Why the industry needs a competitive ACTRA commercial agreement
While sworn to secrecy and confidentiality during the current ICA/ACTRA collective bargaining negotiations (no really… I can’t), I figure there are some areas I can safely touch on as they relate to the general commercial production industry landscape at this particular point in time….and why the current CBA discussions are more critical than ever.
No secret that the “content” we “agencies” produce is rapidly changing. No, TV commercials aren’t destined to go the way of 3D movies but where people view them is a rapidly evolving and complex target. And attempting to work out a Commercial Agreement that works for both sides is indeed a challenge when no one can definitively say where the audience eye balls are destined to stay for more than a few fleeting seconds.
An ad is an ad is an ad, right? Shouldn’t matter where it’s seen, correct? Aha, but therein lies the rub. If we’re watching an ad on our tablet, that kinda means we’re not watching it on TV. And if I’m an advertiser and I want to reach as many people as possible in my messaging, am I better off buying time on Saturday evening Leaf games where I know “X” million viewers at least have the potential of seeing it….or should I put it on a website where maybe … maybe … maybe a few thousand (hundred?) might find it and subsequently take the time to watch it?
Now factor in production budgets. Made-for-internet production budgets are generally a microscopic fraction of what a TV commercial can run (no doubt a topic for another blog), so advertisers simply can’t afford to pay traditional TV commercial rates for skilled performers.
And those ACTRA commercial performers are indeed a highly skilled, talented lot. We hire them because they’re better at what they do than anyone else and we compensate them based on two key factors: performance (showing up for the shoot) and exposure (how many people are likely to see them). The performance part is easy to rationalize; they either show or they don’t (generally they do). The exposure part’s a bit trickier. Because if the consumer is watching less TV and spending more time online, what’s the quantifiable exposure? More people have the potential of seeing something if it’s a viral smash but that’s a one in a million success rate. And sure someone in Bora Bora now can be exposed to a commercial message produced in Toronto but can they buy the product there? Do they have ED issues in Bora Bora?
Nevertheless, both sides in these negotiations have more than a passing interest in the outcome. Canada HAS to remain a viable, competitive place to produce advertising or our clients will find someone (or somewhere) else to make them. We ain’t curing cancer (as I’m constantly reminded by my lovely better half) but we keep a lot of people employed when we’re busy producing stuff.
