Did anyone else “catch” the themed commercials during this week’s This Is Us season premiere?

Of course you did – if you were paying attention – if you were actually watching the commercials as they played out live.

Since when did the events like this season’s premiere become on par (okay, slightly lower, but probably not from a media cost and placement standpoint) to the SuperBowl?

I admit, I haven’t watched “live” television other than the morning local news or the Tonight Show – and that is a long list, I know (wink wink) – in a while. Ever since I lost my calm, cool-headed patience with our cable system (the one that we used to have) for messing with our ability to watch the Olympics and The Kentucky Derby, I actually haven’t watched more than (probably) 5 hours of live television.

Streaming. Sure.

On-demand. Absolutely.

Rebroadcast. Skipping commercials, like any right-minded person would.

YouTube. Facebook. Vimeo. Yes. Yes. & Yes.

This week’s re-launch of prime time was planned. Of course it was – all of us who think about it for half a second could understand how long it has been that they’ve been working on the new fall line up. Yet, the advertisers outdid themselves this year. From TJ Max to Verizon and (probably) others in different DMAs across the country, have now started complementing what we are watching with highly targeted and themed commercials. Finely tuned and dialed into what people are watching – a page from the online marketing playbook? They know that the audience is begging for more – more finely balanced authenticity, a fair share of the happy with the sad, real-ish with the it could happen to me reality, or, the triplets and their personification of just how they can relate to the Pearson 3. I am honestly not sure if I enjoyed the show, or the commercials, more.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl