Well the Doc opened up the old mailbag today and here’s what poured out.

Dear Dr. Ads,

A case of suds is riding on this.

I saw the following item in Politico’s Playbook the other day:

“DIRECTV and DISH Revolutionize Political TV Advertising Landscape with Combined Addressable Advertising Platform Reaching 20+ Million Households” – Release: “DIRECTV and DISH Network … have joined forces to offer an addressable advertising platform of unprecedented scale and reach for political campaigns. The strategic relationship will allow participating statewide political campaigns to target their TV ads at the household level within 20+ million DIRECTV and DISH homes.” 

My buddy says addressable advertising means they’ll send a letter to your house.

I say it means they’ll send a letter to your work.

Who’s right, Doc?

– Direct Dish

Dear Direct Dish,

You’re both idiots.

Addressable advertising involves TV spots that are specifically targeted to individual households.

For example, downstairs from the Doc there’s a nice couple with two kids. When they watch television, they’ll see commercials for DisneyWorld and Flintstones vitamins and Carnival Cruises. When the old Doc watches TV upstairs, he’ll see ads for Marian Manor and Centrum Silver and Forest Hills Cemetery.

That’s addressable advertising.

According to the press release from the satellite TV companies, “[t]he DIRECTV-DISH arrangement will focus on political TV advertisements only, while the companies’ other media sales efforts will continue to operate independently.”

But that’s just the beginning. Addressable advertising is the Holy Grail, every brand’s wet dream of “marketing to an audience of one,” as they call it.

And, in turn, addressable advertising is every audience-of-one’s nightmare.

Yo.