• "Messed Up" Media Buying Process
    "The whole media buying process is completely messed up," opines Dave Pasternack, with clients not getting the most out of the media their agencies buy -- and it isn't going to change anytime soon. For instance, in one "not atypical" scenario, a client will come with a set objective and budget and sign a deal with an agency. "Let's assume that highly targeted inventory is available to the media buyer," Pasternack says, so good that the buyer can deliver on the client's monthly sales objective by spending less than the allotted budget. "But would he actually do this? …
  • Kellogg To Boost Ad Spending
    Kellogg will spend more on advertising to market new products and boost prices, according to the cereal giant's chief executive. The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company is increasing its marketing to help offset higher expenses, says David Mackay, and is "reinvesting this year to make sure we have momentum going into next year." Among the brands slated for bigger ad budgets are Pop-Tarts toaster pastries and Special K protein water. Kellogg ratcheted up prices in the U.S. and Canada last year on items including Eggo, Morningstar Farms and other frozen-food brands, along with cereal. The ad-spending bump …
  • Portland TV Cashes In On Political Spots
    With a week to go before its off-year election, TV stations in Portland, Ore., are cashing in big on political ads. The price for a 30-second spot on the most sought-after shows has jumped by two or three times in the last few weeks as Big Tobacco tries to defeat a ballot measure that would raise cigarette taxes. "Rates just started to go through the roof this last week," says state Sen. Larry George, a Republican who is running the ad campaign against the measure. The cost of one prime-time 30-sec spot is $10,000. So far, campaigns …
  • Banks In Bigger Deal With Warner TV
    Tyra Banks has cut a new, more expansive deal with Warner Bros. with a multi-year pact that calls for her to develop scripted TV shows, reality fare and direct-to-DVD film projects. The producer and host of "America's Next Top Model" also has a series development deal with the CW, half-owned by Warner. That agreement covers both scripted and nonscripted projects. Banks says the new agreement "represents the growth of an already successful relationship" and that Warner "understands my brand and the reach and demand of our audience." Warner TV chief Peter Roth says the studio is looking …
  • Fox Almost Sold Out Of Super Bowl Time
    Fox has almost sold out ad time for the Super Bowl -- more than three months before kickoff, according to insiders, with ne media buyer estimating it has "less than 10, but more than five" 30-second spots left and another saying it has sold more than 90% of its ad time for the game. Fox isn't talking but usually, the nets have a few, cheaper spots left as Game Day nears. But strong demand by car companies and movie studios is making the market this time around. '"Last year, you could have bought a sale in the 11th …
  • Realtors Ad Budgets Squeezed By Housing Slump
    Squeezed by a soft housing market and tight budgets, real estate agents and brokers face difficult choices as they divvy up their fewer ad dollars according to a new study from Classified Intelligence and RealtyTimes.com. Less than half of realtors surveyed said they are spending on ads this year, compared to almost 60% in 2006. But even though they complain about newspaper advertising, realtors are still choosing print as their prime media option. About 15% of respondents say they still advertise in print, and survey respondents vote newspapers third out of 11 categories for producing qualified leads. One …
  • Zucker Dismisses Effect Of FBN On CNBC
    NBC chief Jeff Zucker is shrugging off Fox Business Network's chances of competing with CNBC as the battle between the two cable nets begins in earnest. "We seem to be doing two different things," he says. "CNBC is a serious financial news network. From what we've seen from Fox, it's not as investor-focused, not as financially focused." And Zucker basically dismisses the idea there are any financial implications of the launch of FBN. "From a business standpoint it's had no impact." His comments come two weeks after FBN rolled out. with Fox News head Roger Ailes saying …
  • "Educational" Ad Effort For Blu-ray
    The consumer electronics companies and studios that support the Blu-ray Disc format have rolled out a new ad campaign tagged "I do Blu" with an eye toward educating consumers about the product. The new effort broke on TV during the fourth and final game of the World Series. In it, a an HDTV and Blu-ray player hold hands via their electrical cords, while film clips from movies like "Spider-Man" and "Harry Potter" are also shown. The idea is to stress the mix of Blu-ray and HDTV. "Some people believe you can plug a DVD player into a high-def …
  • Reality Shows To Fill Gap If Writers Strike?
    With Hollywood writers poised to strike as soon as Thursday, TV networks are getting ready to fill in with reality and game shows -- even reruns -- if the threatened walkout occurs. A wave of unscripted shows could appear early next year when series like "Desperate Housewives" and "Heroes" run out of new episodes. The timing may, however, benefit reality producers. There has been little progress in talks between the Writers Guild of America and people representing the film and TV producers since they began in July. The current contract is set to expire at midnight Wednesday and …
  • Edwards Wants Action On Drug Ads
    Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says that drug companies should have to wait at least two years before hawking new products direct to consumers. On the stump in New Hampshire, the former U.S. Senator from North Carolina is touting a plan to crack down on what he considers misleading drug ads and notes annual spending on DTC ads has almost quadrupled to $4 billion since the government relaxed ad rules 10 years ago. Big Pharma spends double on marketing and administration as it does on research, Edwards charges. A two-year delay would keep TV ads from selling consumers …
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