News Hotline

• Saks Soars; Target Misses
  by Sarah Mahoney 47 minutes ago

  Minneapolis-based Target says its first quarter earnings came in at a disappointing $498 million, "below expectations as a result of softer-than-expected sales, particularly in apparel and other seasonal and weather-sensitive categories," says Gregg Steinhafel, its CEO, in a release. ...

• TV Model: Nets, Stations Split Retrans 50/50
  by David Goetzl 56 minutes ago

  Gray Television CFO Jim Ryan suggested that networks may capture more than half of an affiliate's retrans consent dollars over time. Right now, he said, a 50/50 split is emerging as the model. ...

• Newspaper, Magazine Ad Fortunes Continue To Decline
  by Erik Sass 59 minutes ago

  In 2012, total newspaper print ad revenues dipped 8.5% to $18.9 billion, according to the Newspaper Association of America. That compares with a peak value of $47.4 billion in 2005, meaning print advertising has suffered a precipitous 60% drop over just seven years, with 27 straight quarters of ...

• Equifax Taps Dentsu's 360i As Lead Agency
  by Steve McClellan 94 minutes ago

  Data collection company Equifax has selected Dentsu shop 360i to be its lead agency-for both traditional and digital channels. Equifax spent the bulk of its measured media budget, more than $31 million, on digital display advertising in 2012. 360i is tasked with leading all direct-to-consumer integrated marketing efforts ...

• NBC Gives 'Voice' To Tuesday, ABC 'Dancing' Into Second-Place
  by Wayne Friedman over 1 hour ago

  NBC leads with "The Voice," while ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" is up 44% from the previous week. ABC came in second place to NBC on Tuesday night with a 2.1/6. ...

• April Another Big Month for Video Ad Views, Less So for Total Viewers
  by P.J. Bednarski 2 hours ago

  Online viewers saw a record 13.2 billion ads online in April, but in total, watched a little less. As always, YouTube trumped all others but were there were a few players who went up, and down. ...

• Entertainment, Travel Bet On Mobile Banners
  by Mark Walsh 2 hours ago

  Banner ads have long been the whipping boy of online advertising, and the same is now true for mobile. But in the entertainment, travel, and auto categories, advertisers have seen results. ...

• Cricket Makes More From Less
  by Aaron Baar 2 hours ago

  "We feel there's tremendous savings versus AT&T and Verizon," company representative Greg Lund tells "Marketing Daily." "People have been conditioned to the post-paid experience, and they don't really take stock of what they're paying and what they're being offered." ...

• Seattle's Best Promos New Drive-Thru Format
  by Karlene Lukovitz 3 hours ago

  The drive-thrus feature a menu that includes the brand's premium coffee, plus "dashboard-friendly" foods in 12 combos priced under $5. The combos offer quick picks like a medium cup of coffee or soft drink paired with an egg sandwich, stuffed pretzel melt or handheld "Tasty Pies." ...

• ChoiceStream's Audience Cost Calendar Reinforces Seasonality
  by Tyler Loechner 3 hours ago

  ChoiceStream, a personalized advertising tech provider, Tuesday released their newest Audience Cost Calendar, which they describe as a "monthly aggregation of impressions traded on digital ad exchanges." The calendar looks at "trends in the cost of various online audiences" relative to one another. A "100" on the index ...

• Marketers Should Tailor Specific Pitches To Tablet, Smartphone

  Tablets are used mainly in lean-back mode at home, for two-screen viewing, consuming media and as e-commerce tools. Smartphones, by contrast, are used both on the go and at home, for communication and content-snacking, and apps. Brands and businesses should use search marketing on tablets to drive higher ...

• Good TV Content Trumps On, Whether Trad TV Or Streaming

  While consumers continue to perceive TV programming as superior in quality to that of online fare, their viewing habits are becoming harder to differentiate between channels. However, consumers were actually less likely to recall ads that accompanied what they thought was TV content. ...

• Google Releases Self-Serve Display Benchmark Tool

  Google introduced a tool Wednesday that lets brand marketers and agencies pull up-to-date industry benchmarks to help plan and measure the success of display campaigns. In the past, DoubleClick published a yearly report of these benchmarks, but now the self-serve tool enables marketers and agencies to run their ...

• Twitter Brings Lead Generation To Tweets

  Twitter began testing a lead generation tool Wednesday in its tweet stream that resembles a cross between a daily deal alert and call-to-action ad in search engine query result pages. It serves up in one of Twitter's Cards, the expandable display unit that allows brands to attach photos ...

• DigitasLBi, Razorfish Tap Execs For Global Ops

  Publicis Groupe digital agencies DigitasLBi and Razorfish have installed new executives to run their respective international operations, the shops confirmed Wednesday. The moves come in the wake of the DigitasLBi merger that was put in place a few months ago after Publicis completed the acquisition of LBi for ...

• Multichannel Video Cos. Register Subscriber Loss, Satellite TV Gains

  For the first time in a year-long period, the biggest multichannel video companies have witnessed a collective net loss in subscribers. The biggest loser over the past year was Comcast, giving back 553,000 subscribers. Satellite and telco companies continued to make gains. ...

• More Consumers Turn To Mobile To Research, Book Travel

  The majority of consumers used a mobile device to book travel in the last 90 days, per a new study. What's more, 44% said they are willing to spend more than $500 when purchasing travel via mobile. ...

