[[Derek Thompson]], writing in the Atlantic, hits on an essential observation to his (general) audience that's important for our small industry audience: ***Everything is Television.*** >>By “television,” I am referring to something bigger than broadcast TV, the cable bundle, or Netflix. In his 1974 book _Television: Technology and Cultural Form_, Raymond Williams wrote that “in all communications systems before television, the essential items were discrete.” That is, a book is bound and finite, existing on its own terms. A play is performed in a particular theater at a set hour. Williams argued that television shifted culture from discrete and bounded products to a continuous, streaming sequence of images and sounds, which he called “flow.” When I say “everything is turning into television,” what I mean is that disparate forms of media and entertainment are converging on one thing: _the continuous_ _flow_ _of episodic video._ By Williams’s definition, platforms like YouTube and TikTok are an *even more perfect expression of television* than old-fashioned television itself. (From 1974? Prescient man!) On NBC or HBO, one might tune in to watch a show that feels particular and essential. Think, “Cheers” in the 1980’s, “Seinfield” in the 90’s. Then, the viewers stayed for the next show, called a “lead in.” Remember *[Must See TV?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Must_See_TV)*. It worked. One to the next, with ads in between. *It was the flow.* Keep viewers watching from the 6 o'clock news all the way to Johnny Carson before bed.   What's old is new again. On TikTok and Reels; the platform is the flow itself, and the value of the platform is its ability to curate an attention-holding ([[Can Advertising Outpace Rage Bait?|some might say addictive]]) flow. ### "TV" Will Always Be King. Consider a piece of media and advertising advice we’ve given clients for years, throughout the wire–to-wireless transition, the social media age and it’s evolution, the proliferation of video platforms. Controversial to some, revelatory to others, our assertion has been born out of data and experience. > [!It's based on this simple idea] A Simple Idea, at the Core of our Practice: > The combination of motion, image, and sound is how we humans are hard-wired to learn, entertain, and communicate -- it's what we do in person. Produced for modern mass delivery and consumption, that is colloquially known as “TV.” Performance drama endured as the most popular form of entertainment and public communication for over two thousand years (since at least the rise of Greek drama, through Shakespeare's tragedy and comedy). Until the early versions of what we call “TV” replaced it. And not just replaced, but changed how humans spend hours of their day through it’s constant availability.  Now, “streaming” and “social media” [dominate the flow of time and attention](https://explodingtopics.com/blog/social-media-usage). And episodic video entertainment is where they are converging. *Only since this transition have these platforms become truly effective platforms for general-audience advertisers.* Take YouTube. We used to treat is as a social media platform - an "extra" place to get the attention of specialized eye-balls with pre-roll ad insertions from interested amateurs. Like a plumber who puts a camera on himself to show you how to fix a toilet. Now, it feeds episodic video entertainment to it’s viewers in a flow broken by intermittent advertising. A large and growing majority of that video is played on large screens in the living room and includes both live and long-form video entertainment. And every podcaster - originally an audio medium - now puts his show on YouTube, with lights and cameras and production quality as high or higher than any cable talk show of 10 or 20 years ago. Because that's where the eyeballs are, and advertisers demand it. Sound familiar? It’s all becoming “TV” again.  Because "TV" (read: episodic video entertainment) will always be king. ![[RaymondRobertCrown.gif]] ### The Primacy of (Information) Flow Our technical and attention culture demands (as Thompson puts it) "*the continuous flow of episodic video."* **Anything discrete will feel outdated.** > [!It's based on this simple idea] Our Solution: > When crafting a media plan, think about the [[Targeting isn't Cool|bigger picture]]. The primacy of video, but also the flow. That is, [[Humans Learn Visually| keep visual consistency front of mind]]. > > Ads shouldn't be created based on a single poll and they certainly shouldn't be created one at a time. ##### As professionals, we're not really "messaging," anymore. Messages are discrete. They come one at a time. "Message" is in the dictionary as *"noun: information transmitted."* It presumes the recipient is ready to receive discrete information, not bathing in a flow of information. Being **understood** isn't the job of a "messenger." You wouldn't let the mailman write your letters. (P.S. [[Don’t Let the Pollster Write the Ads]]) **We're paid [[Attention Economy|attention grabbers]]. It's our job to maintain the flow on clients' behalf.** How to do it? - Don’t assume voters will make the linear connections of your “message progression,” because they won’t. [[Voters are Functionally Illiterate]]. Your careful rollout is their noise. - "Visual literacy" is different. Everyone has it. [[On Political Botslop|Don't pass off stuff that's obviously fake and hope for the best.]] They can tell what you mean by the grin on your face. - Don't shoot ads separately. Aim in production techniques for visual through lines. - Don't make mail or digital flats look different than the TV. Use the same material. - No "message arcs." Because viewers don’t follow a plot any longer without it holding their emotional attention, and we don’t have that kind of time or money. - No "message threads," because no one reads. (relatedly; please stop with ads full of graphic copy). Rather: [[Every Image Matters (The Power of the Frame)|Bits of Emotion]]. Visual, serial, compelling, varied but consistent.  Need proof? [[Derek Thompson|Thompson]] again: > “Look at today’s political protagonists. The right-wing president is a reality-TV star. The most exciting new voice on the left is a straight-to-camera savant. Mastering the grammar of television—especially short-form television—does not feel secondary to political success in America; it is political success in America.” Focus on the combination of motion, and image, and sound, because TV is king, and everything is TV again. It always was.