After five years, Google is shuttering its auction-based TV ad sales system and “doubling down” on the growing online video space. The decision comes after the company earlier this year said Google TV Ads had expanded such that it could sell inventory reaching 42 million homes. Throughout its tenure, Google pitched TV Ads as an easy-to-use platform for advertisers that had never used TV before and touted multiple success stories. The company plugged the opportunity to pay only for delivery, based on Google’s AdWords system and the chance to receive granular performance metrics, used in part for set-top-box data. Google executive Shishir Mehrotra wrote in a Thursday blog post that TV Ads was aimed at using Google technology to “bring digital buying and measurement technologies to traditional TV advertising.” Similar efforts were abandoned in radio and newspapers in 2009. He added that it was a tough decision, but “video is increasingly going digital and users are now watching across numerous devices … We’ll be doubling down on video solutions for our clients (like YouTube, AdWords for Video, and ad serving tools for Web video publishers. We also see opportunities to help users access Web content on their TV screens, through products like Google TV.” Google TV Ads will be phased out over the next several months. Mehrotra wrote that current campaigns will continue to be “supported(ed).” Staff can be better deployed elsewhere at Google, he added.TV Ads suffered, in part, as some top-tier national networks balked at making their inventory available on the platform, suggesting it would commoditize their inventory. In January, however, Google said it had secured distribution options with Cox Communications in addition to Verizon, Dish Network and other avenues. Dish Network was the original inventory provider to Google and the company did sign up some national networks.
DirecTV has an arrangement with Viggle that will provide rewards to viewers of the satellite provider. Viggle, a sort of loyalty program for TV viewing, gives viewers a chance to accumulate points through checking in while watching.Viggle was founded by Robert F.X. Sillerman, the media entrepreneur who has had interests in “American Idol” and the Elvis estate.DirecTV viewers will be able to earn movie tickets, gift cards and other prizes or make donations to charities. Viggle, which runs on iOS and Android platforms, has an advertising component. Points can be accumulated for interacting with an ad.Launched in January, the publicly traded Viggle was known as Function(x) until changing its name. Part of the deal has DirecTV and Viggle each giving the other marketing opportunities on their platforms.Alex Kaplan, a vice president in marketing at DirecTV, stated the arrangement is a “first step of our agreement with Viggle and we expect more enhancements for our customers will follow."Viggle recently gave third parties access to its platform to help networks build second-screen opportunities such as polls and games.
When it comes to furry little animals, the big challenge for Kia these days is not so much how best to exploit the Hamsters (its now-famous mascots for the Soul compact crossover), but how best not to exploit them. After all, the anthropomorphic mammals have been that rare agency creation that crosses over -- and therefore, has the potential to wander away from Kia's cage. Michael Sprague, Kia Motors America's EVP and chief marketer, confesses that they have to be restrained, as he's gotten some pretty wild offers from movie producers and others who see big potential for the crepuscular comedians. "We have been approached. We have had producers saying, 'We have an idea to make it into a movie,' and every time we have said, 'No.' We don't want them to be overexposed; it's too important for us and too iconic for the brand." He tells Marketing Daily that like the groundhog, the hirsute scene chewers make only one big media appearance per year before scampering into the comparative shade of social media. "We do a month of cinema and TV, and then put them on YouTube, and that sustains the campaign. We have had around 20 million views on YouTube, and we are still getting tens of thousands of views per month." The company launched the Hamsters in 2009 with "A New Way to Roll." The next year was the "This or That" campaign where Kia used the hamsters to make fun of the competitive set of vehicles, depicted, literally, as appliances. The third Year of the Hamster used the now-unbearable LMFAO tune whose name I shall not mention, in an ad in which the hamsters are in a futuristic combat zone video game with killer robots. And it's that time of year again: the quirky cricetidae are back in a new campaign that is also the first to have the hamsters interacting with people, as the rollicking rodents bring electronic dance music -- and of course, the Soul, which rises through the floor in a dazzle of laser light, to a stuffy 18th-century opera house. In the ad, a ballet performance circa 1799 turns out to be conducted by a hamster, who quickly turns things around as another hamster, a DJ, spins “In My Mind” remixed by Axwell. The rest of the animals appear, wearing the licensed Hamstar apparel. Things get wild, as the Soul appears and finally the hamsters climb in and the Soul takes them through time and space to next year's dimension. The ad will run on 18,000 movie screens nationwide, on National CineMedia’s FirstLook pre-show program on Aug. 31, and television, with the ad debuting during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 6. It will also be on all Kia social and digital platforms, including Facebook, YouTube and Kia.com. Sprague says Kia will use the hamsters until the animals jump the shark (which could actually be a cool idea for next year's campaign!). "Everything we have read and heard so far is they are iconic to the brand, that they represent the brand well, and that there is huge connection between Soul and the hamsters," says Sprague. That connection is so strong, he says, that Kia isn't even using the hamsters to pitch other vehicles. "We have talked about sneaking them into [advertising for] other vehicles; we have looked it for Forte and Rio and others, but they are iconic for Soul."
