A while back I had a good moan about Thursdays and how so often I seem to arrive at that time of the week utterly exhausted and uninterested in whatever F1 has managed to concoct that day. In my desperation, I suggested a "Guest Spot Thursday" and one kind reader has seen fit to help me out.
Andy Roberts has written a piece on that necessary evil, the commercial break. It's a subject that I have not looked at in the blog (I guess I gave up on that score when the BBC lost F1 to ITV) and Andy's thoughts are well worth reading. Enjoy.
The Commercials
I am a newbie to Clive's blog but, since discovering it a few months ago, my grasp of the various issues in F1 has increased exponentially. The amusing side-effect has been that for some reason I now want "Quick Nick" to win and "Mad Max" to quit. I digress; this blog's technical discussions are frequent and fascinating. The leadership, politics and commercial aspects of F1 are just as frequently mentioned. But what of the other sort of commercials: The Ad Break?
Just like the rest of the readers of this blog I am really looking forward to the start of the season. And like many in the UK, I'll be setting my alarm to watch the live coverage. I'll sneak downstairs, trying not to wake my girlfriend and I'll watch the whole thing, wrapped in a spare duvet and drinking a large cup of tea. Just as I've done since being old enough to convince my parents that it was a sensible idea. It's my treat to myself.
But part of me is dreading the first race. What will I miss during the Ad breaks this year? I am sure other readers of F1 Insight can list more classics than me, but remember watching Hamilton struggling with that gearbox gremlin in Brazil? No, neither can I... because, like it or not, I was being told what detergent I should use in my dishwasher. If I had one.
The UK seems to suffer fewer interruptions than many other countries, so I suppose I should be grateful. In the US for example, the same half hour episode of Friends is punctuated far more often. Check the DVD: missing the breaks saves you 7 minutes of your life. Although your dishes won't be as clean, shiny or smell as fresh as mine.
I suppose, fundamentally, I just don't like the way TV is heading. Companies use ever more sophisticated psychology, messing with my mind through clever and innovative adverts so my subconscious reaches the conclusion that their products are clever and innovative too. I like to research purchases, feel that I am making an informed decision and that I am in the driving seat. But the world of marketing means it's more about brands and perception than reaching engineering perfection.
Maybe that's the way that F1 is heading too: it's all about perception. It's often been the case that through a wildly exuberant commentator races actually *seem* more exciting than they are. Then hours later, looking back at the race, you struggle to find more than a couple of interesting moments. It's all about adjusting our perception, to keep us watching at all costs.
It's no coincidence that the latest suite of graphics we see on the F1 coverage give us detailed information about engine revs and G-forces. Sure I love the technology as much as the next bloke and it's exciting to see that. But does it add anything? No, it adds to our perception that something exciting is happening: "Wow that was nearly 19,000 revs from a V8". Sure it's interesting, but it's not the reason I get up in the middle of the night to watch the first race of the season each year.
I was lucky enough to enjoy an NHL game on a recent trip to Calgary. Wow. The action was superb, the atmosphere was incredible and I'd thoroughly recommend catching a game live if you ever can. But they have a solution to this Ad Break issue and viewers never miss a moment of the action. The answer? A little red light. This light on the side of the rink tells the referee that they need to take a 3 minute break. He blows the whistle, play/fights stop and the players skate round to keep warm. Fights/play resumes where it left off 3 minutes later and it seems to work. It just highlights the relative importance of the commercial break over the sporting spectacle though, which for me is a crying shame. Not sure how that might translate to F1, but I'll bet Bernie is working on getting a little red light of his own.
Andy