NBC Mishandles Gemini Division: Ad Overload

In my post, “Gemini Division Preview” I said that even if I had a way to remove the integrated ads, I wouldn't want to. Not so with NBC's abuse of banner ads.

Upon page load, NBC’s Gemini Division site begins the ad bombardment onslaught.

There are more ads for Intel than there appears to be Gemini Division content. At the top of the page is a large Intel banner ad. To the right, there is the same large intel ad. In the middle of the screen an Intel pre-roll ad commences. And, if you missed it, to the right of the title Gemini Division is another “powered by intel ad”.



NBC redefines the concept of banner ad and takes it to a whole new level. Here, NBC takes Gemini Division, the supposed content of the site, and features it much less prominently than Intel. Gemini Division becomes the “banner ad” for the content that is Intel. In fact, Intel is featured more prominently at geminidivision.com than it is even at Intel’s own website.

This further evidences that NBC still doesn’t understand: today’s viewer, new media content, ad integration, Electric Farm Entertainment, or the companies who buy ads.

NBC needs to learn to listen, adapt, and change, or they will lose out. For instance, Electric Farm Entertainment could have made money by including car/battery ads alongside AW, however they chose not too as it would have taken away from that content as Brent Friedman explained in the video “How to Monetize Web Video”.

Likewise, EFE may make money by selling distribution rights to NBC, but when doing so negates the ad integration concept that EFE was trying to accomplish in the first place, it isn’t worth it. NBC’s mishandling of Gemini Division negatively affects that content and I don’t think Electric Farm Entertainment will take this lightly.

On a positive note, this may be one case where geoblocking (though still a practice to be avoided when possible) works to the advantage of those who have to wait. International customer's may actually get a better experience than US early adopters. Sony would do well to learn from NBC's faltering blunders(i.e. don't brand ARG components, don't mislabel recap video segments as viral, don't preroll ads with ad integrated content, make sure basic html links work, etc., etc., etc., ).

So far it appears that Electric Farm Entertainment was much better off when NBC wasn’t a part of the picture. For instance, consider Afterworld’s main portal site.



Here, the content receives the focus and the ads do not disrupt it.

Not so with NBC. In addition to what has already been pointed out, NBC’s pre-roll ads for 3-5 minute of content is beyond overkill, particularly so when the content has already been ad integrated, especially so considering that viewers have options, and even more so when there is a growing resistance to blatant ad practices.

Ad branding and advertisement in general should be subtle, it should add to the content, it should not take away from that content, and it definitely should not be featured more prominently than the content itself!

[Update: 10/14/08 - [The below is no longer recommended. It appears that NBC has tightened up their ad enforcement and I don't think you can double-click the video anymore to get it to start. (This article must have caught their attention I guess).]

For those viewers who want to watch Gemini Division the way it was meant to be watched by Electric Farm Entertainment, you may want to add the following line at the end of your “hosts” file located at c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.

127.0.0.1 ad.doubleclick.net

Then you can view Gemini Division like this:



Without the protection of that little line, NBC’s site makes me feel as if Intel has been painfully seared/branded into my ethos, into my being.

When you are at NBC’s streaming site, this line does cause the following to appear. “We are having trouble connecting to our server. If you have any ad blocking software running please disable it.”

If you see that, just double-click the video you want (this starts up the video), and advance the progress bar just a little bit. Then you can watch NBC content without pre-roll or banner ads.

I am enjoying Gemini Division in spite of NBC’s disconnect. Unfortunately again it is in such a way that I fly under the radar, without being noticed by NBC. It appears that once again, NBC can’t gauge or account for the new consumer, or the new viewer. Hopefully this will change.

Internet Series, then and Now

With the driving premise of Prime Time for Change being the convergence of broadcasting mediums moving forward to an immersive experience for future viewers, it is vital that we understand the current environment in both traditional and online broadcasting.  While we are all familiar with how Broadcast Television functions I’ve found that not many of us have an understanding of the history of Internet Broadcasting and its growth over the last ten years.

Internet Broadcasting  was originated in 1997 by independent producer Anthony Kling, the creator of Television Internet.  The first true online only series, Muscle Beach, was released in 1998. By 2000 the series aired a new episode weekly and had received an August 2000 nomination for the RAI Prixitalia Award, the first ever addition of netcasting to the forty year old annual television award.  2000 also saw the premiere of a second online series at Tvi, Sitcom.

