Google on Tuesday bought the entire advertising inventory of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL). The internet giant which recently announced the launch of Google Android One operating system for smart phones in India, showcased Google Android One TVC from 5pm onwards on Tuesday across 20 Zee channels. The roadblock, as it is called, is a marketing innovation when advertisers buy all ad time from an entire network, effectively blocking other advertisers.
Some of the channels in the roadblock promotion included Zee TV, Zee Cinema, &Pictures, Zee Café and Zee Studio. This innovation will also appear on the network of South Indian channels on September 23-24 according to a source close to the development. According to some media reports, a day-long roadblock is estimated to be 75-100 per cent more expensive than the regular slots. However, since Zee has cut its ad inventory from 10-12 minutes to 2-4 minutes minutes to avoid saturating the viewers with the ad, Google would probably have had to pay more.
Teasers for Google had been running for a few days on the network promoting the roadblock. This extra content would be critical to fill up the time slots as the ad inventory was cut for the roadblock. Other than the Android One ads, the only other ads running were the channel promos.
Roadblocks have taken advantage of by other brands in the past, including PepsiCo, HUL and Vodafone. They are effective in creating a buzz around the band, but there is always a risk of overkill, with viewers switching to other channels.
ZEEL could not be contacted for more details on the Google roadblock.
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News Source : exchange4media