Positioning itself as a major force for TV Everywhere, Adobe Systems said it authenticated more than 88 million video streams to U.S. viewers during the London Games. That represents “the highest number recorded for a single event in TV Everywhere history,” according to Campbell Foster, marketing director for Adobe Media & Ad Solutions. This summer, Adobe powered two apps for NBC Sports, which streamed the Olympics live via consumer mobile devices. One was a live-streaming app for the more than 3,500 hours of content that NBC promised viewers; the other was a companion app loaded with additional content. Both let fans record footage for playback, as well as share their viewing experiences via social media channels. More broadly, Campbell boasted a 10-fold increase in authenticated streams for Adobe Pass during the first six months of the year, which he attributed to its participation in the Olympics, along with NCAA March Madness, UEFA Euro 2012 soccer, and the NBA playoffs. Adobe debuted its Pass product late last year as a tool to authenticate pay TV subscribers across screens so that only the right customers get access to the content. With Pass, Adobe was addressing widely held concerns among TV cable and satellite providers -- as well as individual content makers -- that new media meant lost ad revenue. Adobe Pass promises a secure authentication system that uses Flash and HTML5 to provide access to content on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS BlackBerry and Google TV platforms. Adobe says the system works via a single user sign-in and doesn’t require additional downloads or other complex authentication procedures. Beyond NBC Universal, Adobe Pass is now integrated with more than 150 pay TV providers and supports over 40 sites and mobile apps from 25 networks, including Fox, ESPN, CNN, TNT, MTV and Disney. “Approximately 98% of pay TV households in the U.S. are now able to view TV content via the Adobe Pass service,” according to Campbell. Domestically, desktop consumption accounted for 70% of authenticated streams, while smartphones and tablets combined for the remaining 30 percent -- with iOS leading by 81%, and Android serving 19% of the streams, Adobe reports. A total of roughly 7 million TV subscriber households accessed authenticated streams online from roughly 10 million authenticated devices. This week, Adobe also rolled out several improvements to its Pass service, including auto-authentications, free content previews for consumers, and a more available API for developers.
