Word out of the UK is that the lightbulbs finally went off inside Tesco and its managers have largely given up on the third-party advertising model.
Out of home giant J.C. Decaux is out and Dunnhumby, which does transaction data and loyalty cards for Tesco, is in.
The managing director of Decaux’s sales conceded Tesco TV was “increasingly seen by clients as an integral part of their below-the-line strategy”.
Well no kidding.
It has been pretty clear for a long time that the way these networks are going to work is by tapping into trade and product launch dollars and not by trying to duke it out with broadcast networks for automotive ads.
The other interesting snippet from the announcement: reports that Tesco store employees were tampering with the screens and turning down the volume after becoming annoyed with the programming.
Isn’t it strange that people working in largely dead-end jobs get a little cranky after hearing a jingle for salad dressing 96 times a day?