John Forslund, TV play by play man for the Seattle Kraken Hockey Network, apparently got very frustrated after reading some long ad copy about Alaska Airlines during a break in the action. AwfulAnnouncing.com reports he lashed out about it on air:
"'Now I’m done with ‘War and Peace,'” the play-by-play man said in reference to the 1,200-plus page novel. “Let’s make that one longer next time… the powers that be that control these things have never read something and watched a hockey game at the same time. That’s all I’ve got to say. It’s almost goodnight, folks.”
Forgive my ignorance, but why was he even reading ad copy in the first place? Since there was a break in the action, wouldn't that have been a good time to recap the game so far or speculate on what might happen next? Or, if advertising had to be done, insert a formal commercial break?
ReplyDeleteIt's becoming more common for announcers to do ad reads as 'interstitials,'' quick ad copy reads at opportune moments. Usually 10-15 secs. Advertisers want to give their message more cred when a popular announcer is reading it. They already read promos for other programs during NFL games.
ReplyDeleteThank you for explaining this concept. If these periods where ad copy is being read are only about 10-15 seconds long, there isn't enough time to really do anything else, so might as well make a bit of money by reading ad copy.
DeleteIt happened after a Kraken goal which triggered an airline discount of some kind, so it was tied into game action when, ostensibly, viewers would be more likely to act on impulse and respond to the offer or at least notice it more. Here's the copy:
ReplyDelete"This means that all fans get 32 percent off Alaska Airlines flights to anywhere in California that Alaska flies. Check out all the destinations you can — as Daccord comes up big — by visiting AlaskaAir.com/GetAwayGoals.”
Interesting integration of game action and advertising. I can see how this would be beneficial to everyone involved. The Kraken get more viewers tuning in in the hopes that a goal is scored, viewers get generously discounted airfares, and Alaska Airlines fills more seats on its planes. Win-win-win!
DeleteI think the bigger issue is the uniforms they wore on Tuesday. John was noticeably frustrated by how hard it is to read the numbers. I think I heard Furness or Everett also mention that too when they filled in. In game ads do seem like good business. And a good sign the team is selling advertising for the games.
ReplyDelete