Taking in Television

A little blog about TV shows, the changing technology for watching TV, resources for TV show fans, and so forth.

Monday, July 17, 2006

I brake for Geckos

A lot of talk goes on about TiVo owners skipping commercials.

Let us clear the air: TiVo does not skip commercials. At least, not unless you close your eyes!

In fast–forward mode, the TiVo shows part of every single commercial. It simply reduces the number of frames you see.

If someone did a study, they would probably find that TV viewers recognize the commercials they are skipping past because they have already seen before. And yes, they probably do not want to see them again - and there is generally no reason for them to do so. They have already gotten the information, heard the message, and gotten - or rejected - the point.

So there is no reason to bombard the same person with the same message over and over again. That just annoys people. You do not sell product by making people irritated by seeing your product and annoyed at hearing your brand name.

Then, there is GEICO.

They have a cute little mascot in their commercials. It is called simply, The Gecko.

The Gecko is a cute, computer-generated, animated 3D character that looks like a very real Gecko.

It is just that he talks with a neat, slightly Australian or New Zealand accent, has a very affable personality, and is bursting with mannerisms and body language. He is, absurd as it sounds, someone we could all admire and like.

I was fast-forwarding through my commercials while playing back a show this weekend, recognizing all the commercials I had seen before, checking to see if there was anything new - and lo, I spotted the man himself - The GEICO Gecko.

I didn't recognize the scene/setting he was in, so I immediately hit play - jumping out of hyperspace, er fast-forward, I mean - and rewound to the beginning of the commercial. It was one I had not seen before. I watched it, it was pretty entertaining.

Now, if TiVo owners skip commercials, how is it possible that I spotted that commercial, recognized the brand/product, discerned that I had not seen the particular commercial before, and elected to watch it all the way through, in its entirety?

Answer? Fact: it is a lie to say that TiVo owners skip commercials. They don't.

Simply put, TiVo owners just don't watch the commercials they have already seen before over and over again - at least, they do not see the whole thing. But they see part of all of them. And they know what the are seeing.

GEICO Gecko guys, if any of your read this blog - take this as independent proof positive that your commercial branding is a success. At a glimpse someone can tell if they have seen one of your commercials before and stop what they are doing to watch it. In advertising, that is a pretty good thing.

Why is the GEICO commercial so successful in this regard?

That is pretty obvious: it is the Gecko.
  1. He is in every scene. So even while the TiVo blinks, skipping lots of frames during fast-fowarding - it cannot miss him.
  2. He is recognizable. You see The Gecko in one commercial - you never forget him.
  3. The Gecko is likable. We are sick of having actresses dressed up as waitresses lie to us about what paper towel they they use. We are not sick of a Gecko playing the role of a soft-selling insurance salesman.


What could companies do to capitalize on the TiVo effect - in essence, leap-frogging the competition with their ads?

They need to take advantage of the TiVo's advertising strengths.

For one thing, a TiVo owner does not take his eyes off the set when he is fast-forwarding through a commercial break. Otherwise, he will miss the first part of the show.

A non-TiVo (non-DVR owner, that is) will get up from the couch, go make himself a sandwich, and come back in three minutes. He knows the drill, he is with the program - just not the commercials.

So the key - as in key frame is to:
  1. have recognizable/likeable characters
  2. have interesting/entertaining commercials
  3. have something iconic about the brand/product in every single frame of the commercial (until you can work out deals with TiVo about earmarking one frame per 30 seconds as important so they are not decimated in the fast-forward process)
  4. consider including a sidebar or top/bottom screen captioning with an important phrase on it throughout the commercial.


You can reach TiVo owners as well or better than other commercial viewers. You do not have to change your pitch. You just have to change how you send our signals from the plate.

They will catch your message better that way.