Industry-wide initiatives like Canoe Ventures may have floundered, but at least one major cable TV operator is muscling ahead with enhanced TV advertising buys that offer digital targeting, measurability and even interactivity. Comcast Spotlight, the spot and local cable TV advertising sales division of Comcast Corp., this morning unveiled Comcast Media 360, a new unit focused on helping marketers and agencies to leverage developing “cross-platform” advertising options. The new unit, which is headed by Group Vice President Andrew Ward, has also struck a deal with Publicis’ Starcom MediaVest Group Exchange (SMGx) for three undisclosed clients to tap the new units' enhanced ad capabilities later this year. “Our clients are demanding addressability, interactivity and accountability on all platforms,” SMGx Executive Vice President of Innovations Tracey Scheppach stated in the announcement, which did not elaborate on the SMGx clients involved, or what they might be doing with the new Comcast unit. Comcast said the new ad applications will include: • Targetability: utilizing consumer segmentation tools and Comcast’s infrastructure to deliver commercial messages to well-defined geographic and/or demographic groups. • Interactivity: utilizing interactive platforms like request for information (RFI) and telescoping to long-form video-on-demand (VOD) content to enable deeper consumer engagement with advertising content. • Accountability: working with independent third-party research companies to measure the impact of advertising.
Some of the networks took advantage of upfront week to push for a new ratings currency that would include seven days of DVR playback versus the three days of playback included in the current ratings system (C3). But not so fast, says Bill Duggan, group executive vice president, the Association of National Advertisers. Rather than go there, advertisers want the TV industry to finally focus on what they call the "holy grail" -- ratings detailing audiences of individual ads versus the average rating for all ads within specific shows that the current system offers. For advertisers, C7 is just more of what they don’t want, he says -- an unclear picture of exactly who and how many viewers are watching which specific ads. “For more than five years, ANA has been advocating for brand-specific commercial ratings as that would help answer the question: “How many people actually had the opportunity to see my spot?" Duggan wrote in his “Marketing Maestros” blog May 18. Duggan said the last poll of its members on the subject, conducted last year, revealed that 82% of advertisers were interested in commercial-specific ratings. He calls the response "a landslide." He also listed a handful of additional benefits that commercial-specific ads would offer, including serving as a copy-testing tool that would identify stronger and weaker executions and enable advertisers and agencies to respond accordingly. Specific ratings would also serve as indicators that viewers were tiring of seeing certain spots (commercial fatigue). Also, specific ratings would provide greater insight on the impact of pod position, length of spot and national versus local placement, Duggan asserted. They could also zero in on the value of in-program and in-game integrations and sponsorships and determine whether ads simply worked better on one network versus another. “Brand-specific commercial ratings would go a long way in better evaluating television’s contribution to the marketing mix, as well as in assessing the overall ROI of television advertising expenditures,” wrote Duggan. The question of whether such ratings should be currency would be up to individual buyers and sellers, Duggan wrote. But at the very least “they should be available.”
Calling it Asia’s “newest frontier,” WPP ad shop Ogilvy & Mather has agreed to acquire a stake in Today Advertising, an agency in Myanmar (also known as Burma). Until recently, the Southeast Asian country had trade sanctions imposed on it by many Western nations. Most of the sanctions have been lifted in the wake of Democratic reforms taking place in the country. WPP confirmed the investment, but did not disclose terms, or whether it was a controlling stake or minority interest. According to Reuters, the deal marks the first foreign advertising group to invest in Myanmar since the sanctions were lifted. The country has shifted from a military dictatorship that has been in place for 50 years to a democracy. The U.S. lifted trade sanctions last week, following the lead of the European Union, which suspended most of the sanctions it had in place last month. “Today Advertising has a great reputation in Myanmar,” stated Paul Heath, CEO Ogilvy & Mather Asia-Pacific. “We believe they are the perfect partner to work alongside us and our clients as the business potential of Asia’s newest frontier becomes apparent.” Ad spending in the market is relatively small. Reuters reported the total for 2011 at just $33 million, citing ZenithOptimedia as the source. But with sanctions lifted, it is expected that future foreign investments will boost ad spending sharply over the next several years. In the broader Asia-Pacific region, WPP said it now generates over $4 billion in revenues annually and employs 42,000. Based in Yangon, Today Advertising employs 60 people. With the agreement, WPP now operates in 108 countries worldwide, it said. Ogilvy also said it was the first international shop to set up operations in Vietnam, in 1994.
