• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 1, 2011

It’s April. Cherry blossoms are blooming in Washington. Azaleas will be on full display during the Masters next week. And yet in the Northeast, it’s dreary with the specter that spring won’t arrive until Memorial Day. Whether it's beautiful or bleak, it’s time for this month’s Leaders and Bleeders.

LEADERS:

1) “MAD MEN” ADVERTISERS AND AMC – New deal clears path for show to include 22 more minutes of ad time per season. And, marketers can promote their brand integrations. Most episodes will include two more minutes of inventory, giving advertisers more opportunities and AMC more cash. Marketers paying for product placement will be able to tout that after an episode. Taglines far better than “Cadillac: A Great Drive for Don Draper, A Better One Today” could come. One hurdle: showrunner Matt Weiner must approve all integrations.

2) MEDIABRANDS – Media unit of Interpublic cuts exclusive deal with Nielsen for system that could show how media buying drives product sales. That could increase performance-based compensation, where proof the work is helping ringing the cash register can bring higher payments. Mediabrands CFO Jeff Lupinacci said the Nielsen arrangement provides an “ability to understand how our media decisions ... what we're planning, what we're buying -- will impact those business outcomes."

3) SUPER BOWL SALES – Already moving despite an NFL lockout and the kickoff not set until February 2012. Real estate seller Century 21 said it is in, likely paying a premium as a first-time advertiser and buying so far ahead. Century 21 will also take a title sponsorship of a half-hour pre-game show, according to Ad Age, which also reported NBC is seeking as much as $3.5 million a spot. Century 21 is set to use the ad buy to please franchisees while it celebrates a 40^th anniversary. 

4) “HARRY’S LAW” – New drama might help NBC make a case things are turning around. Starring Kathy Bates, it isn’t doing particularly well in the 18-to-49 demo that drives sales. But it is NBC’s most-watched original show, which can help boost confidence internally, garner press attention and provide a promotional platform. Airing at 10 p.m., affiliates also have to be happy with it as a better lead-in for the late local news. From David E. Kelley, the series may not be a critical darling, but Bates is excellent as a tough lawyer and at times it even makes the city of Cincinnati look cool.

5) DAN LE BATARD – Long-time Miami Herald sports columnist hosts stellar sports radio show in Miami that often mocks the hype-ESPN complex. Turns down hundreds of thousands of dollars by refusing to taint his journalistic credentials by doing on-air endorsements. Even as he needles ESPN, set to launch his own show on the network later this year. Will be produced in Miami and he tells Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock his dad and brother will play roles. Le Batard only writes once a week now because he says writing is really hard and lonely (hard to argue). 

BLEEDERS:

1) “MAD MEN” FANS – Fifth season of the summer staple won’t launch until early 2012 because of contract issues involving showrunner Matt Weiner. Like with “The Sopranos,” frustration will grow while waiting so long between seasons, but great shows can survive that. Good news is Weiner may offer some slightly longer episodes on alternate platforms.   

2) TIME WARNER CABLE AND CABLEVISION – Both muff the highly anticipatedlive TV on the iPad availability inside the home. Hard to understand how such well-run companies apparently failed to get the necessary approvals pre-launch. As networks objected, TWC has had to remove channels from its iPad line-up. Cablevision has been touting the product for months and was scheduled to launch it by March 31, but that has been postponed as it waits for software approval from Apple.

3) UNIVISION – Census results show large increase in Hispanic population giving it grist to pitch advertisers, while ratings are up. Yet, executive turmoil could prove unsettling. Well-respected CEO Joe Uva declined to re-up, while Peter Lazarus has left the company only a week after being named head of sales for new networks. While not likely to dent Univision’s widening ratings lead, Telemundo makes swift marketing move to place its logo on an IndyCar.

4) EXECS TOUTING “PARTNERSHIPS” – MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman has smartly nominated Garth Ancier for TV Commissioner. If Ancier takes the role, his first act should be to ban agency and network executives from using the word “partnership” to explain how the business is changing. We get it. It’s no longer about fighting over every penny, but crafting win-wins. Which of course means no one at GroupM is telling a boss: can you believe how ABC is trying to hijack us? Great, so now media buyers can drop the following: “The business is no longer adversarial, it’s about developing ‘partnerships.’ Our clients demand new ideas and we can’t do that without great ‘partnerships.’ Recently, we wanted to use TV and the Web and our terrific ‘partnerships’ made it possible.”

5) ONLINE VIDEO ADS – Why do some programmers still run the same ads over and over during a single episode stream? This is brand backlash just waiting to happen -- even when the creative is brilliant. After they run incessantly in less than an hour, a purchase seems about as appealing as another singing competition.