Telemundo said it has inked Allstate, Caress and Volkswagen as top-line sponsors for its new “Premios Tu Mundo” (Your World Awards) broadcast. The backers will have roles on-air and in social media plays.Allstate, with its blue brand color, will sponsor the blue carpet and its “La Mala Suerte” (Mr. Bad Luck) character. He is part of its Spanish-language campaign and will be integrated into the show, which will include helping to present an award.Caress will air segments before the show with female celebrities arriving on the carpet. Volkswagen will be involved by linking with Telemundo personality Penelope Menchaca in vignettes, where she will be seen driving a Jetta to the event. During the broadcast, the NBCUniversal network will encourage viewers to tweet support for favored celebs.The awards show will honor actors, athletes, novelas, movies and others in 25 categories. Some 5 million votes have been submitted online and via an iPhone app. “Music, entertainment and social media are major passion points for our audience,” stated Dan Lovinger, who heads sales at Telemundo, adding the awards show marks “a tentpole special to fuse all of these categories together and tap into our engaged audience in an interactive and relevant way.”Allstate will sponsor text alerts as well as Facebook and Twitter extensions of the show. Caress will back digital extensions that include interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
Unless something unexpected happens, millions of Texas residents won’t be able to watch the University of Texas season opener on Saturday night. The game will air only on the Longhorn Network (LHN), the ESPN-owned cable channel with scant availability in the Lone Star State. The LHN saga, where distributors have balked at carrying the network, has been well-covered. One argument is the channel doesn’t offer enough live games. But the Texas opener against Wyoming and the Longhorns’ game a week later versus New Mexico will be on LHN only. So, many fans won’t get a live look at their beloved team until Sept. 15. With so many people with idle time over the next two weekends, the Texas economy will be impacted. Ok, it’s not quite the oil bust, but this is a Saturday tradition gone unexpectedly awry. There will be winners and losers. Movie chains have got to be psyched. During a televised UT game, theaters may be near-empty. Without one, attendance could jump. And there’s that anti-Obama documentary that should be a draw in red Texas. Similarly, retailers have got to be ecstatic. Temperatures will be steamy and the forecast calls for isolated thunderstorms in Houston, so there should be plenty of retail therapy to deal with no game to watch. Domino’s and pizza delivery places have got to be devastated. No Longhorn viewing parties has to mean fewer orders. They’ll be pointing to the Mississippi game Sept. 15. Beer companies should be fine. Yes, they will suffer like Domino’s with fewer viewing parties, but a bunch of Texans unable to watch their favorite team? Hmm… BBQ joints? Should do great. But they’d do well anyway. Not everyone in Texas pulls for the Longhorns, but they do for good BBQ. With so many homes in Austin unable to get LHN, the Salt Lick not far from town should be overrun. Cardiologists? This is bad for business. More people than usual – maybe millions – could actually get off their couches on a fall Saturday. Of course, if those are gouging on BBQ, that could be a push for the physicians. Advertisers might save a few bucks. Running spots in widely carried UT games in the state has got to be pricey. So, there could be a less expensive way to reach people who do stay home and watch something else. The Houston Astros might have some extra fans Saturday. That’s badly needed, considering the team is horrible and ranks 27th out of 30 in average attendance. The Texas Rangers aren’t home, but don’t need help filling the stands. Bars that are carrying the game, of course, should do a brisk business. Call center employees at AT&T and Time Warner Cable have got to love that their companies don’t carry LHN. Angry fans should flood the switchboards, perhaps giving them plenty of overtime pay -- if they can handle it and don't quit first.
Earlier this week, New York Times ad columnist Stuart Elliott wrote that "professional football is probably the most effective advertising delivery system ever invented. Ratings data provide evidence ...The most-watched series in prime time during the 2011-12 television season was not a drama, a comedy or a reality show: it was ‘Sunday Night Football’ on NBC. Likewise, Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 was the most-watched program in American television history." To which he adds: "And most people watching football are watching the games -- and the commercials -- live rather than taping and replaying them. Advertisers far prefer live viewing because so many people skip commercials during taped replays." While it is a fool's errand to argue with Stuart -- who tracks advertising developments about as closely as anyone else in the world -- I might take issue with the notion that guys who watch pro football (and I am one of them) really pay close attention to commercials. The problem is that while telecasts of football games run from three to four hours, there are really only about 11 or 12 minutes when the ball is in play that require our attention. The rest is filler -- from dumb-assed sideline commentary to 15 replays of a rolled ankle injury, to "insight" from the announcers -- only a portion of which adds value to the experience. The networks also cram in as many program promos for upcoming shows as they can, and sell sponsorships for everything like "close third down plays brought to you by..." If you watch a couple of games a weekend (which the NFL now defines as Thursday through Monday night) you will see the same commercials spots over and over and over, until you swear off the offending brand in retaliation. Make no mistake about it, Stuart -- many of us start recording the first hour or so of every game and fast-forward through commercials until we catch up to the live broadcast. If we time it just right, it will be with 2 minutes left in the game. If that isn't possible, we either mute commercials or switch over to a whole different channel (you'd be surprised how much of a movie you can see during a football game), using the picture-in-picture feature to return to the game when the ball is FINALLY snapped. The problem is that the NFL and the networks are over-leveraging that huge audience, adding more commercials, promos and sponsor mentions every season, to the point that the games are simply unwatchable live. This is also happening during every kind of programming. Ever watch an IFC movie only to toss in the towel near the conclusion, because they increase the frequency of the commercials, figuring you won't jump ship that close to the end? I tape the network news every night, since when I watch it later in the evening, it takes only 20 minutes instead of 30, and I don't have to be reminded by the commercials that, like everyone else, I am dying of old age. The butch Americana nature of commercials aimed at football watchers implies that we are desperate to get laid, can't wait to have another beer or junk food delivery, and have a pick-up parked in the driveway. I swear I don't know one guy who drives up steep hills with a load of timber or iron pipes (although I have seen folks haul some old furniture to the dump and let waving kids sit on lawn chairs in the flatbed for the local Memorial Day parade.) At any rate, the NFL and the nets only have themselves to blame for chasing away perhaps the most desirable part of their audience.
