Curated Guide to Research
MediaPost's comprehensive guide to current research in the marketplace.
- The average subscriber will pay for 2.14 SVOD services, according to a forecast by Digital TV Research. Subscription growth peaked last year, with the addition of 201 million subscriptions.
- For all the ad industry's talk of Big Data and martech, marketing professionals consider themselves the least data-driven of the major corporate departments, according to a just-released report from data management firm Talend. Asked to estimate the percentage of their decisions that were based on data, marketing pros appear to be far more reliant on their own gut. Nearly half (48%) of marketing pros said 50% of less of their decisions were based on data, which compares with 44% for financial, 35% of production, 33% of engineering and only 23% of IT professionals.
- Some 36% of execs working with data base decisions on instinct, about 22% think their data investments aren't worth it and 1/3 say creating a data-driven culture is a challenge, according to a survey by Talend, which focuses on data integration and integrity.
- The VAB says 1 percentage point of "under-counting" Nielsen TV audiences could amount to a "theoretical 12-month cost" of some $468 million in national TV ad revenues. The Media Rating Council met with Nielsen on Monday to discuss its findings. According to the VAB, the result confirms its belief that Nielsen under-counted for a longer time period during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Total 18-49 prime-time and kids 2-11 viewing is down 31% so far, looking at the Q2 2021 numbers-to-date vs. a year ago.
- Prior to the 2020-21 TV season, I released an annual report examining the impact of pre-season buzz on new TV shows. Each time my conclusion has been the same: despite some notable exceptions, there is no correlation between the level of pre-season buzz a show receives and whether it becomes successful once it premieres. In this week's edition, I provide a post-pandemic update, but here's a little background: Until the early-2000s, the broadcast networks almost exclusively aired repeats during the summer and there was virtually no television-based news other than previewing new fall series - which would typically begin right after the network upfront presentations in late May, and continue unabated through the start of the new season in late September. There was ample time to create buzz for the fall TV shows. That was before cable networks aired numerous original scripted series during those months, before the broadcast networks started airing summer reality, game shows, and limited-run series, and before the advent of streaming services.
- Ad agencies say there are many openings for the ideal candidate. Publicis performance marketing agency Performics continues to hire based on the need to support new business and organic growth of existing clients.
- By at least one important measure -- their plans to attend in-person industry events -- the sentiment of U.S. ad execs has improved markedly over the past couple of months.
- Heading into Mother's Day weekend, Ipsos has released some revealing data about the performance of, well, moms.
- The Out-of-Home Advertising Association of America this morning released a comprehensive guide for capturing mobile ad identity data to effectively evaluate which consumers are exposed to digital out-of-home media. The OAAA said the guide was developed with "top member industry leaders" and that it is intended to serve as an industry-wide measurement standard.
- Asked whom they would prefer to share their personal data with in order to improve their consumer purchasing experience, a slight majority of Americans said their preference would be to share it with brands they trust. That's one of the findings of a new report from customer data platform BlueVenn, which conducted parallel surveys of panels of U.S. consumer sand brand marketers in February and also found a profound disconnect between consumers and brands in terms of the value of the media they use to interact.
- Marketers appear to have less value for many media than consumers do, according to a new study that simultaneously surveyed separate panels of brand marketers and consumers.
- "Ad spending by major agency holding companies with Roku more than doubled. ... a really strong quarter for the advertising business," said Scott Rosenberg, Roku SVP and general manager, platform business during the company's Q1 earnings call.
- NielsenIQ, the consumer research division that spun off from Nielsen earlier this year, has launched its first new product.
- In what may be the most compelling argument yet to finally end the ad industry's practice of targeting media audiences based on demographic composition, Vice Media Group Wednesday made the case that the method is not just ineffective, but outright "discriminatory."
- Jed Myer will oversee media products, while Susan Lauinger will oversee advertiser products for North America.
- On the eve of Facebook's board's decision on whether to permanently ban twice-impeached former President Donald Trump's account, Americans appear to be split on whether it would be right or wrong to do so.
- Fully 86% of consumers plan to watch live TV at the same or increased rates, 88% plan to watch the same or higher amounts of TV via paid streaming (SVOD), and 81% plan to maintain or increase their viewing of TV via free streaming (AVOD), finds a Tremor Video/Unruly survey of U.S. consumers.
- Those in the 25-34 age group and Android buyers are willing to pay the most.
- Marketers supporting healthcare clients must provide accurate, relevant messaging that conveys empathy, strength and positivity despite keyword restrictions. Google enforces tight restrictions for the keywords marketers can use.
- Podcasts are poised for a surge in ad spending, according to a study of "advertiser confidence" based on various mobile ad formats, fielded by Advertiser Perceptions in December 2020. The study, which surveyed 252 mobile advertisers and agency media buyers, found podcasts have a net positive index of 56 (the difference between those executives indicating they plan to increase vs. decrease their podcast ad budgets over the next six months).
- Given the deprecation of mobile user identity and location trackers, the vast majority of mobile advertisers and media buyers believe contextual targeting is resurgent. "Approximate data" is good enough, they say.
- This year, video buyers say they will spend 56% of their total video budgets on digital video (desktop, mobile, CTV), significantly surpassing linear TV's share of 41%.
- Nine percent of respondents hid in their car from people in their household, according to Vroom.
- Email is the third-most utilized tool for retargeting, following Facebook/Instagram and Google, SharpSpring Ads and Ascend2 report.
- The "Donald Trump" brand's value has fallen since the former president was voted out of office, accelerating a trend that began when he first began running for president, according to the latest data from brand valuation authority Brand Keys.
- On the heels of the Association of National Advertisers' announcement that it is embarking on a new study of the "mind-numbing" programmatic digital media marketplace, a new study suggests that digital media has a far deeper -- and higher up -- problem with corporate America. Specifically, in the C-suite.
- It's been a difficult year to socialize and interact -- especially for college students stuck at home trying to advance their degrees and prepare for their future. Many require interaction and socialization to make the most of their learning.
- Developed at Y&R years ago, WPP is combining BAV with several other assets to create a single brand research and analytics platform at the holding-company level.
- A Standard Media Index analysis of national TV ad spending by type of media buy -- upfront, scatter and direct-response -- reveals a pattern of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic-related ad recession of 2020. While the national TV ad market collapsed in Q2 like many other media options -- especially non-digital "linear" ones -- it has begun to rebound in the Q1 of this year -- especially for upfront.
