Todd Hansen, the former president of Posterscope USA, the Aegis Group out-of-home ad shop, has been charged by the U.S. Attorney General’s office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with accounting fraud during his time with the agency. Hansen was charged along with James Buckley, the former finance director of the agency. The Manhattan U.S. Attorney and the FBI jointly announced that the two men were charged with cooking the shop’s books to make it look like it earned net income of $19.75 million more than it actually did between 2005 and 2009. The prosecutors said the pair enacted what they called a “classic accounting fraud scheme” in order to meet performance goals that would guarantee them certain salaries and bonuses. “As a result of meeting these fictitious performance goals, Hansen and Buckley were paid total salaries and bonuses in the amounts of $1.1 million and $650,000 respectively,” the charge sheet states. In addition, the government said Hansen during the same period “allegedly misused tens of thousands of dollars of company funds to pay for expenses and fees that benefited him, his family and friends and that were unrelated to the company’s legitimate business.” The expenses were said to include apartment rental fees, country-club dues and airplane tickets. Hansen departed the company at the end of 2009 amid a management shakeup and corporate reorganization. He was replaced by OOH industry veteran Connie Garrido. She declined to comment on the matter, referring calls to Aegis Media North America CEO Nigel Morris, who didn’t return a query about the case. Hansen’s attorney, William Portanova, confirmed that Hansen had been arrested in California and released on his own recognizance. Portanova said that Hansen would make an appearance at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan to formally enter a not guilty plea within the next week. “A lot has to be learned on both sides and we’re looking forward to the process,” Portanova said. After departing Posterscope, Hansen landed a job as president of the San Francisco division of Clear Channel Outdoor. However, contrary to some reports, he left that post “in the early fall,” and well before his arrest two weeks ago on the fraud charges, a company rep said. “He left for another job,” company spokeswoman Wendy Goldberg said, adding that Clear Channel had no further comment. In the statement of charges, the government alleged that Hansen and Buckley “directed” the agency’s controller, who was not identified or charged in the document with any crimes, “to make fictitious entries in the company’s books and records to give the appearance that the company was meeting its monthly performance targets.” The government also alleged the controller was ordered to record higher monthly revenues “from either false client billings or from rebates on certain goods and services that the company was purportedly receiving from some of its vendors.” Over time, higher income levels than were actually produced were reflected in the company’s financial statements. By enacting the scheme, the government alleged, Hansen and Buckley acted in “flagrant violation of their fiduciary duties, thinking that they could enrich themselves, their families and friends at the expense of their company, its corporate parent and its shareholders.” Both of the former Posterscope executives were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. Hansen was charged with an additional count of mail fraud. Each count carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison. Neither Buckley or his lawyer could be reached for comment.
140 Proof, a social stream media platform company, has created a business strategy and technology that tie interest-based keywords and sentiment from social streams with targeted ads. The company worked with the digital agency TargetCast to connect AMC TV brands, such as "The Walking Dead," "Hell on Wheels," and "The Killing," to Twitter and other social media. During the campaigns, both "The Killing" and "Breaking Bad" campaigns achieved click-through rate averages of 0.4%, higher than the Twitter average of 0.2%, and nearly double the average for entertainment-focused campaign. For "The Killing," 140 Proof helped target 18-34 males, outside of the show’s core female 25-to-54 demographic. While the campaign ran, the show experienced a 25% ratings increase among 18- to-34-year-olds. Rather than targeting a demographic, the strategy taps into what Jon Elvekrog, CEO