Growing penetration of Internet-enabled TVs is set to fuel the next generation of direct response television – dubbed “smart DRTV” – but issues over privacy and security will continue to stymie response, according to new research.
Watson Phillips Norman, which carried out qualitative research across key age demographics, found viewers were put off by having to make instant decisions and that many were still sceptical of the claims and quality of the deals offered through DRTV.
They continued to be wary of revealing personal and financial details through Internet-enabled televisions for a variety of reasons, including fear of ‘a barrage of follow-up communications once they have your details’.
According to Alison Meredith, executive planning director at WPN: “There’s no question the growing penetration of web TVs is about to give rise to smart DRTV. For marketers, the medium presents a potentially potent combination of the large reach offered by television and the database power of the Internet.
While viewers were initially reluctant to interact with programming via their Internet televisions, once they were shown its possibilities, the study claims they warmed to its benefits.
Meredith added: “We found viewers wanted to take advantage of the practical elements, such as downloadable recipes and reminders to engage with brands through their smart TVs. But the key insight is that TV is often consumed in a more social arena with friends and family. This public arena can be a barrier to response as many are reluctant to share private details, such as credit card information, in front of others.”
She added: “Our research found the more demanding the call to action is – in time, money, decision making, risk, or the provision of personal information – the lower the potential response will be.”
The research indicated it is essential for marketers to know characteristics of the demographic they are trying to reach. According to the research, the three main areas of concern for consumers are:
• Making it easy – one click is fine, two OK, three and you are asking too much
• Do not make me give too much away – hold off asking consumers to fill in forms – reminding later is fine
• Respect privacy – consumers do not want to reveal their credit card number in front of friends and family
WPN’s Meredith concluded: “Our research tells us simplicity and intuitiveness are vital to getting consumers to interact with smart DRTV.
“Key to success is the understanding the nature of the deal: there is a value exchange between the amount of personal details surrendered and the perceived benefit; a cooking show that offers a clickable link to ‘download this recipe now’ is a lot less intrusive, and thus probably far more appealing to consumers, to pop-ups that take you to third-party retail sites or links that enable you to order your pizza provided you’ve inputted your card details.”