The new broadcast season begins in three weeks. Can you feel the excitement in the air? Me neither. There doesn’t appear to be very much interest anywhere in any of the new series that the networks have been feverishly promoting since the final weeks of the May sweeps. How can this be? The broadcasters surely cannot complain about a lack of promotional platforms and opportunities. There are few people in few places that the networks cannot reach with their perpetual pitches on behalf of their new and returning shows. Let’s give the networks the benefit of the doubt and call some attention to the handful of new shows that have at least excited journalists and bloggers – two groups that together now seem to comprise a desirable demographic of their own. That short list includes “Vegas” and “Elementary” (my early pick for the fall’s best new show) on CBS, “Nashville” and “Last Resort” on ABC, “The New Normal” on NBC, “The Mindy Project” on Fox and “Arrow” on The CW. The pilots for a couple of these shows are very good, while the others aren’t half bad, which is saying a lot, given the overall company they are in. But, as is true of any new show, they are all very vulnerable until subsequent episodes are completed and the ongoing strength of each can be properly assessed. (I’ve been hearing for several weeks now that at least one of the shows named above has been falling apart behind the scenes, while the talk within the industry about a couple of the others isn’t nearly as positive as the external media buzz.) Every broadcast season brings with it a few new shows that seem to stand above the rest and a bumper crop of duds that are plainly doomed to fail. This season is no different. But that doesn’t explain the cloud of disinterest spreading over the fall season in general. I think there are several reasons for this. For starters, much of what the networks are about to reveal feels like old business or yesterday’s news. Perhaps that’s because their aggressive publicity campaigns on behalf of these shows began even before the previous season ended. There was a huge burst of publicity for some of them during the San Diego Comic-Con, but that came and went almost two months ago. There was another big surge of promotion during the annual Television Critics Association tour, but that ended almost four weeks ago. It’s one thing to start beating the drums as early as possible. It’s another to peak before you’re ready to roll. It may be that millions of people have already made up their minds about what they will and will not watch. How could they not, when information about and previews of all the new shows have been flying at them on a daily basis for more than three months? Another significant factor in this new season malaise is the ongoing strength of cable network alternatives when weighed against traditional broadcast fare. There are few shows coming on the broadcast networks that hold the bright promise of the simple escapism that USA Network has provided throughout the summer with “Burn Notice,” “White Collar,” “Royal Pains,” “Necessary Roughness,” “Common Law” and “Covert Affairs.” (In broad contrast, it feels like the writers of this season’s freshmen series over-worked their scripts and made them too dense and wordy.) There are no new detective shows with a central character as delightful as Kyra Sedgwick’s Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on TNT’s “The Closer.” The most promising new network serial is ABC’s “Nashville,” but it isn’t going to resonate with multiple generations of television viewers in the way that TNT’s “Dallas” does. Also on TNT, the science-fiction thriller “Falling Skies” remains a decidedly imperfect show, but it is far superior to NBC’s new “Revolution.” There is nothing coming on any of the broadcast networks that will grab teens and ‘tweens the way that “Bunheads” did on ABC Family, along with such returning hits as “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “Pretty Little Liars.” Meanwhile, MTV’s “Teen Wolf” in its second season was more fun than just about anything else on television. BBC America winningly entered the original series arena with the engrossing period crime drama “Copper.” AMC bracketed the summer with “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” (How can broadcast hope to hold up when compared to them?) Looking ahead, the fifth season of FX’s wildly compelling “Sons of Anarchy” is about to begin, and the second season of the same network’s addictive “American Horror Story” will soon follow. October will bring with it the third season of AMC’s horror sensation “The Walking Dead.” Back on Memorial Day, History showed everyone how it’s done with the acclaimed mini-series “Hatfields & McCoys.” Now sibling A&E will steal the spotlight on Labor Day with a mini-series remake of the 1978 feature film “Coma.” And so on. No wonder viewers don’t appear to be excited about the new fall fare. They’re likely suffering from excitement fatigue. Or they have simply figured out that most of the broadcasters’ new season shows aren’t going to satisfy them the way so many cable series do. Media may be moving at an accelerated pace, but some things never change.
