It's my bet that, as far as South Africa is concerned, this complete about-face in the way the mass media communicates with its public will start when the country gets proper broadband. Not this ox-wagon stuff we are led into believing is fast connectivity and which, in fact, is not even vaguely broad but narrowband to such a degree that it is almost anorexic.
There are a lot of interesting examples of things to come. From the simple cellphone that allows me to decide when and where I want to receive information and news. Then there is DStv's PVR, which is about the most dramatic foretaste of things to come in the “on demand” era.
I've just hooked up the latest HD-PVR, by the way, and it is quite stunning. Admittedly, there is only one channel operating right now but, given the speed at which Multichoice seems to work, I have no doubt that HD content will start rolling in thick and fast. This experience is like flying first class on an airline - once you've done that, economy class just isn't an option.
But, more about HD later on. The point I am making is that having had a PVR for the past three years or so, I cannot remember when last I watched live television. I record everything even if I start watching it half an hour later. Because that way I can skim the ads, promos and half time at rugby and soccer. But interestingly, if I am looking to buy something, those ads don't pass me by. I stop my zapping and take a look. So PVRs aren't necessarily killing ads. They're just putting more demands on ads to get relevant right from the word go.
I reckon every ad agency creative should approach new TV commercials on the basis that they are being created for PVR users and that they have only a split second in which to grab attention.
The ‘on demand' era will go way beyond the PVR, however. It will allow consumers to dictate what advertising they want to receive and when. And in what detail. All we will need to do is enter our demand onto the system and the relevant ad, programmes or information will be automatically downloaded. Very much the same way we Google things today, except that we can put in week of requests and then let it all happens as spiders search every nook and cranny of the mass media for just the products and info we want.
Then, we will also be able to dictate to what depth we want information. If we want to buy a new mountain bike and we get a series of newspaper ads on special offers, a click will take us into a video of the bike, another click into the factor to see the bikes being made, another click for even more detail and so on.
Flight of fancy? Hardly, this has been happening in Japan for more than a decade already.
But, back in South Africa, there is a new business that pretty much illustrates what I am talking about, in terms of a first step towards information on demand for shoppers.
SaleSearcher (www.salesearcher.co.za) is a new online sales and specials listings site, claiming to give “South African retailers an innovative opportunity to capture additional customers during this time of economic belt-tightening.”
“The service,” according to the press release, “offers online listings of special offers and sales from a range of retailers, both online and offline from across South Africa. The SaleSearcher site allows customers to search for sales according to merchant or by specific product category.”
A great idea in my opinion and a foretaste of things to come in the ‘on demand' era, when accessible information doesn't depend on how many retailers sign up for a service but where technology such as Web 3.0 will allow computers to go in and find everything available and analyse the data before feeding it to the consumer.
Hopefully, the South African media and marketing industries will not make the same mistake they did with cellphones and ATM cards, when they assumed right at the start that these products would only be for high income earners and that the bulk of South Africans would have no use for them.
The ‘on demand' era and touch screen technology will make sure that every single South African, no matter how remote or uneducated, will eventually have access to information.