Between the 1997 release of Muscle Beach and its weekly release schedule in 2000 only one other significant internet series was released.  NBC’s Homicide: Second Shift, which ran concurrent internet episodes to compliment the successful television series Homicide: Life on the Street.  Second Shift featured an alternate storyline focusing on the detectives of the night shift.  February 5, 1999 saw the first true convergence of the internet and television in the seventh season of Life on the Street with episode 13, Homicide.com.  This episode focused on a story line that originated and ended in Second Shift, for a three episode storyline: internet, television, internet.  Though Life on the Street was cancelled in 1999 and there were several crossover television episodes building on the Law & Order franchise no additional Law & Order internet supplements were created.

With the cancellation of Second Shift, internet broadcasting became the exclusive arena of the Independent and a number of Flash animation franchises found significant fan followings, though none had more impact on the current environment than Broken Saints.

While cult classics like Homestar Runner presented internet episodes, their animation shorts were more reminiscent of ubiquitous Looney Toons clips than a cohesive interrelated series story line.  Much like we would see individual cartoons about Wiley E. Coyote, the premise that the Roadrunner would trounce him at every turn no matter what plot was offered.   Of course, Strongbad is no coyote. 

Various small productions were put forth, such as Sweet J Presents on the Sony website, which would eventually morph into the cult classic Robot Chicken.  No additional large scale ‘Hollywood’ productions were forthcoming.

True serialized internet broadcasting wasn’t revived until 2003’s Star Trek: New Voyages.  First airing in January of 2004 with new episodes being released about once a year New Voyages, while slow to release, is the first offering of a professionally produced internet serial.   Bear Town, an internet series featuring live action puppets, also premiered in 2004.  2004 also saw the creation of Tucson Underground, which was finally released in 2007.

Technology advances by 2005 grew the independent series and shows like Australia’s Forget the Rules became more prevelant.  No independent up to this point really hit the web like 2005’s YouTube series lonelygirl15.  Lonelygirl leveraged the social network video site to develop a true cult following. Though it still remained an independent production, its success grabbed the attention of traditional broadcasting when Lonelygirl was revealed to be a series and not an actual vlogger in September of 2006.

With that revelation Hollywood began to take an interest in the web and the corporate internet series explosion began in 2006 with the formation of Electric Farm Entertainment.  EFE’s rotoscoped animation series Afterworld earned a Webbie nomination and developed a loyal fan following for 130 webisodes that ended the first season of three in January 2008.  Afterworld was also the first true release of a multi-platorm distribution being available on the web, through mobile broadcasting, and on traditional television.

SciFi’s Battlestar Galactica released it’s own between-season series in September 2006.Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance provided ten 2.5 minute episodes providing insight in to the series and starring regular series talent.

Hollywood presence grew increasingly over 2007 with ABC’s Lost and NBC’s Heroes both offering exclusive web based content supplementing the broadcast series, and the conclusion of the aforementioned Afterworld.

By 2008 the web saw the first release of a true ‘Hollywood’ production with Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.  Dr. Horrible provided three webisodes and went exclusively to iTunes and DVD release, and has been a huge success; so much so that the site crashed the first day of release due to too many visitors.  While an amazing success Whedon’s project can’t be compared with others due to it’s niche fan base and specific release structure.  The episodes were only available online for a limited time before moving to purchase-to-view format.  An excellent business model, but one that falls outside of free online content distributed by a major network/studio.

In early 2008 the first true big budget production of an online series was also in the works with Electric Farm’s Gemini Division. Starring well known talents like Rosario Dawson, Justin Hartley, Kevin Alejandro, and Daz Crawford, and Tony Curran, Gemini  also offers well known and loved character actors like John Kapelos, Norbert Weisser, and Peter Jason.

Per the Wall Street Journal Gemini boasts a $2.2 million dollar production budget and will be distributed by NBC Universal [domestic] and Sony Television Pictures International [international].  In a special preview of the series on Friday, August 15 [See Tim’s post] Electric Farm took a step beyond the traditional to include well known bloggers into the traditional media-reporter-only press communication; with excellent results.

The series is also the first offering which includes embedded advertising as part of the production.  Having also been a part of that special preview one of the points that I drew upon during the following Q&A with executive producer Brent Friedman related to the advertising.

I will call the embedded ads "realistic advertising", and I found them to be a much more effective and intuitive way to communicate a brand; I'll go as far as to call it almost subliminal though it is obviously visible.

Example: I have a BlackBerry. Similar to what we saw in the episodes, my BB has a branded interface that I take as second nature, not realizing that those icons are BlackBerry specific. Yet when I see the icon I know instantly that I am looking at a blackberry icon, and equate that back to my blackberry on an emotional level since I love my BB.

