NEW YORK : National Cable Communications (NCC), a leading US-based spot cable rep firm, has joined with Visible World, a new media service provider focused on "addressable advertising" in television, and SeaChange International, a leader in digital video systems for television, to test dynamic-customised advertising to interconnected cable television markets in the US.

A press release states that this revolutionary form of advertising will utilise the "IntelliSpot" system from Visible World and SeaChange. The "IntelliSpot" system has the capability to automatically assemble multiple variations of a commercial and simultaneously deliver them to diverse geographic zones across television markets. This technology allows commercial content to be customised in real time to leverage such marketing variables as geographic selectivity, programming content, demographic clusters, date/time sensitivity, and changing product offerings.

NCC will begin initial testing later this month via its CableLink Interconnects division, which manages seven top 100 market interconnects. In January 2003, deployment of this capability will then begin in the other six CableLink markets (Buffalo, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Hartford, Providence and Wilkes-Barre). It is estimated that by the beginning of the week starting 27 January 2003, advertisers will have access to all four million CableLink homes.

Addressable television advertising has been a concept that marketers have anxiously awaited in order to more effectively reach specific consumer groups with targeted messages. While spot cable advertising currently provides targeting, unlike any other electronic medium, the new approach takes the targeting process a step further in creating a platform to deliver specific messages to specific viewers.

NCC claims that this important part of the product offerings and is line with its goal of reshaping television advertisingWith the "IntelliSpot" capability and NCC's CableLink infrastructure, diverse product offerings targeted to select geographic areas beneath the DMA level can be delivered. The combination of the precision of the direct mail capabilities with the power of television is also possible. This facet will enable marketers to be more effective and efficient in delivering their target audiences.