Seth Godin recently posted his thoughts on the asynchronous nature of the web. Because the offering is so vast, we don’t all tune in to read/watch the same things at the same time. He contends that we will start to see more “live web” content where there are sufficiently motivated audiences, and where the content is too valuable to be missed.
I recently encountered such an example of live web. The new MINI Clubwagon site is completely devoid of content, save for a revolving door and countdown clock. Once per week, a 15-second spot is aired and viewers have only a 1-minute window of opportunity to catch it. Once the spot airs, it can never been seen again.
I was intrigued. I downloaded the countdown widget to keep an eye on the clock. I used the reminder application to set the time of the next unveiling in my calendar. This was 4 weeks ago yet I have seen only one episode. Why? Because inevitably my busy workday prevents me from planting myself in front of a screen at the pre-arranged time.
Surely this tactic generates excitement. But what’s the point if those interested will never hear your message? PVR and OnDemand were born from the insight that consumers want content on their terms. Why is the web now backsliding into a broadcast format?
If you need me, I’ll be downloading the favourite TV shows I missed while living my life, unconstrained by the timetable of the networks.
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Tags: advertising, broadcast, internet, live web, marketing, MINI, Seth Godin
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