of 140 Proof, calls "interest-based targeting" -- the ability to harness publicly available consumer interest data from various social streams, Twitter to Facebook to LinkedIn to Google+, targeting ads to people or groups most likely to respond. This "network of interests" ties 140-character ads to interest graphs or keyword in posts within comments that expand the reach of the ad past friends or followers. The integrated strategy helped achieve a 25% ratings increase for AMC's "The Killing" earlier this year. The goal for "The Walking Dead" was to drive video views and create awareness of the second season by targeting influencers, respondents of previous AMC campaigns, and Twitter users seeing the terms #zombie and #halloween. The call to action was to watch the trailer for "The Walking Dead." It drove more than 52,000 fans to the AMC landing page. Half of these were smartphone users who watched the trailer for "The Walking Dead" in their Twitter app. Evan Rutchik, associate director of interactive client development at TargetCast, AMC's media agency of record, said the campaigns integrated a variety of media, from digital to traditional, such as TV, print and more. "We learned how people share ideas and interests," he said. "In Facebook and Twitter, we see how TV and entertainment becomes interactive between consumers and the star in the shows. For example, I can send a tweet to Ashton Kutcher. He might not reply to me, but I can still send it." The recently announced Twitter partnerships with Mass Relevance and Crimson Hexagon in early November exemplify AMC's strategy. Twitter signed agreements allowing the companies to license and display any of the more than 250 million tweets sent daily from about 100 million users on TV broadcasts. As Google and Bing begin to integrate more social signals into search results, brand marketers will expand targeting options. There are "huge similarities" between search and social ad targeting. Google matches paid-search ads with organic search queries, but 140 Proof's social strategy focuses on the higher parts of the funnel to build demand. Think brand, demand-generation tool. Rutchik said the similarities between paid-search and social campaigns point to the ability to target and deliver a message based on finding specific content tied to keywords. Searches in Twitter and social networks tend to lead to trending information. "There's an integration happening," he said. "Ultimately, there will be one person responsible for both to make one integrated buy."
Sarah Kramer has been promoted to president, client services, at MediaVest USA, effective immediately. In her new role, Kramer will oversee the agency’s client services capability focusing on best practices and approaches for client business management. Kramer remains based in New York and will continue to report to Bill Tucker, CEO, MediaVest. Kramer replaces Greg Warren, who left the agency in mid-2010 to join Walmart (a MediaVest client) as vice president, creative. In that capacity, Warren oversees the company’s advertising design, media and PR efforts in the U.S. Previously, she was executive vice president, global managing director, for Starcom MediaVest Group’s global Procter & Gamble account. Kramer will continue to serve in that capacity in addition to her new role. A 17-year veteran of SMG, Kramer joined MediaVest a decade ago as a leader on the agency’s Kraft planning assignment. She went on to run the agency’s P&G communications planning assignment, followed by leading the agency’s P&G-dedicated Sight, Sound & Motion investment unit. Earlier this year, she was appointed to her current global managing director position for P&G. Kramer is credited with spearheading the effort that led P&G to name MediaVest as its mobile agency of record. Commenting on the promotion, Tucker stated: “MediaVest is committed to being best-in-class in the art and science of client services. Sarah has a proven track record as a remarkable client leader and strategic force. We’re thrilled that we can scale her experience, instincts and acumen across our roster and continue to raise the bar in this critical area.” Kramer began her career as a buyer and planner at sister agency Starcom, where she worked on accounts including General Motors and Allstate. She joined MediaVest in 2001 and worked initially on the Kraft account before shifting to P&G two years later. She was elevated to parent SMG in 2006, where she continued to work on various assignments for P&G.