Just days before the 2012-2013 upfront TV ad market is set to begin, the TVB, the television stations’ advertising trade group, is making a case that spot TV can be cheaper than network TV -- at least as it concerns program pricing in the scatter market. Analyzing the first quarter of 2009 to the second quarter of 2012, research says among 25-54 viewers, spot TV can give marketers a 25% savings in prime-time versus network scatter buys -- $31.51 versus $37.03 for network. In addition, there is a 42% cheaper spot TV media buy in early morning ($11.18 versus $20.02 for network); 31% in early news ($14.96 versus $19.98); and 60% for late night ($13.37 versus $28.81). The research even says that spot TV is cheaper than national syndication scatter TV pricing: $21.38 versus $32.54 for an adults 25-54 schedule. The comparison was made using comparable geographic/distribution outlets. The data used TSA -- Total Survey Area -- levels to mimic network scatter’s geographic buy distribution pattern. TVB worked with SQAD, the TV cost-forecasting firm. TBA is a geographic area term that includes a market’s DMA -- Designated Metro Area -- plus certain counties located outside the DMA. DMA, a Nielson area definition, pertains to the counties in which TV stations obtain the highest proportion of a viewing audience. For years, media analysts have theorized that spot TV is more expensive than other national TV media -- but perhaps more targeted for marketers. Steve Lanzano, president of the TVB, stated: “Comparative research found that spot TV offers marketers three significant, fundamental advantages –- cost, inventory, and targetability. At the same time, spot TV provides a more accurate representation of the ratings deliveries in local markets because a 5.7 national rating for a program may be as low as 3.3 in one market or as high as 10.0 in another."
Adobe today will release a series of advancements for Project Primetime that supports TV ad content across connected devices. The new offering, Primetime Simulcast, allows media companies to simultaneously broadcast traditional channels online with dynamically inserted ads across devices. Primetime Simulcast supports apps for iOS and Android devices. Jeremy Helfand, vice president of monetization at Adobe, said it should reduce costs by providing a unified workflow integrating player and streaming ad server analytics. It cuts down the need for media companies to piece together solutions living in silos. Some 181 million U.S. Internet users watched nearly 37 billion online content videos in April, and video ads represented nearly 9.5 billion, about 1 in 5 videos viewed online for the month, according to comScore Video Metrix. Google Sites generating the highest number of views at 17 billion, followed by Hulu with 901 million and Yahoo Sites with 742 million. The average viewer watched 21.8 hours of online video content, with Google Sites at 7.2 hours and Hulu at 3.8 hours, earning the highest average engagement among the top ten properties, according to comScore. Eliminating buffering would improve user experience and increase engagement rates making advertising more valuable for site visitor, publishers, media companies and clients. Media companies forced to become technology providers attempted to build bridges to close the gap between siloed platforms, which created challenges with the organization. Adobe wants to help marketers think about what workflows will look like in the future as the two platforms -- linear and digital – combine. The Primetime Simulcast tool also complements Primetime Highlights, which allows broadcasters to convert live streaming to short ad-supported video clips of news, entertainment and sports highlights. Adobe released the next version of Auditude, a video ad managed and monetization platform, to insert and measure online video ads. The integration of AudienceManager and third-party site data enables publishers to understand who views the ad and target their content accordingly. A feature in the platform, Partner Management, will now allow media company partners to share revenue and allocation of sales rights with syndication partners.
