Search results matching tag 'Media Planner'

Changing Lanes in the Media Game

Anonymous — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:18:00 GMT

Often in this feature we have written about changes in media usage. As TelevisionWeek changes from a print publication into a Web-only existence, it seems fitting to wrap up this print column with a discussion of change, and how to maximize your TV advertising dollar by embracing the concept of change itself. For example, McDonald’s restaurants have not changed much since you were a kid, right? Wrong! McDonald’s continually revises its selling messages to compel us to revisit the restaurant. How dedicated is McDonald’s to television? At right is a list of the fast-food chain’s various television selling themes over the last 40 years. See how many of these changes in slogan sound familiar to you. No, McDonald’s has not been resistant to changing times; instead they have embraced change. Maybe that’s why McDonald’s sales are +3% in a recessionary economy. Changing your mind about change is the first and hardest step. For example, I enjoy reading TelevisionWeek when flying or while I am waiting in so many client offices for meetings to begin. The print version is irreplaceable in that way. But I also must admit that I also read the daily TVWeek.com e-mails and visit the TVWeek.com Web site once a week to get the latest in trends and TV news. So in reality, I engage with TVWeek electronically six times per week and I read the print version just once. So if I had to choose to give up one of these mediums, I too would chose to pass on the print model, since my iPhone and laptop give me all of the same TVWeek information, whenever, and wherever, I want to be. Changing your opinion about change is the hardest part of change. When planning an effective TV campaign, all of us at ESA & Co. believe that we need to move with the customer, or the customer will move on without us. Put into TV terms, that means we now need to embrace the fact that our traditional TV viewer has moved to Web video, Facebook, Twitter and blogs. No, we are not losing a viewer; instead, we are gaining multiple ways to engage with that very same viewer. Here, then, are our best tips to manage through a changing retail and media world. 1. Stay true to your original mission. Just because the media mix is morphing into something that you did not plan at the beginning of the year does not mean that your original mission of selling boxes, units, cases or tickets changes. In the end, it’s all about sales results. 2. Stay close to the cash register. A campaign is only a success if the person spending the ad dollars generates 10 to 20 times the amount back in revenues. Anything else is a moderate success at best. 3. Remember that the consumer moves with or without you. Ever see those nature documentaries from Africa? Those giant herds of wildebeests move as a massive crowd and very little can stop them from their migration. This is how consumers move—at a slow and deliberate pace. You’d better be moving with them, or they will leave you behind. 4. Media today is taken for granted. Ever miss the score on a late-night sporting event? Odds are that before you ever have to do much, you will learn that score as you go about your daily routine. TV, Web ads and monitors everywhere you go will bring that information to you. The consumer is not in love with any media; they just choose which media to use based on their own convenience. It’s all about what’s easy for them. 5. Always respect the basics of retail television. The retail covenants apply no matter what new media you are buying. TV ads work because they sell a product or service. Branding is dead in a recession; sell value and urgency if you want to drive business now. 6. Create the excitement to attract the consumer. I recently read about a software program that enables consumers to “choose” the types of ads that they receive. Asking the consumer to know what they’ll want in the future is a fool’s game. Consumers live in a “now” world and they have no idea what they might want one week, one month or one year from now. Stay willing to adapt and you will find that your television advertising campaign will always find ready buyers. Finally, I want to thank Chuck Ross, Greg Baumann and Tom Gilbert for all of their support these last few years. You have truly produced the best and most-read TV trade magazine—TVWeek. Here’s to new horizons! Adam Armbruster is a senior partner with Red Bank, N.J.-based retail and broadcasting consulting firm Eckstein, Summers, Armbruster & Co. He can be reached at adam@esacompany.com or 941-928-7192.

