There is an old adage in consumer electronics that the hardware business, with its tight margins and fickle consumers, is, well, a hard business, writes Andy Brown, CEO of Andrew Brown and Associates, in an AdExchanger post.  London-based Brown adds that to think that Walmart decided to invest billions of dollars into building and selling TVs faster, better and/or cheaper than Vizio “misses the point of the acquisition last week.

“While Walmart might marginally improve production or distribution efficiencies for Vizio, a TV’s future value will increasingly be measured against the seven years it spends at the center of today’s modern connected home – not its initial retail price.

“The clear rationale for the Vizio acquisition is TV and video advertising. And as advertising takes center stage, its value is directly linked to the underlying data that supports it. Data has not only become the new oil for marketers; it is also the oxygen breathing life into TV advertising with new branding and performance opportunities.”

More here.