Just tell your TV what you want. The big electronic-guide based service Rovi is teaming up with Nuance Communications so cable TV subscribers can tell their TV sets what they want to watch. "Entertainment options will continue to grow,” stated Corey Ferengul, executive vice president of product management and strategy at Rovi Corp. “With it will be the complexity of finding and deciding what to watch. Consumers want easy-to-use and simple ways for discovering entertainment that doesn't require a remote control with as many keys as a keyboard. Voice brings this capability.” TV viewers will be able to change the channel with voice commands, as well as browse, bookmark and search for content on both live and VOD TV programming by speaking. The technology is similar to that used by Apple’s iPhone 4S's Siri function. The companies did not disclose when the technology would be available. The companies are also developing an application using Dragon TV -- Nuance's voice- and language understanding platform for set-top boxes and connected-TV devices -- with Rovi's guide technology. This technology can offer more detailed search information. For example, a viewer can say: Find comedies with Adam Sandler, Show me information on "'The Big Bang Theory," and even Who plays Chuck on "Gossip Girl"? "Consumers love that today's cable services and program guides offer so many options for shows, movies, content, information widgets and more. But without an easy way to access and discover that content, today's digital living room experience is lost," said Michael Thompson, senior vice president, general manager, Nuance Mobile.
Azteca America and its parent company, Grupo Salinas, are partnering with Voto Latino, a nonprofit organization devoted to raising electoral participation in the U.S. Hispanic population, on a new cross-platform campaign of public service announcements urging Hispanics to vote. The campaign includes PSAs running on Azteca America, a Web-based element located at www.fundacionaztecaamerica.org, and printed materials that will be distributed in 75 major Hispanic markets nationwide. Azteca America is also co-hosting political forums in big Hispanic markets, including Washington D.C., Charlotte, NC, and Tampa Bay, where speakers and the audience will be invited to discuss issues relevant to the Hispanic community. Fundación Azteca America, a nonprofit organization created by Grupo Salinas to advocate on behalf of U.S. Hispanics, is also continuing to support immigration reform with a campaign under the theme “I Too Am America,” highlighting the role played by immigrants in U.S. history. Luis J. Echarte, chairman of Azteca America, stated: “The United States is a changing landscape, and it's important to make sure that our community is represented.” From 2000-2011, the U.S. Hispanic population grew 14.7 million, more than the rest of the population combined (14.5 million), to a current of total 52 million, or about 16.8% of the overall population, according to a recent Nielsen study titled “The State of the Hispanic Consumer.” In the next five years, Hispanics are expected to add another 7.4 million people. The total buying power of Hispanics living in the U.S. grew from $1 trillion in 2010 to $1.1 trillion in 2011, and is on track for $1.5 trillion by 2015, according to Nielsen. Nielsen forecasts a prominent role for younger U.S. Hispanic adults in the real estate market in coming years. It also cited data from IBISWorld predicting positive impacts on various categories, including food, retail, education, financial services, transportation, entertainment and media.
Delving deeper into original content, Hulu just unveiled three new series and seven exclusively licensed TV shows previously unavailable to U.S. audiences. Premiering throughout the summer, the half-hour shows include " Spoilers," the movie ‘revue’ for movie lovers hosted by filmmaker and geek god Kevin Smith; "Up To Speed," Richard Linklater's travel series, and "We Got Next," a scripted comedy from producer Kenya Barris, which follows a four-man pickup basketball team. “We want to offer exclusive shows,” Andy Forssell, SVP of content for Hulu, said. ”In an on-demand world, viewers are going to actively choose to watch TV shows that they really love.” U.S.