TiVo Debuts New Ad Analysis Services
TiVo continues to work on giving advertisers clearer information on its users' DVR viewing by partnering with Chicago-based market analytics firm Information Resources on two new services. The first would provide second-by-second analysis of viewing patterns, while the other would create a consumer panel that would track purchasing decisions.
The analysis service would allow companies to test specific advertisements and compare their effectiveness between TiVo and non-TiVo households. The DVR maker says that companies using the service would have an edge when the technology eventually becomes ubiquitous.
"DVR penetration continues to grow throughout the United States and advertisers need to be equipped with the most informative insights and solutions available to maximize effectiveness and ROI [return on investment] of marketing communications," IRI President and CEO Scott Klein said.
The new service is not the first time IRI has depended on TiVo subscribers to help it's clients. In 2004, select panelists with the DVRs were used in studies of advertising effectiveness, the company said.
The second service would be an "opt-in" consumer panel where the subscriber agrees to have his viewing habits and subsequent purchasing decisions tracked by the firm. The panel would combine both households with and without the service, and then compare what TiVo users are watching and attempts to match it up with any purchases they make.
Through this, a company would be able to find out whether the viewing of a commercial in some way impacted the consumer's decision to buy.
"TiVo continues to take innovative steps to help advertisers analyze and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns by combining unrivaled, second- by-second viewer data with verified consumer purchase decisions," said TiVo CEO Tom Rogers.
With companies becoming increasingly concerned over the effect of DVRs on the viewership of their advertising, over the past year TiVo has made moves to actually compel the user to view the ad.
In July 2005, the company allowed advertisers to embed a customized "call to action" in their ads where TiVo subscribers could obtain more information. Then in November, the company announced a feature that actually allows the user to download advertising content that matches their tastes. That service launched earlier this year.