Web Firm Gets Revved Up by TV Commercials

Anonymous — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Maybe it takes a company rooted in new media to really love the things that old media, like network television, can accomplish. Web hosting and domain name company Go Daddy was the sponsor of ABC’s coverage of one of the grand old spectacles of sports, the Indianapolis 500, over the weekend. Go Daddy is probably best known for the commercials it has been running during the Super Bowl, TV’s biggest day of the year. Go Daddy achieves added notoriety for its sponsorship of the football championship by rolling out risqué ads too “hot” to be shown on TV. This tactic generates media attention in the form of stories about the networks turning down Go Daddy’s spots. It also generates traffic to Go Daddy’s Web sites, where the uncut, unsuitable for broadcast versions of the commercials are available for the curious to see. For the Indianapolis 500, Go Daddy focused on one of its newer “Go Daddy Girls,” race car driver Danica Patrick, the only woman to hold the lead in the annual event. The company designed a cliffhanger commercial that urged viewers to go online to see how the commercial, called “Speeding,” would turn out. In the commercial, Ms. Patrick is pulled over on a deserted highway for exceeding the speed limit. When the female police officer recognizes who she’s stopped and what company she represents, the officer begins her own special audition to be a Go Daddy Girl. As the spot ends, Ms. Patrick promises a racier conclusion on the Web site. And the gambit worked, as far as the Internet company is concerned. Ms. Patrick came in third place in the 500, the highest-ever finish for a woman. And Go Daddy’s Web traffic jumped 163% during the race compared to a year ago. Traffic was even higher following the race, with the site racking up a 570% increase in visitors. “First and foremost, congratulations to Danica on her historic performance,” said Go Daddy founder and CEO Bob Parsons in a statement. “She made us all proud today on and off the track. It was amazing to watch the response to our new commercial ... visitors jumping online so quickly to see our Internet-only version.” Driving TV viewers to the Web is paramount for Go Daddy, because that’s where it does its business and can fully explain its proposition and services to potential customers. “Getting visitors to the site is what it’s all about—when people see what Go Daddy can do for them online, they become customers,” said Mr. Parsons. “Once they experience our 24/7 personalized customer service, they tell family and friends—who then become customers, as well.” And if the ads are embarrassing, Ms. Patrick isn’t letting on. “A lot of people tease me about the Go Daddy ads because they push the envelope,” the driver is quoted as saying in a statement from the company. “But GoDaddy-esque ads are fun to make, fun to watch … you just never know what’s going to happen.” And Go Daddy says that in its survey of people who watched the online-only version of the commercial, 92% found its “hilarious, funny and clever.”