-exclusives include “Rev.,” “The Yard,” “Pramface,” “Derren Brown: Inside Your Mind,” “The Promise,” and “Little Mosque,” along with the second season of the sci-fi thriller, “The Booth at the End.” The additional offerings come on the heels of Hulu’s upfront, during which it revealed a slew of performance metrics. In February alone, U.S. consumers watched 2.5 billion videos on Hulu -- which amounted to about 1,000 videos a second -- according to Jean-Paul Colaco, SVP advertising, Hulu. Along with representing 20% of the overall online video marketplace, Hulu now claims a 40% share of the premium video market, he said. The original Hulu service continues to ramp up users and content, while Hulu Plus -- the company’s U.S. subscription service -- surpassed 2 million paid subscribers in the first quarter of the year. During its second-ever upfront, Hulu showed off several original projects, including “Battleground,” a drama with comedic moments set in the world of political campaigns, and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock’s “A Day in The Life." Hulu also debuted several new products in development, including “Don’t Quit Your Daydream,” based on a documentary by Adrian Grenier that features a cast of famous musicians traveling across America in search of could-have-been musical artists, and “Flow,” based on the life of a hardworking kid from the wrong side of the tracks who was framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Following HBO and more recently, Netflix, Hulu broke into original programming this past January. Soon after, the online TV service ordered “Battleground,” 10 new episodes of “A Day in the Life” and “Up to Speed” -- a six-part documentary from Richard Linklater, director of “The School of Rock” and “Before Sunset.” Original content is seen as a way to complement Hulu’s ad-supported model. While Hulu Plus exceeded the company’s expectations in 2011 -- reaching a reported 1.5 million paying subscribers -- ad revenue was lower than estimated during the second half of the year. (Overall, Hulu said it had $420 million in revenue in 2011.) Securing its status as a natural go-to for advertisers, Hulu just committed to only bill brands and agencies for ads that viewers watch in their entirety. The 100% completion rate commitment includes all ads sold by Hulu itself, and will apply to both Hulu and Hulu Plus. In beta for several months, Zenith Media, General Mills and Horizon Media helped Hulu test the new model. More recently, Hulu introduced its ad swap product, which allows viewers to replace existing ads for those they feel are more relevant. Since the launch of ad swap, Hulu has seen over 9 million substitutions, according to Colaco. Despite such innovations, recent reports suggested that Hulu was considering withholding its services from non-paying TV customers. The would-be move by Hulu toward the new model -- dubbed “authentication,” because viewers would have to log in with their cable or satellite TV account number -- was reportedly behind the recent decision by Providence Equity Partners to cash out of Hulu after five years. Hulu, for its part, has yet to address the “authentication” rumors.
Clear Channel Airports has partnered with SapientNitro to launch a new version of its “FlySmart” mobile travel app, which CCA unveiled today. The new FlySmart is an improved and expanded version of SapientNitro’s “goHow” airport app, and provides a variety of information including flight status, gate location, baggage claim, current weather conditions, parking availability, security wait time and ground transportation options. Its new features include customized content from participating airports, flight push notifications and detailed information from Bing Maps to help travelers navigate restaurants as well as retail, terminal, gates, and baggage claims. On the social front, FlySmart provides travelers with consumer ratings about restaurants, shops and services at the airport. The new app also monitors multiple flights across various trips in real-time and notifies travelers when they need to adjust their travel plans. The new FlySmart is available in 96 U.S. and international airports, including official partner airports in Boston, Denver and Minneapolis. Clear Channel’s U.S. airport network also includes Atlanta’s Hatfield-Jackson, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Seattle-Tacoma and Lambert-St. Louis, among others. The FlySmart app is available for free on iTunes, Google Play and BlackBerry App World. The original FlySmart mobile app, created by CCA and Geodelic, debuted in August 2010. The unveiling of the new FlySmart app comes not long after CCA got some new competition. In April, Titan announced the launch of Titan Air, also dedicated to out-of-home advertising in airports. The new division is being headed by Michael Riley and Sam Hart, both veterans of CCA.
