O.T. - people paid to watch TV commercials all day.
March 10, 1999
Monitoring Competitors' Commercials
Filed at 12:26 a.m. EST
By The Associated Press
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) -- The TV show ends, a commercial comes on,
and it's one you can't stand. At least you have a means of escape -- the
refrigerator, the bathroom, your remote control.
Cheryl Smith isn't so lucky. She can't run away; her job is to watch TV ads
by the thousands and categorize them for Competitive Media Reporting, a
firm that tracks advertising and commercial spending across the nation.
The work can be mind-numbing, but to Competitive Media's clients, the
information gleaned by employees slouched in chairs in front of computer
monitors is critical to staying ahead of their rivals. When McDonald's wants
information about Burger King's latest ad, Competitive Media is one of the
company's resources.
''What we offer is like military intelligence for these companies,'' said Peter
A. Andrel III, Competitive Media's senior vice president of information
services. ''Without the backdrop of knowing what their competitor is doing,
they don't know what to do.''
New York City-based Competitive Media compiles data on broadcast, print,
billboard and Internet advertising for more than 2,000 clients. At the
company's West Chester office, workers deal strictly with TV commercials.
The ads and information about them are kept in a database that includes more
than 750,000 product brands.
Jennifer Chang, a marketing professor at Penn State University in State
College, Pa., said a company can only be better than its competitors if it
knows what they are doing to sell their product.
''You have to know how to distinguish yourself,'' Ms. Chang said. ''You just
can't sit around and be quiet.''
McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch are among Competitive Media's
big-name clients; so was President Clinton's re-election campaign. But the
majority of clients are advertising agencies.
Other companies, such as Nielsen Media Research in New York City, have
similar databases but work with an automated system, which they say is
more efficient. Competitive Media, however, believes in the human eye.
''At this point in time, we still need those eyes. It's critical for all the details
we want,'' said Judy Vogel, a media research director at BBDO advertising
agency in New York.
''They're the guide for us,'' said Vogel, a customer for 15 years. ''They keep
a good pulse on what the competition is doing.''
Classifiers are given two weeks of training, then assigned a computer screen,
a keyboard and free license to decorate their cubicle in any way they feel will
help keep them alert. No special skills are needed, just a high school diploma
and a strong tolerance for monotony.
''They're mostly housewives or college students and many quit after six
months,'' Andrel said. ''I myself would be climbing the walls after two
months. But there are some who have worked here for years. It's a
low-stress and peaceful job for some.''
Gabrielle Gentry, 32, is one of the veterans.
Wearing earphones, she quickly types her observations onto a keyboard,
rarely taking her eyes off the screen. She performs no analysis or
interpretation, just stating whether the commercial is ''brand name,'' public
service'' or ''news promotion.'' She then breaks the ads down into specific
brands, markets and product type.
After eight years on the job, it only takes her a second to recognize what is
flashing on the screen. Three notes into one commercial, she perks up.
''Oh, that's a Jerry Springer promo,'' she says.
Seconds later, she speaks again: ''Oh, that's a Philadelphia Light Cream
Cheese ad.''
By the end of the day, Ms. Gentry will have watched as many as 800
commercials. That's a lot, until you consider a person will watch an average
of 100 commercials during four hours of daily viewing.
One of the risks on this job is the psychological effect of all the
advertisements.
''Everything you see, you want, especially the cars,'' said Ms. Smith, a
32-year-old former X-ray technician. ''Even the food. And right before lunch
is the worst time.''
Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company |
