If American Idol was in rough shape before (which it was), it’s looking at an even bleaker future now that Coca-Cola has publicly said it won’t be running ads in the reality show’s 14th season. Coke’s unstated statement is pretty blunt: Young people who like music aren’t watching broadcast anymore. They’re watching YouTube, living on mobile, playing video games and tuning into a select few traditional TV networks.
Coca-Cola looks to focus its TV ad spending on so-called DVR-proof events, while buttressing them with 360-degree campaigns. With ad-skipping rampant, the company has lost faith in the effectiveness of traditional ads in comedies and dramas, save for certain key broadcasts.