DVR Research Institute Study: More Info Needed

Anonymous — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

When it comes to TV advertising there is, according to advertising executives (advertisers and agencies) that participated in a recent survey from the DVR Research Institute, no greater threat to effectiveness than the advent of digital video recorders (DVRs). The trouble is, each side believes the other is on top of the changes and their potential impact. They aren’t. The study, "Advertising in the DVR Age," which will be published next week, reveals that advertising executives believe DVRs represent the greatest challenge for TV advertising in the next three years. A shocking 83% of advertising executives believe that DVRs will negatively impact the effectiveness of TV advertising during this time. Only 66% felt that the advent of newer entertainment formats (games, Internet, etc.), considered the second-greatest threat, would have such an impact. With the upfront negotiations coming up, this is a critical time to explore if – and how – advertisers are going to adjust their TV advertising to the new DVR reality. The survey asked about 200 top U.S. advertising executives (advertisers and agencies) to respond to a series of questions addressing the impact – and potential impact – of DVRs on TV and ad watching. In addition to responses from the advertising executives, the study includes interviews with industry thought leaders, an evaluation of the revised strategies that advertising executives are contemplating, an analysis of best practices and an analysis of past and future industry trends. Numerous reports exist on the current and expected penetration of DVRs, the amount of live (versus time-shifted) TV watching and the ad-skipping patterns in time-shifted mode. Companies like Nielsen and TiVo offer increasingly granular data on DVRs and their impact on viewing habits. With this abundance of information on DVRs, advertising executives might be expected to feel confident they have the information needed to deal with expanding DVR penetration. Yet, surprisingly, these research results indicate that neither the advertisers nor their ad agencies are confident they have the information they need to make adjustments in advertising strategy to address the impact of DVRs. Nearly 75% of the respondents "somewhat" or "completely disagree" that they have all the relevant information about DVRs and their impact on TV advertising. What may be surprising is that all the respondents manage aspects of TV advertising and about 90% of respondents are directly involved in media-planning or -buying decisions. What is most interesting, though, is that while – overwhelmingly – neither advertisers nor agencies think they have the information they need, a majority of both groups believe the other group is better informed than they are! About 77% of the advertisers "somewhat" or "strongly disagree" they have the relevant information about DVRs to make strategy adjustments. Yet, more than half of the advertisers "somewhat" or "totally" agree with the statement that their advertising agency is well informed about DVRs and the impact they have on TV advertising. Ad agency responses mirror those of advertisers. More than 68% of the ad agencies do not believe that they have the information needed to adapt their advertising strategy to the new DVR reality. Yet, almost 60% of the ad agencies think their clients are well informed about DVRs and the impact they have on TV advertising. With so much information on the impact of DVRs available, why is the advertising community not more confident it has the information needed? It may be that, although there is much information available, there is little to no data available to answer some key questions that arise from the increased DVR penetration. These questions include: Which advertising formats (informative vs. entertaining, bare bones vs. elaborate, etc.) are least likely to be skipped? What are the best ways of addressing changes in viewing habits due to DVRs – reallocating TV advertising expenditures to focus on different programs, formats or creative emphasis? Reallocation to other media? Which alternatives to the 30-second spot are most attractive: sponsorships, pop-up ads, product placements, etc.? How are DVRs expected to influence CPMs? Respondents’ perspectives on these issues suggest opportunities for "turning lemons into lemonades" through strategy modifications designed to leverage the impact of DVRs to maximize advertising impact. The results also show that the sellers of TV advertising – the networks, cable channels, syndicators and local TV stations – have to take a more active role in educating TV buyers on the true impact of DVRs on advertising. Even if most advertisers haven’t changed their advertising strategy because of DVRs – yet – many advertisers are getting an increasingly negative perception of the effectiveness of TV advertising because of DVRs. While some of these beliefs may be well-founded, others are most certainly based on wrong facts and misinformation. Tom Schultz is managing director of the DVR Research Institute. He can be reached at tom.schultz@DVRresearch.com

Spike Presents ‘Guys Choice’

Anonymous — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

NBA scoring leader Dwayne Wade, UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen are Spike TV’s kind of guys. Those men will be among the winners and presenters at Spike’s third annual “Guys Choice” awards special. “‘Guys Choice’ is a one-night-only celebration of guydom and will be the biggest boys’ night out of the year,” said Casey Patterson, executive producer and senior VP of event production and talent development Spike TV. “We’re bowing down to everything that matters to our guys, from their childhood heroes, icons and sports legends to the current comedy, women, music and movies that matter to mankind.” Among the women represented on Spike will be Halle Berry, who is getting the Decade of Hotness Award, which no doubt will be placed next to her Academy Award. Judd Apatow, who has made a series of movies aimed at guys’ unique sense of humor, is being given the Mankind Award. Other awards are being decided by a fan vote at www.guyschoice.spike.com. Although voting is closed, viewers will be able to go to the site to view red carpet and backstage coverage of the “Guys Choice” event. The official sponsors of “Guys Choice” are AT&T, Corona beer, Degree V12 antiperspirant, Pizza Hut and the U.S. Army. “Guys Choice” will be taped May 30 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif. The special airs June 21 at 10 p.m.