According to Nielsen’s 2012 National Universe estimates of Hispanic HH’s 2+, 53.3% of dwellers are between the ages of 25 and 44, a little more than half the total population. As this new generation of Hispanic Americans emerges, attitudes and behavior, especially with media consumption are changing. In the past, television was consumed by the entire family and in the form of appointment television. Typically, there was one TV in the HH and if “mom” was watching a telenovela, the entire family had to be tuned in. This is not the case today. According to Nielsen, 92% of Hispanic TV HHs have 2+ televisions. The number of TVs per HH coupled with the plethora of media choices available in both English and Spanish means that today’s Hispanics have a choice! With the fall season fast approaching, and media buyers deep in negotiations with networks, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on the very different upfront presentations made by the three major Spanish networks – Univision, Telemundo and Mundo Fox. All three seemed to have very different approaches to the content they are providing their audiences. Univision’s upfront focused on persuading advertisers to shift 15% of their budget from English-language networks – NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX – to Univision. They presented some impactful data that supported Univision outperforming NBC against the 18-49 demographic on many nights this past year, the increase in overall reach with buying Univision vs. simply the Big Four, and their younger-skewing audience when compared to these networks. Are the Univision and English-language network’s audiences comparable? How did the Univision presentation relate to those advertisers that consistently spend with Univision and recognize the unique value and differences of the Spanish-speaking Hispanic audience when compared to the general market? I don’t think that simply shifting dollars is the answer for all advertisers. But what really struck me is how few changes were apparent in its programming. Overall, in contrast to its Spanish-language network competitors, it seems to be taking the approach that, as the undisputed market leader, minimal changes to its content is justified by its history of dominance in the market. Telemundo will launch a new brand image along with new tagline, “Brave New Telemundo,” this coming fall. The tagline will capture the duality of Hispanics who remain connected to their heritage while embracing America, said Jacqueline Hernandez, COO of Telemundo Media. Aiming for a 40% increase in its original content, 2013 Telemundo’s line-up will offer six new telenovelas, two daytime shows and reality competitions popular not only on English-language networks, but around the world, such as, “Yo Me Llamo” and “La Voz: Ninos”, a kid’s version of NBC’s “The Voice,” and “La Boda de tus Suenos” (an adaptation from an international hit in Netherlands).It has also acquired the rights to the sequel of “La Reina del Sur,” the network’s highest-rated telenovela. As the second-place player among Spanish networks, it is evident that Telemundo has a lot of fight in itself, and seems to be increasing its game in order to compete not only with Univision, but also in anticipation of Mundo Fox’s launch. But will these changes be enough to keep its current audience as well as attract new consumers? Despite being a new network, Mundo Fox is prepared to launch with a unique lineup of shows and genres which could end up setting the standard for all Hispanic networks. The network has an upbeat, fresh approach to targeting an assimilated American Hispanic target. During the upfront, the common theme pulled Hispanics from all different backgrounds into one community using the slogan, “I am [country of origin], I am American.” The melding of general market and Hispanic market programming will definitely appeal to the new generation of Hispanics. Its presentation discussed the fact that Hispanics have been used to watching novelas for decades because that was the main programming available. The network is, therefore, aiming to create a demand for break-through programming much like Fox did among the English-language networks. If the quality that has been promised by Mundo Fox is accomplished, then ratings will likely begin to shift, especially among the younger demographic. This strategy could benefit it in that, instead of going head to head against the “giants” in Hispanic broadcast who have had a hold on the older demographic for decades, it is choosing to create something entirely new. Steering in a completely different direction from the blocks of telenovela programming, Mundo Fox is offering all genres of programming that general mass-market networks offer. This includes dramas, comedies, sports, news, and