Not Death of TV Ads--Shift in Their Purpose

Scott Karp, over at Publishing 2.0 is rapidly becoming one of my favorite bloggers. Today, he's got a post about the Death of Television advertising, pointing to a new Coldwell Banker campaign which is focused on bringing people online, rather than into the branch.

Scott writes about value draining from TV and onto digital media, but I think there's another angle. The TV ads are actually, in this case, still highly valuable--as an invitation to a relationship. Negotiating the relationship, of course, is better handled online (the medium is interactive, right?) so that's where the focus should be. TV ads are not becoming less valuable. They are simply shifting away from the center of the marketing universe.

Consider Coldwell's situation: they are focused on the home buying/selling market. They are an established player in a world where companies like Zillow are bursting on to the scene, complete with stacks of ads for mortgage brokers, realtors and more. They need to cement their relationship with their audience and demonstrate why an established player is a good choice. Blending broadcast (which connotes size, status and stability) with online tools seems like a savvy strategy.