• by John Gaffney , January 15, 2003

Teens Say The Darndest Things: I’ve always maintained that the one thing any businessperson can always use more of is information about their audience. This is especially for media planners and buyers. You’re asked to believe and verify audience numbers on a daily basis. But does any media property truly know its audience and their likes and dislikes? This was readily apparent at the NY Ad Club panel last night on teen marketing. This panel, first of all, was the real deal. It had live, breathing, media consuming kids on board. Kids that are on IM for more than five hours a day. Kids who like Led Zep and the Beatles (no boy bands here). Kids who haven’t bought a CD in more than a year. (They burn ‘em.) Kids who don’t remember the last ad they clicked on. Kids who told some of the panelists who are considered experts in this business that their innovative, brilliant and even successful ad campaigns aimed at them are not hitting the mark. Sometimes the audience that we’re aiming at in the ad or content business tells us things we don’t want to hear. I hear suggestions and criticisms on a daily basis about our products. I have to take that info and apply it the best way I can, even though I don’t want to hear it. I like to think my well-constructed universe exists without interruption. Those interruptions help. Listen to your audience.

Now, Let’s Hear From The Adults: A new FDA study about the effects of pharmaceutical advertising has been getting a lot of notice this week. You can pull a lot of numbers from this one, but there’s the one I noticed: 92% of all doctors surveyed report that at least one patient has asked about a prescription drug they saw advertised. Pretty good brand awareness level, if you ask me.

Parting Shot: Seems Michael Powell has changed to a much more cautious tone on the threat of media consolidation. I also think the threat of John McCain challenging the FCC in the Senate might have had something to do with his new caution.