Over half of American magazine readers are accessing magazine content and advertising through digital channels, according to Affinity’s most recent American magazine study. Out of 187 million American adults who interacted with magazine content and ads in the period covered by the AMS, 54% did so via the Web or mobile platforms, including smartphones, eReaders, tablets and other mobile devices. However, 95% of the total magazine audience still consumes magazine content and advertising in print form, according to Affinity, and almost half of the audience overlapped, with 48% consuming via both print and digital channels. Of the 172 magazine brands tracked by AMS, the average number of different magazines read (across print and digital channels) was 8.2 per month. While print still boasts impressive reach, digital consumption represents the fastest-growing segment of the total audience, Affinity found. In comparison with the previous year, the number of digital users visiting magazine-branded social networks increased 5.7% to 30 million, and the number accessing magazine content via mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, grew 6.2% to 35 million. As might be expected, consumers who access magazine content via digital channels tend to skew younger, better educated and more affluent. The average age of digital readers was 41, compared to 47 for print, while 36% of digital readers were college graduates, versus 31% for print. The median household income for digital readers was $69,938, according to Affinity, compared to $63,624 for print. The Affinity AMS figures come close on the heels of a survey by GfK MRI, which found that just over one out of every 10 magazine impressions takes place solely via digital channels. In the measurement period from March-October 2011, the total gross magazine audience -- defined by GfK MRI as the number of consumer exposures to magazine-branded content on any platform, including magazines printed on paper -- was approximately 1.58 billion. Within that figure, 1.278 billion exposures were print-only, involving no digital component; 135 million involved both print and digital components; and 166 million, or 11% of the total, involved only digital components.
Four major countries will see a collective 20% rise in online video revenues this year -- much of this coming from advertising-supported platforms. U.K.-based Futuresource Consulting says revenues from the USA, UK, France and Germany will hit a total of $3 billion this year. Another study says revenues in the U.S. alone were on track to secure around $1.5 billion. In Europe, in particular, catch-up TV services have been the key driver of free online TV and movie growth. Free online TV views are forecast to grow by 36% in 2011 across the four key countries combined.Advertising-funded video is a major contributor, says the study, growing 50% this year. In four years, the entire online video revenues in these four countries could more than double to $6.8 billion by 2015. In total, four countries will amass 770 billion video views in 2011, up from 640 billion in 2010. Over 90% of online videos viewed have been short-form videos. Advertising from short-form content is expected to account for around 60% to 70% of total online video advertising revenues.Although fee-based online sites are growing, the study says they still remain negligible in many markets when compared with free video platforms. Those pay online services are also up against traditional TV platforms: pay TV, free movies and television content. Futuresource says the paid-for segment in Europe will make gains by the launch of a handful of key regional streaming subscription services, similar to Netflix in the U.S. Some of those players will most likely include YouTube, Apple and Netflix, rather than new entrants.
MEDIA magazine has announced the finalists for its 2011 Creative Media Awards. Fifty-four campaigns in 18 categories ranging from new and emerging media categories to conventional media to the creation of media-inspired creative content will compete for a coveted CMA award during a ceremony Dec. 13th in New York City. WPP’s MediaCom unit was named a finalist in seven categories, followed by mediahub by Mullen’s five, and Starcom’s four. The finalists include: Branded Content/Product Placement Fresh Perspectives for Lexus USA by Team One Advertising TD Jazz Festival for TD Bank Group by Starcom Day with the Cup for Discover by MediaCom Business Media Exmark Pride for Exmark Manufacturing by Bailey Lauerman USPS B2B Campaign for United States Postal Service by Campbell Ewald Dell/Intel SMB Q3 Campaign for Dell and Intel/Small Business Solutions by NetShelter Technology Media Communications Channel Plan The World's Scariest Shave for Gillette by Carat USA Think Outside the Bag for JetBlue Airways by mediahub from Mullen Magnum