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GM’s Lazar: Cable Execs Need to Move to VOD, Broadband

General Motors’ executive director of advertising and marketing operations Betsy Lazar warned attendees of the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureaus Cable Sales Management Conference - which began Sunday and wraps up today - that in order to stay abreast with consumers switching to digital media, planners and ad clients should change their course “with a great sense of urgency,” writes MediaWeek.

According to Lazar, just as agencies had to move to cable in the past, they should now make the move to non-linear platforms, including broadband and video-on-demand. “If we stay where we are, buying spots and billboards alone, our business with you will shrink,” she said.

GM - an early supporter of long-form VOD ads - has benefited from a partnership with the VOD auto channel Driver TV. Channel users who access GM video spend an average of three minutes on each model, said Lazar. “Think about that for a moment: Three minutes to voluntarily watch a commercial. That’s a game changer.”

Though VOD can be effective, both consumers and clients are more familiar with the internet, making it a better alternative. According to Lazar, some 70 percent of car and truck buyers involve the web in their buying process. Also, advertisers find the internet the most attractive environment. “We can truly create an ROI on every transaction, beginning with impressions, conversions to leads, right down to sales,” Lazar added.