Just what we need. More TV.

Television is everywhere these days. The average US household has three televisions. There's a lot of programming available on your computer. And with the advent of high speed mobile networks, people are watching programming like the World Cup anywhere and everywhere service is available. In fact the average American watches over 4 hours of television per day.

So do we really need little TV screens on store shelves showing nothing but advertising?

Burt Manning, former JWT CEO seems to think so. He and his partners are testing a new network called 3GTV that puts TVs near products and shows ads promoting those products.

Historically, marketers have been willing to do almost anything to win the battle at store shelves. From slotting fees to guarantee shelf space, to coupons on pack, contests, floor graphics, sampling and more, billions of dollars are spent every year to move the needle at the moment of truth. So the reasoning here seems sound.

There's just one problem. Have they ever watched people shop for groceries? They say that their audience is "ad attentive" but how attentive can they be if like most shoppers they're hurrying to get the shopping done so they can pick up Bobby from lacrosse practice and get dinner on the table sometime before 8. Most people hustle through the store so they can get on with their busy lives. Stopping to watch TV ads will only slow the process down.

Winning the battle at retail is critical to brand success. This just doesn't seem like a tactic to me that will have much firepower.