand extension and data capture. With a mini-DAL, advertisers can distribute product samples or brochures or gather consumer information. The site can include audio, but not video or animation. Impulse response: Viewers can interact with the brand while remaining in the broadcast stream. Interaction could include responding to offers, requesting a product sample or asking the advertiser to send more information or to call the viewer. This type of ad is only accessible via interactive airtime. The advertiser can choose up to nine questions for the viewer to respond to, such as email address, dates or pick-lists.

Jump to text: Viewers can press the red button during an ad to jump to a static page within a text service. The page can be in full colour and feature graphics and photo-quality stills. The programme audio usually continues to play in the background.