More Than Media in Hanrahan’s World

Anonymous — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Getting promoted to VP at Starcom isn’t the only big change in Magen Hanrahan’s life lately. She also recently got engaged, and that’s been a focal point for her for the last few weeks. Her fiancé isn’t in advertising or media and that’s just fine with her, because she has other relatives in the business. “I come from a media family, so there’s enough advertising conversation at the dinner table,” Ms. Hanrahan says. Her father worked at Leo Burnett before Starcom was formed, leaving to work at Coca-Cola. He’s now semi-retired, consulting and putting out a newsletter. Her younger sister works at MediaVest in New York, despite having vowed never to spend her life sitting on her butt all day working on Excel spreadsheets the way Magen does. For Ms. Hanrahan, the media business always sounded pretty exciting. Growing up, she would get to do cool things because of what her dad did for a living. At home growing up in the Chicago suburb of Flossmoor, he would quiz her and her siblings as a way to explain his job to them. He would ask them, “‘Why do you think this ad is on TV right now?’ or ‘Why do you think this ad is in this magazine? Who do you think they’re trying to get to grow their product?’” Ms. Hanrahan recalls. “As I grew up, I really liked that puzzle.” When it was time to go to college at the University of Indiana, she was deciding whether to be a theater major or a business major. “I’m either going to wait on tables for the rest of my life, or I’m going to eat at nice restaurants and have people wait on me,” she says. “So I chose the business school route, but I knew pretty early, on based on the probing questions that my dad had posed, that it seemed like a really interesting career path.” Ms. Hanrahan says her father didn’t help get her a job at Starcom. She went through the normal interview process. Since she’s been there, however, she has run into people who worked with her father. Once while on the way to the airport for an early flight to New York for a new business presentation with Starcom President for activation Chris Boothe, he told her he’d been to her house when she was 11 or 12 years old. He said her parents invited some of her dad’s co-workers over for Easter dinner. While they were there, little Magen and her two younger sisters put on a song-and-dance show for the group. That story was a bit embarrassing, but overall, “It’s been really rewarding to hear the really nice things that people have said” about her father. Ms. Hanrahan spent enough time working on the U.S. Army account that her speech is filled with military terms. Now she oversees three accounts: U.S. Cellular, PetSmart and Excelon. While her clients’ businesses are very different, she says they do have some things in common: They all want to tell consumers that they’re different and explain why consumers should switch to their product. Working on U.S. Cellular has pushed Ms. Hanrahan to focus more on local media. In fact, she’s now part of an agency group studying its approach to gathering local market consumer insights and developing strategies specific to different cities or counties, and then executing that from a buying standpoint. Starcom recently helped U.S. Cellular with an international call day in Chicago. The company invites people to come to its store to call friends and family in other countries. While it’s not traditional media, the effort reinforces U.S. Cellular’s “Believe in Something Better” slogan. “We’re trying to make sure that the customers truly understand what their slogan means, ‘Believe in Something Better,’ that U.S. Cellular is not just going to treat you like a number, that you are not just a friend but a family member,” she says. It’s unlikely that anything Ms. Hanrahan encounters at work will faze her fiancé, who works in Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management helping to plan for catastrophes. Not that she experiences many catastrophes at work. “I don’t have too many angry clients. I’ve been very lucky. With the clients I have now, I don’t have those nights when I go home and say to myself, ‘What were they thinking?’” she says. When away from work, Ms. Hanrahan enjoys entertaining. She’s also active in volunteer work and has become a key player in the media agency’s community outreach programs. “I’ve been lucky that my volunteer work outside the company has translated into a volunteer program inside the company,” she says. Among the agency’s programs is traditional pro bono work for Chicago’s bid to get the 2016 Olympics. Ms. Hanrahan also launched a program called “Instant Karma,” which allows people to sign up at the last minute to spend time with kids who are part of the Off the Street Club. Other efforts include having glitter and glue available in conference rooms so people can make cards for senior citizens, donating prom dresses to the Dreams Delivered program and providing business attire to the Chicago Child Welfare Society to help parents dress to find jobs. The agency also collected 250 backpacks for the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago in 2008. This year’s collection is on a similar pace, she says. Ms. Hanrahan says Starcom recently changed its company policy to give employees two days off each year to volunteer. She says the agency maintains a database of nonprofit groups and the Starcom people who work with them. That means that, for example, “Instead of showing up to a meeting not knowing anybody, you can call Magen Hanrahan and she’ll go with you or give you details on the organization.” Who knew?: Ms. Hanrahan says she often gets asked why her first name is spelled funny. “I’m named after my grandmothers,” she explains. Her dad’s mother was Mabel—hence the Ma—and the Gen comes from her mom’s mom, Geneva. “So they kind of squished them together, she says. “Once in a while, someone will tell me my name is misspelled in the e-mail system. No, it’s not. I’m just a little different.”

