'As Seen on TV' for a new generation
It used to be that the words "As Seen on TV" meant that you were probably standing in a Walmart, Zellers or dollar store holding a slicer/dicer or some other gadget that had been born in the wee hours of the morning on an infomercial. In the “olden days” as my kids call any time prior to five years ago, if such a product were successful it would make it to store shelves and become a traditional retail product.
But today, as traditional advertisers scramble to find new ways to get people to watch their commercials and buy, television shows themselves are becoming infomercials for a whole new generation of viewers.
Product placement has been going on for a while now. But in the past, viewers could admire an article of clothing on their favourite “Friend”, or covet the couch on “Frasier”, then only hope they might stumble on the same item in a store somewhere.
Today, as reported in the New York Times recently, websites are beginning to spring up allowing viewers to purchase the exact same pair of jeans Meredith was wearing that evening on “Grey’s Anatomy”. According to the article SeenOn.com and StarStyle.com are both cashing in on the trend.
Both sites carry clothing and products from many current shows that in the past may have only been admired. Unlike explicit product placement (where you can read the label on the can of pop or box of cereal), the viewer can only know the manufacturer once they arrive at the website.
I think this development is brilliant and only the first step in what will surely develop into being able to purchase directly from the television during the program. Of course, that might take a little longer than you think. I heard a statistic the other day that surprised me. PVRs or digital video recorders (like Tivo in the U.S.) only have a 4% penetration in Canada. I suspect it’ll require more saturation than that before you’ll be able to purchase products from television without having to boot your laptop. But it’s fun to think about. And even more fun to know that in the mean time, you don't have to be an insomniac to buy the things you want – as seen on TV.
