Advertisers band together to raise the standard of iTV: believing that interactive TV is falling far short of its potential to sell brands, major advertisers are putting their financial clout behind the medium

Marketing Week, August, 2003 by Andrew Howells

A group of the world's biggest advertisers have chosen to work together to take advantage of the opportunities that interactive television (iTV) represents for brand advertising. Zip Television, an independent iTV specialist, has brought together leading brand advertisers including Reckitt Benckiser, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Gillette and BT.

The UK has the most advanced digital TV platform in the world, with nearly a third of all households subscribing to digital. Advertisers involved in the consortium are very excited about the potential of this medium but are also aware of some problems. Zip TV is undertaking a study addressing these issues in the hope of providing solutions.

First is iTV's potential far greater creativity. The rise of iTV advertising...