Chart: Most-Watched TV Commercials on Broadcast TV

Anonymous — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

It pays to advertise in ABC’s top drama, “Grey’s Anatomy.” According to TiVo’s StopWatch ratings service, eight of the top 10 most-watched commercials aired during the medical show.

But TiVo notes the most-watched commercial didn’t air in the top-rated episode of the series, which appeared March 26, and that only four of the 30-plus ads that aired that night made the list at all.

“This data reinforces, as it does every month, that paying to be in the No. 1 program does not necessarily mean you will get the highest commercial audience,” said Todd Juenger, VP and general manager of TiVo Audience Research & Measurement.

The list of the top 10 commercials follows:

Total Viewing—March 2008

Commercial	Show	Airdate	Rating
1. Paramount "I Love You Man"	Grey's Anatomy	March 19	13.4
2. Carnival Cruise Line	Grey's Anatomy	March 26	12.9
3. Dove Go Fresh Body Wash	Grey's Anatomy	March 26	12.7
4. Old Navy Clothing Store Women	Grey's Anatomy	March 12	12.7
5. Summit Entertainment "Knowing"	Grey's Anatomy	March 19	12.5
6. Citibank Consumer Services	Grey's Anatomy	March 12	12.5
7. Sony Pictures "Angels & Demons"	Grey's Anatomy	March 26	12.4
8. Discover Card Online	Grey's Anatomy	March 26	12.1
9. Ford Motor Fusion Hybrid	American Idol	March 10	12.1
10. Apple Macbook	American Idol	March 10	11.8

Source: TiVo's StopWatch Ratings Service

A Geek’s-Eye View of Making Movie Magic

Anonymous — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

What could be geekier than being a fan of “Star Wars”? How about having a deep interest in knowing all about the technology used in making famous science fiction films? Science Channel calls its new series “Science of the Movies,” which debuts May 26, “a geektastic journey to the cinematic intersection of art and science.” The show is hosted by Nar Williams, geek-in-chief at AchieveNerdvana.com, a blog about sci-fi, technology and geek culture. In the first episode of “Science of the Movies,” Mr. Williams talks with John Dykstra, inventor of the Dykstraflex, the motion-control rig used to create the shot of the Death Star exploding in the original 1977 “Star Wars” film, now known as “Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope.” In the same episode, Mr. Williams demonstrates the newer, most popular motion-control system Milo, used for the spidey sense scene in the first “Spider-Man” film. Finally, he straps on a body-mounted camera like the ones used in “The Dark Knight” and simulates a chase scene. “We’re excited to introduce viewers to new host Nar Williams, who uncovers the secret world of the engineers, inventors and innovators creating mind-blowing movie effects,” said Science Channel general manager Debbie Myers. “Nar’s genuine enthusiasm for this series comes through in every episode, and our viewers will love riding along with him as he immerses himself in the action.” Future episodes of the series will look at creating the miniatures used in “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” and a lesson in re-creating a real-looking crime scene from the folks who make Showtime’s “Dexter.” Authentic Entertainment produces “Science of the Movies” for Science Channel. Lauren Lexton and Tom Rogan are executive producers for Authentic and Jack Smith is executive producer for Science Channel.

