a glimpse of things to come

(I know… I’m going to change the colour scheme/image here… it’s just a little Valentine’s day indulgence.  It’s actually too much for me.)

So… Bill Gates says the internet will revolutionize television in the next five years.  If we all get programing devoid of advertising and commentary, who’s going to show us what to buy, what to wear, how to think, where to shop, alert us of hunger or desires we didn’t even consider contemplating?

But wait… consider the tremendous implications… what if advertising was targeted specifically to a particular user/viewer/potential consumer?  What if, through intelligent tracking, a viewer would suddenly only see advertising known to draw him or her in?  What if that viewer/user’s online purchases, preferences obtained through marketing research forms, etc., etc., were used to create an acceptable atmosphere to even the most strident opposition to “commercial television” or, those who, today, advocate *no* regular television viewing (and yet browse the net).

Think of the marketing boon — if advertisers would work outside the Hollywood box, they’d see an incredible untapped market… wow, they might even have to consider the half of the country that doesn’t look, think, act like or even want to be like Hollywood.   It really wouldn’t be so hard… smart things usually aren’t.