The principle applies to every brand we saw displayed in both episodes.  Since both episodes are now live on the GD site, I'd challenge everyone to watch the episodes then, off the top of their head, write down the different advertisers.  I'll bet you can, because you see them in everyday life, most of them surround you until you don't realize they are there; but on a more visceral level you do, and you equate emotional responses to them.

That is what makes this type of brand embedding genius...It mirrors what we already experience in our daily lives, ties to us on an emotional level, and buys that precious suspension of disbelief required to gain the viewer's undivided attention.

When you see a Cisco logo in a subtle and realistic way in a show that you love your emotional attachment to that show will drive your consumer will power during your next purchase without you even realizing it. Because the show mirrors reality now and as we move forward it makes the show more believable AND ties the advertisements to the viewer on a non-cognizant level which drives ROI.

Had it been the "actor holding the Coke can" viewers would have all noticed and given a snicker at the blatant marketing.  Utilizing 'reality advert', only those of us who were specifically looking during the preview found the advertising. Everyone else took the episodes in as they were supposed to and accepted that the advertising was nothing more than the branding reality we know today.

This was validated during the after preview Q&A when I raised my question and a substantial number of attendees commented, “What advertising…I didn’t see any advertising”.  This level of embedded branding is something that we already take for granted, yet it has a great impact on our consumerism.

As marketing guru Martin Brandt once said: "Companies make products but customers buy brands."

The most successful brands are carefully managed and consistent. Savvy marketers know that retaining customers while acquiring new ones is the best way to maximize ROI and beat the competition. Delivering on the brand message with sound marketing initiatives; extending the brand values in the packaging of the corporation's products and services, both drive relevant customer experiences and build brand loyalty.

By utilizing a form of branding that we live with day to day Electric Farm and their advertising partners have keyed in on a valuable marketing avenue.

NewTeeVee’s Daisy Whitney and Wired’s Jenna Worthham agree that this series will be a leader in the internet media model.  Daisy advises that Gemini Division [is] a Litmus Test for Old Media, New Media.

If Gemini Division is a success we can expect to see both the advertising and production models expand in the future, possibly including shows that fail with network focus groups or in Neislen ratings and are unable to succeed in a broadcast format.

This front-runner will be an internet series to watch over the next twelve weeks.

Gemini Division Preview

I was privileged to be invited to a prescreening of Gemini Division both as a fan and to represent the blog Prime Time For Change. What an exciting and novel experience. Electric Farm truly does emulate the best of what we write about here. While there are other factors that contributed to starting up this blog, the number one influence is Electric Farm Entertainment (EFE). They are truly pioneering the way to rethink media in a digital media age.

First off, we (the invited participants) were treated with the opportunity to view the first two episodes of Gemini Division. I must say, I was very pleased with what I saw. The first two episodes were a stark contrast to the trailer. The trailer felt disconnected (to me at least). However, with the episodes there was an almost immediate emotional connection. Anna (Rosario Dawson) shares who she is and holds nothing back. Wrapped up in this are her emotions and the events that stir them up.

She pours out her heart on her PDA and it is just like she is talking to you personally. The episodes appear to be a video diary of sorts shared with a very close friend who she absolutely trusts. Over time we will find out more about the person that Anna is talking too. It would be interesting if Electric Farm Entertainment tied us into the story and revealed how we (the viewer) happened to stumble upon someone else’s very personal mail.

It was interesting to see EFE seamlessly incorporate brand ads into the content. Even if I had something to selectively filter out the brands, I wouldn't want to. It really added to the show and made it that much more real. Rather than interrupting the viewing experience, it actually added realism and immersion to the show. Very nice. A pleasant experience.

After the videos, we (other bloggers/media) had the opportunity to talk and interact directly with Brent Friedman. The following is a summary of that discussion.

When asked whether personalized narrative is a key device for web distributed content, Brent responded that this was a key question. He noted that personalized narrative is a great tool for maintaining a one to one connection.

TV often maintains a one to many ratio while viewers of web/mobile distributed content are more likely to consume their media in a one-to-one relationship. Brent indicated that personalized narrative really highlights the power of this type of medium.

He continued by saying that personalized narrative maintains a very subjective viewpoint or portal into the alternate world that the story takes place in. It is only one person’s view, a small window into that world allowing a big and epic story to be told through a little, tiny window.

Brent was asked how far into the future the story was set. He replied that it is set five minutes in the future. This helps keep the content from being dated. When the show is viewed three years from now, Gemini Division will still be set five minutes in the future.