J&J Finds Way to Get Under ‘90210’s’ Skin

Anonymous — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

The CW has been working to find a place not only in the hearts of 18- to 34-year-old women, but also in the hearts of advertisers who target them. The network, which holds its upfront presentation in New York on Thursday, has showed its advertiser friendliness by coming up with several ways in which products can be integrated with the network’s programming and talent. One example aired just last week when Johnson & Johnson teamed with The CW’s “90210” to promote its Clean & Clear Skincare brand of cleansers and anti-acne products, which target the network’s younger viewers. The May 12 episode of “90210” featured the prom at West Beverly High School. Among the celebrants were young viewers from Hauppauge, N.Y., who won walk-on roles as part of the Clean & Clear sweepstakes. The sweepstakes and the walk-ons were the culmination of an integrated marketing campaign designed to capitalize on prom season. The sweepstakes winners, Jenna Matus and Kayla Law, also will appear in Clean & Clear commercials airing during the program. One spot features up-and-coming recording artist Shanna Crookes, while the second follows the winners’ behind-the-scenes experience on the show. “This is a dream come true for us,” said Ms. Matus. “Kayla and I watch ‘90210’ every week, so the opportunity to appear in the prom episode with our favorite stars is truly exciting.” They also said they used Clean & Clear leading up to their primetime appearance. Johnson & Johnson and The CW launched the sweepstakes program in January. Viewers were asked to go to The CW’s Web site and upload a brief video explaining why they and a friend deserve to appear on the show. In addition to the appearance on the show, the prize included a four-day, three-night trip to Los Angeles, where the show is filmed. Before the show, the winners got on-set VIP treatment including hair, makeup and wardrobe styling. They also received a one-year supply of Clean & Clear. The show tie-in helped Clean & Clear highlight the brand’s role in helping teens feel confident and have good-looking skin on their special evening. “Prom is a milestone that teens spend months preparing for,” says Stefano Curti, president of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Co. “The Clean & Clear brand is committed to helping teens feel confident and in control of their skin on prom night. Our complete line of products offers highly innovative anti-acne fighting technologies for clearer, healthy-looking skin, which is what every teen wants.” For prom season, Clean & Clear also launched an online “Countdown to Clear Skin” program designed to help teens track their progress to clear skin.

