Has TiVo Impacted Paid Search?

I love TiVo. I hate TV commercials. I understand the need for them, based on the traditional model for corporate advertising, but they truly get in the way of a fully enjoyable television experience.

I’m not alone. Many people are jumping on the TiVo bandwagon. Not only is this digital video recorder REALLY easy to use, but we can use it to skip past those annoying interruptions during our favorite television programs.

Of course I tune in to the Super Bowl each year, like so many others, to see what new and creative ads they’ll have to entertain me this year. However, these are not the same caliber of commercials that are forced down our gullets during the rest of the year. I feel that this is the only time of the year when ad agencies give us their best; only then. Still, I’m not so sure the viewer actually remembers the product advertisers are trying to sell after the final whistle has been blown.

This leads me to thinking about Paid Search. What better way to reach your prospective customers than having your ad served up when they want to see it; on their own terms (no pun intended)? Not during the middle of their favorite TV show, but right when they need it most. They are actually ASKING for the information that you are just dying to share with them. Plus, YOU get to determine how much you want to spend promoting your business in this manner, not the network behemoths!

Large corporations are beginning to see the light, but it’s hard for them to move away from traditional “above the line” advertising. TechNewsWorld.com says Forrester Research is predicting that marketing dollars spent on TV ads will start to be diverted in significant numbers to more interactive channels in the near future. As corporate America starts to see the results from their Paid Search campaigns, they will most likely increase their online advertising budgets.

Now back to your scheduled programming…