Telescope marketing: a TV's way of telling us we're in the future

By Lacey Ackerman

Comcast Spotlight has brought our future to the next level; and that is with telescoping advertising. No, this is not viewing ads through a telescope (how's that for an idea, marketing gurus?). Telescoping is simply the process of creating interactive advertising prompts on your TV screen. These ads overlay a corresponding commercial.

I first experienced this last Sunday, when a window popped up on the bottom of the television screen, with the characteristics of a Comcast OnDemand menu. The commercial was for a type of shampoo and conditioner and the prompt read something along the lines of, "Press Select now for a free sample of this hair care product." This caught me off-guard, as I have never seen anything like this. At first, I thought it was pretty neat, but then my mind began to wander…

How popular will this form of marketing become? Will it take over our precious TV-watching time? What if they become so overused? Will viruses take over our TV's? Do I need anti-virus software for my TV? Ok, it's possible I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

This type of marketing is new and it's exciting. I can see why it's having a large impact on advertisers. But, this could be a short-lived trend. In today's DVR-infested world, I'm not sure spending the extra money for telescoping is the right way to go. Many people today watch their shows or movies through their DVR recordings, fast-forwarding through all commercials. That's my opinion - I could be wrong. Because I am aware we are living in an interactive, online world. Marketing and advertising is completely different from 10 years ago. Cold calling is out. Doorknob hangers are ancient. Today it's QR codes, digital billboards, SEO, social media, blogging.