Breaking the Category Paradigms

Anonymous — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:00:00 GMT

One of the most powerful ways marketers can create impact in the marketplace is to reconfigure their offerings in a way that breaks with conventional category paradigms. When that reconfiguration provides consumers with more or better options than were previously expected in the category, the new offering can become especially compelling and differentiated from competitors. Southwest’s impact on the airline category when it entered the marketplace is a good illustration of this concept. For consumers, the airline category had become characterized by a variety of givens that were all inherent in the air travel experience; coach, first class, pricey fares, taxes, in-flight services, extra fees, procedural similarities and the like. In short, no matter which airline one flew, or when, the experience was relatively similar. There wasn’t much a consumer could do, short of paying a lot extra, to alter the overall experience. When Southwest entered the market, it chose to streamline certain areas of the experience in order to reduce prices and it paid off. Consumers were happy to forego a variety of amenities baked into the experience in exchange for a more affordable ticket. Other carriers, saddled by the airline experience conventionality, were now faced with a formidable competitor that was equipped with a well-defined point of differentiation. The reason that reconfigured offerings can create powerful impact is that they leverage the strength and exploit the opportunities change brings to the marketplace. Change is wonderful because it gives consumers new choices or new ways to consider old brands. Change is also to be reckoned with because it alters the environment under which categories have comfortably operated within previously. Competitors will resist changing environments. They tend to feel that tried-and-true approaches and offerings will provide advantage. How many times have you heard stories about managers citing “that’s the way we do it around here.” What may have been an unassailable strength for years can become an anchor that weighs down a competitor when a reconfigured offering is unleashed in the market. Reconfiguration is not only relevant for a marketer’s offering; it also can help media planners create significant impact as part of the communication process. Across the agencies I’ve worked with, many brands have plied this strategy to great affect. Here are a two of the best case study examples I have seen. When considering the strategic media approach for a frozen pizza product launch, prevailing wisdom across the team initially pointed down the path of investment levels and vehicle selection consistent with consumer packaged good launches and traditional frozen category support. On the other hand, initial consumer research demonstrated the new product had the potential to compete far beyond the grocery aisle and gain share from even restaurant retailers. From the media team’s perspective, it didn’t make sense to follow conventionality as the way to create best media impact. We incrementally did a competitive assessment of restaurant category best practices and noted the significant differences in media strategy. Those different strategies would potentially feature the new brand in unexpected dayparts and environments with much more visibility than consumers or competitors might expect from a frozen pizza brand. We recommended and the entire team agreed to forge the new media direction on the brand. Results were outstanding. Not only did the new brand quickly rise to elite brand status within the category, the visibility created by the plan yielded additional benefits. In the traditionally deal-driven frozen pizza category, the new brand’s high visibility insulated it against heavy deal periods by competitors. In an example that yielded exactly the opposite results, our team was once called into an impromptu meeting to alert the planning team of unexpected funding for a line extension of a cold and flu remedy brand. The extension more specifically targeted sinus sufferers as opposed to cold sufferers. Our account team was very interested in having the media team simply allocate the incremental resources within traditional category seasonality. Unfortunately, the resources provided were very thin and the planning team was uncomfortable allocating them to expected seasonality. For starters, expected seasonality focused on fourth quarter, which was disadvantageous for two reasons. First, over a half a billion in competitive spending begins rolling out in the fourth quarter, meaning overwhelming share of voice disadvantage vs. endemic cold category brands. Secondly, fourth-quarter media costs translated to less presence per dollar. Additionally, chronic sinus sufferers, the core target for the extension, suffered all year long, not only during cold and flu season. Many cold sufferers happened to buy a sinus brand to treat cold symptoms in the fourth quarter, but was the best opportunity for the brand to attempt to harvest many sales from non-core target buyers or to build sales over time in a more focused fashion against the core over time? We proposed to the account team that a better solution would be to use the limited resources available for support in summer months when a higher proportion of category sales go to the core target of chronic sufferers. Conveniently, summer months provide more advantageous media costs, meaning prospects could be reached in higher proportion, without being lost in the clutter of hundreds of millions of competitive messaging. We suggested that prospects would be more likely to make a purchase and, if satisfied with the brand, could become frequent purchasers due to the chronic nature of sinus conditions—essentially targeting the 20% responsible for 80% of sales when they would be most likely to hear the message. The account team disagreed, directing us to provide a plan that invested resources according to standard category paradigms in the fourth quarter. As you might suspect, the investment had little impact in the marketplace. Our client was underwhelmed by the ROI attached to our course of action and we never again received incremental funding for the brand extension. The story quite possibly would have had a different conclusion had we implemented the fresh strategic approach. What can planners do? Here are some things that your team could do to effectively re-orient the planning strategy to break category conventionalities and create impact. First, if your process does not include a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis, create one. The SWOT analysis is viewed by many as a rote part of planning processes and often doesn’t receive the credit it deserves. The team should do a thoughtful assessment of factors noted in the analysis. Are strengths really strengths? In the Southwest example, it’s likely many air carriers viewed the breadth of extra services as strengths, when in fact, they were weaknesses that stood in the way of offering lower fares. Honestly question the relevance of other factors in the analysis. Secondly, take a fresh look at competitive analyses. The data may demonstrate that category competitors are falling into the trap of ‘following the leader’. If everyone is talking to consumers in the same place, it’s possible the consumer hears no one clearly. There may be better opportunities away from the clamor. As another step, conduct a critical review of the planning parameters on which the plan is based. Assess whether or not each foundation element of the plan is founded on a solid strategy or whether it is simply being held over as a legacy from years of prior planning. Is the seasonality valid? Is the premise for market selection or daypart mix solid? Who has the final say on the media types included in the plan? If it is traditionally dictated by anyone other than the target consumer, a change is needed. Honestly consider the on-going relevance of each strategic choice. A hard, final assessment for many planners to make would be to consider how much of a slave their brand’s plan is to cost. Every media plan should execute against its objective as efficiently as possible, but the overall objective should not be maximum efficiency. Efficiency for efficiency’s sake doesn’t have anything to do with influencing target prospect. Every cost-related decision made in a plan should happen because it helps to increase impact, whether the cost per impression goes up or down. In a category where competitors appear to execute plans for efficiency, reorienting toward cost-effective impact may make a huge difference. Marketers can often create impact in the marketplace by reconfiguring their traditional way of doing business to provide consumers with a differentiated offering that stands out among the competition. Media planners can achieve the same end with media plans. There are a variety of actions planners can take to find a potentially powerful refined planning approach. Thoughtful SWOT and competitive analyses, critical reviews of planning parameters and clarifying the role of cost in the plan can all lead to powerful innovation. In a constantly evolving messaging environment, media planning innovation can be just the edge your brand needs to win in the marketplace. Mark Dominiak is principal strategist of marketing, communication and context for Insight Garden.

