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What is it about coming up in a smaller market that prepares executives to run giant media agencies in the United States? Canadian Doug Checkeris, recently named CEO of MediaCom North America, chalks it up to the specialization inside U.S. shops. “If you come from a market that’s smaller and more concentrated...
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Want to know what advertisers are thinking? The Association of National Advertisers took a poll of the 1,200 members attending its annual Masters of Marketing conference last month, asking about their plans for strategy, budgeting and tactics as the economy and markets grow more troubling. Here are the...
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Taking product placement to the college crowd, Ford Motor Co. is sponsoring a reality show on MTVU. The program, “The MTVU College 500,” features teams of students from different schools competing in a series of cross-country challenges with a $15,000 prize for the winner. Of course, the students will...
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London native Martin Cass paraphrases quintessential American writer Mark Twain when describing the situation at Carat, where he was named president of U.S. operations last week. Mr. Cass succeeds Scott Sorokin, who held the post for a little more than a year. The past few months at Carat have been marked...
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Most of the top shows in program ratings are also the top shows when measured by commercial ratings, the yardstick used by ad buyers to guarantee their spots are being seen by the number of viewers they bargained for. The following chart shows commercial ratings, or C3, for the first week of the new...
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With the credit crunch creating economic turmoil, media buyer ZenithOptimedia recently slashed its global ad spending forecast to show 4% growth in 2009, down from its original prediction of a 6% increase. ZenithOptimedia figures that the crisis favors the Internet as an advertising medium because it...
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One tough thing about coming up with consumer insights is that you’re never done. Kathy Kline, senior VP and consumer context planning director at Starcom USA, says the process for finding insights into how consumer and media behavior mesh can involve primary research, surveys, syndicated research and...
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Fox Reality Channel has an interesting idea to send comedians to do the job of the police. “Smile … You’re Under Arrest!” appears to be a somewhat extreme version of “Candid Camera,” with the pranks being pulled on actual wanted criminals. Fox Reality Channel plans to premiere the series Dec. 27. According...
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It’s never too early to begin evaluating the new fall season on television. At media buyer Starcom USA, Senior VP Sam Armando has two simple methods for getting a quick read on which new programs are off to a successful start and which may prove to be candidates for an unceremonious cancellation because...
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Spanish-language television has been hot for the past few years, and that’s made Danielle Gonzales’ job both more fun and more challenging. As senior VP and managing director for Tapestry, the Starcom MediaVest Group’s multicultural unit, Ms. Gonzales has been the agency’s lead broadcast negotiator with...
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Columbus, Ohio, is the nation’s most sports-crazed town, according to a recent survey by Scarborough Sports Marketing. In Columbus, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team, about two-thirds of all adults say they’re very interested in sports. That’s way above the 56% national average. Here are...
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NBC Universal Research President Alan Wurtzel thinks the research done during the Beijing Olympic Games has won the gold medal he was looking for. NBCU put in place a number of research studies during the Games designed mainly to track how people consume related content on multiple media platforms, something...
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Auto network Speed is tuning up three special episodes of its series “Unique Whips” featuring stars and their cars. “Unique Whips” features Will Castro, whose New York auto shop Unique Autosports customizes cars for celebrities and other motor vehicle enthusiasts. Which stars are worth specials? How...
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Looking to kindle some advertiser interest in a sport often overshadowed by football, baseball and basketball, the National Hockey Association has released parts of a research study that shows fans of its sport do more than drink beer and spit teeth. The study, from Experience Consumer Research, paints...
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If Steve Murtos had his way, local media owners would find more efficient ways to transact business and demand more robust measurement of the audiences they reach. Since Mr. Murtos is VP and local activation director for Starcom USA, his advice probably is worth heeding. Even in an election year, local...