Ads for the Asking

Although many television watchers often go for a beer or something to eat as soon as commercials flash on the screen, the giant J. Walter Thompson ad agency is betting that it can get viewers to pick up their telephones and ask for more spiels. Thompson has already persuaded 21 advertisers to display their products on a cable TV system in Peabody, Mass., in spots lasting from three to eight minutes. Nicknamed "infomercials," the ads are a cross between a sales pitch and an instruction manual. Oscar Mayer gives recipes for low-calorie meals, for example, while Genesco explains what to look for when buying leather boots. In one infomercial, Kodak demonstrates how to take better pictures.

Viewers can choose what to see from a list of about 60 commercials bound into their monthly cable TV subscription guide. People phone their requests to a central office called the Cableshop. Their television screen then flashes a message telling them when the advertisement will be shown. The longest wait before it appears is ten minutes.

Thompson will run its Massachusetts program for nine months before deciding whether to add other areas. Adams-Russell, which owns the Peabody cable system, may expand to 10,000 subscribers if the test is a success. Says Trevor Lambert, Adams-Russell vice president: "Right now we're just playing in our sandbox and waiting to see what happens."

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