reality programming. The network will also repurpose some general market hit programming in Spanish to include “Bones,” “Minute to Win It,” and “American Dad” in the launch line-up. Mundo Fox will be a trailblazer in broadcast entertainment for the new generation of Hispanics in the U.S. With the fastest-growing segment of the population being bicultural Latinos, which networks will prevail? What we do know is that Latinos have been stuck with what was available in Spanish, which was limited. Now they have more choices. As the population continues to become more diverse and skewing younger, it seems likely that MundoFox’s strategy of offering new Spanish-language genres of programming will excel. With the fast growth rate of the Hispanic population and its median age continuing to get younger, we know that language won’t be as important a factor in reaching them. Instead, competition among television networks is going to continue to get fierce, and networks will find that regardless of language, they will need to focus more on keeping content fresh and relevant.
I sat down with media legend Jack Myers to talk about the publication of his recent book, “Hooked Up; A New Generation’s Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World.” His book is based on an IPSOS/OTX research survey of one thousand 17-to 21-year-olds plus interviews, and offers a range of insights on the influences, mindsets and behaviors of this first truly Internet-immersed generation. Jack calls those born between 1991 and 1995 “Internet Pioneers,” and says the way they view and interact with the world not only has immediate implications but also a long-term impact on society. Below is a short excerpt from the interview, which can be viewed here.CW: What is the definition of television for these Internet Pioneers -- and how will that impact the future of television? JM: Television to them is video, wherever they are watching. A declining percentage is watching television in the traditional way. They don’t necessarily differentiate between watching “American Idol” live on Fox versus watching a repeat of “Pretty Little Liars or an MTV show that they’ve DVR’d, or that they are watching on Netflix or on-demand. Or that they are pirating over the Internet. More and more of them are looking for ways to watch programming on any number of means to access it, whether that means iTunes or YouTube or whatever. They love television. It’s extremely important to them. They recognize the importance of broadcast networks. They love the cable networks, but they love YouTube just as much and they are just as likely to watch a three- or five-minute program on YouTube as they are to watch some of the more successful programs on broadcast or cable television. They tend to treat television the same way they treat music. It is the soundtrack of their lives. There is less loyalty to specific genres or programs. Music used to be packaged by albums with specific well-known artists -- but now, because of such services as Spotify and Pandora, there is a discovery process taking place because new music is being pushed out every day. Television will evolve in the same way -- there will be a constant process of discovery. CW: If, as you say in your book, this generation is more gender-blind and more open to diversity, how does this play out politically? JM: I was actually very surprised by the politics of this group. All are now eligible to vote in the 2012 election, and over 90% of these 18- to 22-year-olds intend to vote… not only in this presidential election but also in future elections. Seventy to eighty percent on any given issue tend towards the more moderate and progressive side, and pn average 20% tend to the more conservative side. So they are a very politically progressive block. There are some issues [where] they don’t even understand the debate. When Rush Limbaugh attacked Sandra Fluke on the issues of women’s rights and reproductive rights, they didn’t even understand the conversation. The importance of diversity and human rights is such an ingrained part of their DNA that they [were] confused by the debate and the discussion. While we see it on college campuses today, we can look back and see it in past generations of college students as well. One could say that while they are in college they are progressive, but once they graduate and start in the working world they become more conservative. But what is going to be interesting about this generation is that they will stay connected to each other by the Internet. They are going to stay Facebook friends. They will become Linked-in friends. They will continue to have those same qualities now -- and society is less likely to bifurcate and polarize in the future than it has in the past several decades.