It’s not just soccer. From NASCAR to the NFL Draft, growth in Hispanic sports viewership is climbing significantly. At the same time, sports advertising as a whole continues its steady jump, according to Nielsen. In February, an average of 73,000 Spanish speakers watched the Daytona 500, up 55% from 2011. In April, an average of 492,000 Hispanics watched the NFL Draft, up almost 100% since 2008. Also, for the recent NBA regular season, Hispanics accounted for 12% of the total viewers, a 20% bump from the year before. NBA games that were part of a Noche Latina (Latin Night) program saw increased viewership, highlighted by the March 5 game on ABC between Los Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers) and El Heat (Miami Heat), where Hispanics made up 15% of the audience. Hispanic sports fans may be younger than the general population. Nielsen says in a new sports report that 6.9 million Hispanics watched at least part of March Madness this year. Median age was 39, lower than 44 for African Americans and 48 for whites. In the first quarter of 2012, national network and cable sports generated $3 billion-plus in ad spending, a 9% increase from the same period last year. Back at the Daytona 500 on Fox, Nielsen said brand recall for the full audience was up, with some of the most-recalled ads from Mountain Dew, Toyota and Sprint. In baseball, Nielsen says social-media conversation in the first quarter leading up to opening day had the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox dominating the conversation, using a metric tracking Twitter and Facebook posts, message boards and other outlets. The Yankees had 9.4% share of voice with the Red Sox at 6.3%. The Detroit Tigers, which signed free agent first baseman Prince Fielder to a massive deal, came in third at 4.9%. Surprisingly, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim did not make the top 10 as interest surrounded the signing of star Albert Pujols.
With the recent success of “Good Morning America,” ABC is launching a p.m. spinoff as a summer experiment. The hour-long “Good Afternoon America” is scheduled for a nine-week run starting July 9. “GMA” personalities Josh Elliott and Lara Spencer will headline the show, with Sam Champion, Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos making appearances. ABC has been running talk show “The Revolution” in the time slot, following “The Chew” and leading into “General Hospital.” “GMA” has been posing a significant challenge to NBC’s “Today” recently and topping it in certain metrics. “GAA” will emanate from its parent’s Times Square studio. In the fall, the eight ABC owned-and-operated stations will begin airing Katie Couric’s new show at 3 p.m. Conceivably, with both shows featuring a mix of news, lifestyle and celebrity content, there could be an opportunity for a pairing to develop over time.
The natural reaction for many upon hearing that Facebook was buying Instagram for $1bn (which went to its 13 employees) was to look for the next cool thing. When a company that small gets a payout that big, that’s inevitable. The same thing will likely happen to Pinterest, then Viddy and others. In today’s tech-driven world, small is often perceived to creative, quick, beautiful and “in” and scale is bland, slow, ugly and ‘”out.” Size matters. There is now a similar debate happening in agency land. As the world and consumers become more global, and the most valuable insights are derived from huge amounts of information, how should clients balance the desire for creative excellence with the scale required to deliver successful campaigns in markets across the world? Are the two mutually exclusive? A quick glance through the 2011 Cannes Media Lions winners shows a spread from the Salvation Army in Argentina to the Suicide Prevention Center in Serbia, and suggests that creativity is not in great supply among the world’s largest media networks. But awards can be misleading. Single-market campaigns win awards as they can tap into national culture and zeitgeist. Global or multi-local campaigns have to use one central idea everywhere, and adapt it to national cultures. This is the single reason why we see more local markets work winning awards at places like Cannes. That is not to say that Cannes is not a good barometer of creativity; it’s just that the world and consumers have changed. Now, it is about creativity of insight and innovation (technology), and creativity in the application of that at massive scale. To achieve success in today’s complex media world, the biggest clients need a dedicated, global insights provider. A portion of an agency insights team is not enough. It is no longer about simply targeting markets, such as BRICS and Next11s; it’s about gaining a greater understanding of the target consumer to uncover patterns within, and between, groups of people that might not typically be grouped together. It’s about finding their common habits that are relevant to the brand, and being creative in the application of that insight. It is about interpreting a broad concept (connections platform) in a way that is culturally and personally relevant for the consumers and then the brand joining those conversations in the consumer’s local markets. Finally, it’s about a brand understanding the role of each medium in communicating with the consumers --in some markets it will be TV that drives the functional message, in others, social networks. Original thinking comes from places both big and small. Insights from around the globe, creativity that sometimes springs from one mind. Creativity and scale are not at odds but work in collusion -- one cannot make it far without the other. The only way for global companies to win hearts and minds (and Lions) is to embrace this new reality. he next Instagram may be conceived by a few people. But if it’s going to command $1bn, it will have to be embraced by millions.