Upon being asked to state a more definitive time, Brent said he felt that the technology portrayed in the show could be available within three years (Not sure that he was referring to the biotechnological aspect here).

Brent mentioned that some of the functionality of Anna’s (Rosario Dawson) PDA do not currently exist as a PDA function, but do exist in other real world technology. For instance Anna’s (Rosario Dawson) PDA can zoom in and track the user. While this technology doesn’t exist for current PDA’s (that I know of), it was found to exist for some web cams.

Some features of Anna’s PDA are truly futuristic. These features of the PDA are attributed to being the product of a high-level government agency with access to technology beyond the bleeding edge. As Anna becomes associated with Gemini Division her PDA may actually be upgraded by Gemini Division. This lends further credibility to the idea that the technology of the show could be set in the immediate to near future.

Next up was a discussion of interaction. This was a particularly interesting segment.

Brent noted that with EFE’s first show Afterworld they were able to create crude levels of interaction. Intially they wanted to do much more but those plans were hampered by cost as well as just trying to keep up with the hectic bleeding edge and ground breaking production schedule.

With Gemini Division EFE wanted to set the bar higher and provide an even more interesting web experience. This time they designed the interactive experience into the show from the very beginning, armed with the knowledge they gained from their previous web production.

It sounds like Gemini division’s interactive ARG-like experience is similar in a lot of ways to NBC Heroes Evolutions. However, what is particularly striking about Gemini Division and what really sounds like it will set it apart from the Heroes interactive experience is the inclusion of an alternate storyline. A storyline that converges with and parallels with the main story. An alternate story line that includes mainstream video content and that was planned out from the beginning.

For mobile devices, Gemini Division will include light versions of their episodes. Also, graphic novels (comics) will be released exclusively for the mobile platform. These graphic novels will provide additional background depth to the story helping to create an even richer experience. This again sounds reminiscent of Heroes.

Gemini Division will also feature a story based mobile game. Afterworld’s mobile game was exclusive to Verizon. Hopefully, Gemini Division’s mobile game will not be exclusive to one provider.

Viewers will have the opportunity to be recruited by Gemini Division. Choices players make in the interactive experience will parallel the choices of characters within the main story. In this way viewers will actually have the opportunity to influence the story (though not significantly as this would be too costly). Also, at some point participants will have to make an irrevocable choice, essentially shutting them out from other sources of information.

It is good to hear that all the video has been shot for Gemini Division and that it is in absolutely no danger of cancellation. I won’t have to worry about having the rug pulled out from under me. Brent mentioned that they were producing Gemini Division in much the same way video games are and that they are seeking to integrate TV and video games into a converged, truly interactive experience. This really is the best of what we talk about here on Prime Time For Change.

Rosario Dawson has committed to at least two productions (sounds like a better word than season) of Gemini Division. Depending on the success and response to the first story, a second story may be produced. Brent commented on this saying that the first story will focus on the mystery of what has happened.

It sounds like Gemini Division will be a quest for the truth. A quest that will change Anna and characters around her. A quest that examines the extent that people will go to uncover the truth, and how that journey can transform them. The first story will satisfy Anna’s intellectual and emotional journey for answers. She will find the truth and a lot of those elements will be tied up. However, upon that journey her actions become the catalyst for a cascade chain of events.

Brent said that the conclusion of the first story ends in a very enigmatic place. Rosario’s quest is resolved, but the larger problem in the world is still at large.

Gemini Division will be released globally in much the same way that Afterworld was and will roll out to different territories at different times. Each rollout will have its own replicate ARG like experience.

The release schedule for Gemini Division is:

First Week: Monday (Episode 1); Tuesday (Episode 2); Wednesday-Friday (Extra content, no episodes).

Second Week: Monday (Episode 3); Tuesday (Episode 4); Wednesday-Thursday (Extra content, Friday the start of the ARG).

Third week: Monday (Episode 5); Tuesday (Episode 6); Wednesday (Episode 7); Thursday (Episode 8); Friday (Advance of ARG);

Fourth week and on: Same as the third week. Each Friday sees an advance of the ARG.

I can’t wait. It is a prime time for change and EFE looks to be one of the leaders.

Related links:

Special Preview of Episodes One and Two
Gemini Division Preview
Dawson engages viewers in 'Gemini Division' on Web
Five Minutes Into the Future
When ARGs Take Over Movies And TV, Gemini Division Is Born
Gemini Division a Litmus Test for Old Media, New Media
Web series review/recap: Gemini Division (2008)