Are DVRs Really Hurting Advertisers?

DVRs. They are the new enemy to advertisers. Consumers love Tivo, and agencies hate them. How do we get around them? How do we sell advertisements that are not going to get skipped over? Will the good commercials not get skipped over or does it matter?

The truth is though I believe we are all over reacting. I have no data or factual info to back me up on this but it is my personal opinion that we need to step away for a minute and analyze our own viewing patterns to make a decision.

Digital Video Recorders have become the new phenomenon. Households are buying them up monthly and every room in the house is seeing one. We use them to record our favorite shows when we are out of the house so we can view them later. We ues them to record our favorite shows when we are in the house but busy, so we can watch them later. We also use them to record our favorite shows while we are watching them, so we can go back and watch later.

Is there a major problem here? I don't see one. The reason being is because we use DVRs for all sorts of reasons. Whether we are in the house or not, we still use them. But remember, the key phrase is we go back to watch the program later.

For those of you who have not used a DVR, when you fast forward through those commercials, you still have to see a few seconds of them. Remember how VCRs used to be when you would record a program, then fast forward, it would go to a blue screen and you would see the fast-forward button in the corner. DVRs still allow you to see the program while you are fast forwarding.

This is why DVRs are not killing the advertising. We still have to see a blip of the commercial. It does not disappear completely.

My viewing habits might be different than the rest of you. I record several of my favorite programs on a nightly basis. I go back and watch them when nothing is on, or when I'm doing housework and I want the tv on. I rarely fast forward a show that I've recorded because I'm busy doing stuff while the program is playing. I still hear the advertisements; several times in fact. I probably have a higher recall rate of anyone who has simply sat through the entire program earlier in the week. The reason being is because I've already watched this program again two or three times (Seinfeld, I still enjoy it over and over again) and I have now heard the same ad just as many times.

The same rules apply for me if I actually sit and fast-forward through the program. I have now seen every advertisement; albeit in a few quick seconds I've still seen the ad. If it's an ad that I've seen before then an advertiser is still building frequency in my mind because I've now seen the ad again and it's stuck.

So although my analysis is in no way factual. It is not based on any research. It is solely based on my own viewing habits and ideas. I refuse to believe that television advertising is being eroded because of DVRs. If anything, I believe it is giving advertisers more opportunity to reach their audience. What harm can it be to the advertiser if I watch that same recorded show two, three, or four times? No harm at all because they just received free advertisements and increased their frequency without even knowing it.