Garfield Predicts Boldly About the Future of TV

Bob Garfield has a piece in the new issue of Wired about YouTube. He predicts the end of television advertising, as it is eventually blown apart by the ‘Net. Too many performers too many screens that demand personalization, too much skipping through commercials, too many losses to the ‘Net and other new media. He thinks the whole paradigm will shift away from free tv supported by ads. Content from viewers is taking over, leaving less and less interest in the professional creators.

Tonight a television ad for Ford trucks depicted a sequence, a story, a poignant little tale told in 30 seconds…It began with an old truck being salvaged and towed away, then cut to a touching scene with a gleaming refurbished old truck being towed down the road. They approach the same farm, same barn where the old beat-up truck came from. Dad we presume. A close-up shows hands passing along car keys. “It’s your new truck, dad,” says the ernest young man. They embrace. [audience weeping]

This commercial did choke me up, funny how effective an ad can be, except they’re selling Ford Trucks and I am not inclined to buy one now, feelings or not.