• Sex May Sell, But Age/Sex Cells Do Not: CBS, General Mills Call For The End Of Demos by Joe Mandese

    In a major push to shift the ad industry's focus from the traditional age- and sex-based demographics that have been the foundation of media planning and buying for nearly 50 years, CBS and General Mills Monday unveiled results of some extensive research demonstrating what a poor surrogate conventional demographics are for the actual consumers that marketers and agencies are trying to reach. The studies, which are the culmination of more than a year of research conducted with a powerful new partnership between Nielsen and Catalina Marketing that integrates actual TV viewing from digital set-top devices with actual consumer product purchasing ... ...Read the whole story

  • Newspaper Ad Spending Now Half What It Was In 2005 by Erik Sass

    The precipitous decline in the newspaper industry continued in 2011, when total advertising revenues fell to $23.9 billion, down 7.3% from $25.8 billion in 2010, according to figures released by the Newspaper Association of America on March 14. ...Read the whole story

  • Something Massive Becomes Even More So, Acquires Circ.us, Gets Into 'Post-PC' Act by Joe Mandese

    Living up to its name, Los Angeles-based digital agency Something Massive has acquired New York-based Circ.us, a tech-focused creative shop best known for some remarkable augmented reality campaigns for brands such as Red Bull, Ben & Jerry's and others. As part of the move, the agency is adopting a new position in the crowded field of digital marketing services, claiming to be the "first post-PC advertising agency." ...Read the whole story

  • Ad Researchers Shift Pursuit From Perfection To Holistic Grail by David Goetzl

    Speaking on a panel at the Advertising Research Foundation conference, agency executives stressed the need for integrated data insights that allow true insight into consumer behavior. A holistic -- rather than piecemeal -- ROI emphasis was favored. ...Read the whole story

  • Pahade Takes Initiative, Former Publicis, WPP Digital Star Succeeds Spengler by Steve McClellan

    Nick Pahade, a former top digital media executive at Publicis and WPP, has been tapped to succeed Tim Spengler as president and CEO of Interpublic's Initiative North America unit. Pahade's appointment is the latest in a major management realignment at the global agency. Worldwide CEO Richard Beaven stepped down last month. ...Read the whole story

  • uSamp Launches Hispanic Panel For Ad Research by Erik Sass

    Reflecting the growing importance of the U.S. Hispanic marketplace to marketers and advertisers, the last few months have brought a flurry of activity in Hispanic consumer research. In the latest development, uSamp officially unveiled its proprietary Hispanic consumer research panel, which aims to help marketers reach this growing audience through both traditional and online media. ...Read the whole story

  • 'Mad Men' Debuts New Season To 3.5 Million Viewers by David Goetzl

    Does Netflix help increase ratings? Perhaps. After the first four seasons of "Mad Men" were made available last summer, allowing for catch-up viewing, season five premiered Sunday to higher ratings across the board. The new season premiere was 30% higher than the previous one. ...Read the whole story

  • CBS Research: TV Drives WOM In Digital World by David Goetzl

    Much has been made about TV driving online social media interaction. But what about the traditional tell-your-neighbor stuff? In industry argot, it's word of mouth, and new CBS research shows TV and paid advertising in other media -- in a world where fewer people seemingly talk to each other offline -- still generate significant conversation. ...Read the whole story

  • Android Users Turn To ESPN For NCAA Coverage by Mark Walsh

    ESPN is pulling in March Madness-crazed fans on mobile devices. New research from NPD shows the cable sports network was the most popular mobile site among Android smartphone users during the first week of the tournament. ...Read the whole story

  • Movie Rentals: DVD, Blu-ray Rentals Dip, Kiosk Rises by Wayne Friedman

    Overall home rentals of DVD and Blu-ray disc continue to drop. But one segment of the business, kiosk rentals, continues to grow. The biggest rental movie of 2011 was Summit Entertainment's "Red." ...Read the whole story

  • NCAA Shoots CBS A Sunday Night WIn by Wayne Friedman

    NCAA's March Madness had to share the madness with the premiere of "Mad Men" on Sunday night. CBS squeaked through with a win on Sunday -- highlight with the "NCAA College Men's Basketball Tournament," the "Elite Eight" games. ...Read the whole story

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