Are you engaged or just dating?

Nielsen has released a report measuring what it calls "Fourth Screen" viewership. This is all those people watching TVs at places like health clubs, elevators and gas stations. While it's important to know how many people are watching at those places, it would seem silly to treat them all the same way.

Context is as important as content. How engaged is a viewer who's running late for a meeting, pumping gas while talking on the phone and reaching for his wallet? My guess; not very.

I don't really care how many people are watching. I want to know if the right people are watching and how engaged they are. It would seem that viewers who make a conscious effort to turn on the screen, whether it's a TV, computer or mobile device, and dial in a program would be more engaged than someone who stumbled across one.

There's too much accidental advertising out there. Stuff placed in hopes I'll come across it and buy something. I really don't have time for it. Tell me something relevant in an interesting manner at a time that I'm receptive and you'll probably be successful. Otherwise it's just background noise.

And if you really, really want me to watch your message at the pump, take a few cents off a gallon of gas as a reward. That just might get my attention.