Pleasure Personified for Magnum Ice Cream by Mindshare Performance Media & Marketing (including Direct Response, TV, Email, etc.) Back to School Chiquita Banana Smart Sweeps for Chiquita by Gotham Direct Inc. A Bracelet with Your Name on It for Helzberg Diamonds by Helzberg Diamonds For Those Who Do for Lenovo by Covario Creative The Franchise Fan Cave Catch for Showtime by OMD Baby Banter for E*TRADE by Spark Communications Untitled Jersey City Project for Audi by MediaCom Interactive/Enhanced TV Tomorrow Moves Project for CSX by mediahub from Mullen Intel Smart TV Launch for Intel by OMD AXE Excite for AXE by BrightLine Media Plan Hail to the V for Summer's Eve by The Richards Group Think Outside the Bag for JetBlue Airways by mediahub from Mullen Sunday Strategy for Audi by MediaCom Mobile Media Bing | Angry Birds Integration for Bing by Point Reach Scavenger Hunt for Lenovo by DoSomething.org Volvo s60 Takes Over MLB.tv App for Volvo Cars of North America, LLC by Mobext/ Havas Digital Multicultural Media IDT Boss Revolution “Unite Families” Campaign for IDT by Gravity Media Sparking a Generation of Hispanic Mom Loyalists; How Pampers Reached out to “every” Spanish-speaking Mom of Baby for Procter & Gamble, Pampers Diapers by Carat USA Artistas Frescos for Subway by MediaCom New/Emerging/Experimental Media (excluding online) LRA Crisis Tracker for Invisible Children & Resolve by Digitaria Greek4Good for Yoplait Greek by Olson The Secret Circle - Witchcraft Print Insert for The CW Television Network by OMD Online Media Branding Volvo S60 Augmented Reality App/YouTube Masthead for Volvo Cars of North America, LLC by Media Contacts/Havas Digital Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express for American Express & Starwood by Digitas The Inside Experience: A Social Film Project for Intel/Toshiba by Pereira & O'Dell Online Media Search Acquisition for Union Pacific Railroad by Bailey Lauerman Range Rover Evoque Launch for Land Rover by Mindshare US Local Solar for SolarCity by Covario Outdoor or Place-Based Media Person of Interest for CBS Television Network by Inwindow Outdoor Sewer Gators for Swamp People S2 by HISTORY Times Square’s First Social Media Billboard for Audi by MediaCom Print (magazines and newspapers) Holiday Wish List for Zappos by mediahub from Mullen Spring Challenge 2011 for Kellogg's / Special K by Starcom USA Where Superheroes Eat for Subway by MediaCom Radio Valley Metro Notes for Valley Metro / Valley Metro / Notes by R&R Partners Fresno Safety for Union Pacific Railroad by Bailey Lauerman Find Your Perfect Beach for South Walton by lkm Research/Consumer Insights Paparazzi Generation for P&G by MediaVest EQ for Starcom by Starcom USA Sunday Strategy for Audi by MediaCom Social Media Sky's the Limit for JetBlue Airways by mediahub from Mullen Rihanna: UNLOCKED for Rihanna by AgencyNet and Island Def Jam Records Nine West Espadrille Brand Ambassadors Campaign with Lookbook.nu for Nine West by Media Contacts/ Havas Digital Television HBRC 2011 Cable TV Campaign for Hurricane Business Recovery Center by BrivicMedia, Inc Buick Human Highlight Reel for Buick by Starcom USA & Leo Burnett Transformation Domination for Syfy/Face Off by Horizon Media Inc.
Time Warner Cable is working to add local stations to its iPad streaming app, allowing customers to watch broadcast shows on the devices anywhere in their homes. The cable operator’s offering includes a slew of cable networks, but no access to “Modern Family” or “Glee.” TWC COO Rob Marcus said the company is looking to launch the option in New York City soon and then roll it out elsewhere in early 2012. In addition to broadcast fare, that will offer access to local newscasts and syndicated programming. “We’re moving towards delivering local programming, which is a little more difficult to do technologically,” he told investors recently. Cablevision has offered the local broadcast channels on its iPad service since it launched earlier this year. Cablevision does have fewer station owners to negotiate carriage rights with, since its footprint is much smaller than TWC’s. Marcus reiterated that TWC believes it has rights to offer Viacom-owned networks on its app. The two companies are suing each other over the matter. “We’re going to let a judge decide that,” he said. Cablevision has reached an agreement with Viacom, and offers its channels among the 300-plus it provides. Marcus went on to say there is some impetus to move ahead with TV Everywhere-type opportunity extending outside the home, where it has a deal with ESPN and some others, but “the process has taken a lot longer than we would have anticipated at the outset.” A Slingbox does offer some TV Everywhere-type functionality and TWC recently had a promotion in New York City, where it offered to subsidize a Slingbox purchase for some broadband customers.