• Tablets Gain Popularity With Shoppers

  Internet-connected devices are exploding in the United States. There are 31.8 million Internet-accessible tablets, according to The NPD group, and IDC estimates with global tablet shipments rising 142% in the first quarter of 2013, the post-PC era shows no signs of slowing. ...

• Shopping App Swirl Adds In-Store Capability

  Swirl entered the mobile shopping fray last year with an iPhone app allowing users to learn about fashion deals near them. Now it is adding an in-store feature to its app that delivers exclusive content and offers while users are shopping at participating stores. The initial group of ...

• Showrooming Overhyped, Mobile Key To Shopping Purchases

  Given consumers' mobile in-store shopping trends, some consider the showrooming hoopla overblown. The research process still begins at home on search engines and comparison sites. While just 6% of smartphone users conduct their most recent mobile retail search in a store while shopping, 77% make their purchases in ...

• DataXu Opens Black Boxes, Launches Marketplace For Ad Algorithms

  In a push to demystify the black box world of programmatic trading, a major ad technology developer is creating a marketplace where advertisers, agencies and trading desks can shop for algorithms. The so-called Algorithm Marketplace, which is being launched today by demand-side platform DataXu, will start with a ...

• DPAA Taps Enhanced TV Ad Vet Frey As New Chief

  Barry Frey, a long-time cable and interactive television executive who helped pioneer the field of "enhanced television," has joined the Digital Place-Based Advertising Association as president-CEO. He is the fourth TV sales exec to helm the advertising trade bureau since it was founded six years ago as the ...

• Balance Bar Unveils 1st National TV Ads In 10+ Years

  NBTY CMO Katia Facchetti cites recent Nielsen and SymphonyIRI data that respectively confirm that the nutrition/energy bar category is growing at double-digit rates, and that more than a third of Americans often eat snacks instead of meals when on the go. ...

• Crowne Plaza Measures PGA Tour Sleep Habits

  Just in time for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial tournament this week, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts has partnered with the PGA Tour on the first-ever Sleep Advantage survey. Fans can check out the Sleep Advantage Welcome Wall at the Colonial tournament entrance in Fort Worth, Te ...

• FTC's Ohlhausen Questions Privacy Recommendations

  The Federal Trade Commission's 2012 privacy recommendations could unintentionally disadvantage smaller online ad companies, Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen suggested on Tuesday. "A policy that limits the ability of advertisers to access new information, to reach consumers, can have unintended effects in the marketplace," she said. ...

• How Social Is Transforming TV

  Viacom Media Networks unveiled its findings from "When Networks Network: TV Gets Social" -- some new multicountry research on the interplay between TV and social media. Most of all, viewers want TV shows and networks to fulfill their "functional motivations." They expect air dates and times, episode recaps ...

• Dodge Goes Social With 'Defiance'

  Chrysler LLC's Dodge, which has category-exclusive sponsorship of the "Defiance" TV show and online game for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, is extending the Syfy and Trion Worlds bi-focal partnership with a new television commercial and social gaming sweepstakes. ...

• Chicago Awards O'Hare Digital Signage Biz To Clear Channel Airports

  The Chicago City Council has awarded Clear Channel Airports a five-year contract to implement indoor digital signage programs for O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport. In addition to improving the airport experience for travelers with interactive displays delivering information in real-time, the contracts are expected to yield ...

• (Updated) NDTV Challenges WPP, Tries To Revive Lawsuit In NY

  New Delhi Television is trying to revive its $1 billion lawsuit against Nielsen, WPP and a number of their subsidiaries for breach of contract and negligence in connection with a TV ratings service that the companies operate in India. ...

• Horizon Taps Gambelli As Chief Investment Officer

  Former NBC senior advertising sales executive Marianne Gambelli has landed at Horizon Media as its executive vice president/chief investment officer. She will replace Aaron Cohen, executive vice president and chief media negotiation officer, who will take on a senior advisory role in the media agency. ...

• Ad Council Raises Autism Awareness

  The Ad Council has partnered with Autism Speaks and two agencies, BBDONew York and LatinWorks, to expand Autism Speaks' "Learn the Signs" campaign with public service advertisements specifically tailored to African-American and Hispanic audiences. ...

• Remnant, Premium, Or Gourmet Inventory? Gourmet Ads Strikes Deal With AppNexus

  Programmatic ad serving platform AppNexus was this morning selected by food advertising network Gourmet Ads as ad server of record. Gourmet Ads hopes the partnership will allow their food, grocery, and packaged goods clients to be more engaged with their "household grocery buyers and home cooks online" on ...

• CBS Scores Big Victory In 18-49 Demo

  Just two days before the finish of the TV season, CBS claims a major victory among 18-49 viewers in the broader metric that TV networks now use to analyze and promote -- seven days of TV program viewing. This is CBS' first victory in the key ad-watching demographic ...

• TiVo Boosts Revs, Data Efforts

  TiVo made gains for its first-quarter revenue results with higher cable operator subscriptions. The time-shifting and technology company boosted multiple system cable operator revenue by nearly 100% -- adding nearly 280,000 subscriptions -- with overall revenue climbing $82.6 million from $67.8 million. ...

• Subway's Comedy Promotes Brand, Content Strategy

  Setting a new bar for brands and their programming aspirations, Subway's scripted comedy series, "The 4 to 9ers," appears to be performing better than anyone expected. The series is nearing 10 million views on Hulu. ...