A Funny Thing About the Shortage of Comedies

Anonymous — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

As the broadcast networks prepare to unveil their schedules for the 2009-10 season to advertisers in New York next week, Magna has taken a look at what was once a TV staple: the sitcom. Steve Sternberg, executive VP for audience analysis at Magna, a division of Interpublic’s Mediabrands, notes in a new report that in the fall of 2003, the broadcast networks aired a record 50 comedies. By comparison, last fall there were just 22 comedies on the networks. Three of them were new and none of those will be back. The comedies that debuted midseason are not performing well either, he said. One reason the broadcasters may be having trouble developing comedies is because they seem to prefer the edgier fare. Meanwhile, viewers—and advertisers—prefer family-friendly shows. “The bulk of viewers are not looking for the next ‘Arrested Development,’ they’re looking for the next ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’” Mr. Sternberg says in his report. Despite the tough time the networks are having creating new comedies, Mr. Sternberg nonetheless makes the counterintuitive claim that viewers are watching more comedies than they were back in the early ’90s, when such favorites as “Cheers,” “Roseanne,” “Cosby,” “The Golden Girls,” “Home Improvement,” “Murphy Brown,” “Designing Women,” “Seinfeld,” “Friends” and “Frasier” ruled the airwaves. That’s because while most of TV’s hit comedies are no longer airing in first-run on the broadcast networks, they’re available in syndication, on cable and in boxed sets of DVDs. “Every year at this time, the networks start revealing their program development plans for the new season. Press stories abound about how they might try to revive the network comedy,” Mr. Sternberg says in his report. “Seldom noted in these stories, however, is the fact that people still like watching comedies, and are in fact watching them more than ever.” Mr. Sternberg says that of the top 15 comedies on TV, only two will be on a broadcast network this fall: “Family Guy” and “Two and a Half Men.” The other top comedies are “George Lopez,” “Home Improvement,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Seinfeld,” “Family Matters,” “That ’70s Show,” “The King of Queens,” “Friends,” “Frasier,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Roseanne” and “M*A*S*H.” In fact, viewers are spending more time watching “Seinfeld,” “Friends” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” now than they did when those series were among the top-rated shows on broadcast television. Mr. Sternberg calculates that in the 1993-94 season, there were about 180 hours per week of comedies on television, including broadcast, syndication and ad-supported cable. During the 2008-09 season, there were 790 hours of comedies available. There are more comedies in syndication, with eight off-network series airing in 1993-94 and 25 airing now. Off-net comedies were very rare in the mid-’90s. Now, just about every cable channel has one on its schedule. And that’s not including the original comedies on cable, such as “South Park” on Comedy Central,” FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Meet the Browns” and TBS’ “House of Payne,” “My Boys” and “The Bill Engvall Show.” Mr. Sternberg hopes the networks can return to making comedies, particularly ones that can be watched by the whole family. “Roughly 80% of homes during primetime only have one television set turned on,” he says. “Families do want to watch television together, and are looking for comedies that fit that mold.” His message to producers and network executives is that comedy viewers haven’t disappeared. “They’re just biding their time, happily watching the comedies they’ve loved for years—just waiting for a new one to join the club,” he says.