The Show within the Show

During last Sunday’s episode of “Desperate Housewives,” viewers were teased with a Sprint commercial titled “Another Desperate Housewife.”

This spot was created by the writers of “Desperate Housewives” and was given the same general feel as the program, with a similar setting, tone and narration. It was like a mini spin-off masquerading as a commercial and featured a couple in the throes of suspicion, betrayal and mystery a la Wisteria Lane. There will be seven more of these shorts throughout the season, and the couple from the commercial will casually appear in a real “Desperate Housewives” episode, further blurring the line between the program and the commercial.

“You want to be able to relate to viewers within the property they know and love and that they have a passion for,” said Stephanie Kelly, Sprint’s entertainment media manager.

By incorporating elements of this highly rated program into their spot, Sprint is hoping to pique the interest of viewers and reduce the dreaded fast-forwarding of their commercial.

This is an innovative way of increasing commercial viewership. It makes sense. People who enjoy the campy salaciousness of “Desperate Housewives” will be intrigued and entertained by “Another Desperate Housewife.”

It is safe to predict that this ad will most likely be watched more frequently than a traditional ad and will be better remembered. But will it sell more Sprint phones?

--Tessa G.

What Media Buyers Want

I’ve recently been doing some web research for one of our clients, trying to find websites targeting women aged 18-54 who have young children and who live in Indiana. I happen to be a person who fits this demographic, so I can personally recommend a few sites I frequent; but honestly, I may not be your average bear. Ask people who know me.

Another option: to pick the strong newspaper or television websites of major metro markets in the state, which consistently get high traffic because of their local news and weather content. This option will reach a large population and may be cost effective CPM-wise. But it also will expose my message to a bunch of people who may not care, because they are not my core demo.

In a media-buying dream world, here is what I really want:

· A (free) website that ranks other websites based on basic demographic information:
o Geography
o Sex
o Age
· It could go a step further and allow us to target based on other factors such as:
o Education
o Marital status
o Income
o Children in the household
o Whether they ate at Subway in the past month
o Etc

I can see it now. You log in to awesomewebsiterankingbydemo.com, check all the targeting information you need, and up pops a comprehensive list of the top sites, ranked by total number of unique visitors who meet the demo criteria.

Is there such a thing out there? Compete.com is a good start for basic website comparisons, but you have to pay for the really good data. The stuff we really want. And need.


--Tessa G.

Fox Introduces the “Tweet-Peat”

Fox is teaming up with Twitter to give viewers a unique reason to watch repeats of “Glee” and “Fringe” this week. Cast and crew members of the shows will tweet commentary, offer behind-the-scenes information and answer fan questions via Twitter. These tweets will scroll at the bottom of the screen during the repeat episodes of “Fringe” at 9 p.m. Thursday and “Glee” at 9 p.m. Friday.

I am a fan of social media. Both Twitter and Facebook are viable venues for my egocentric need to express myself and my voyeuristic desire to steal a glimpse into other people’s lives. But if I wanted to get insight into a television show, I would do it online.

We have to deal with so much sensory overload on cable news networks with the scrolling news and split screens. We put up with the scrolling commentary on last season’s repeat episodes of “Lost” because, frankly, “Lost” became so convoluted with its constant twisting of time and space that without the commentary, most of us couldn’t remember what happened before the commercial break, much less determine whether what happened was in the future, past or present.

Will fans take the time to go online and tweet their questions? Will these “Tweet-peats” increase viewership, or will the tweets merely annoy viewers? I expect that true fans of these shows will enjoy the inside information coming directly from the cast, but will they care about what the executive producers have to tweet?

To join in on this Twitter/TV experience, follow the two events at: twitter.com/FRINGEonFOX and twitter.com/GLEEonFOX.

--Tessa G.

Local Spring 2009 Arbitron Radio Ratings

Here’s a quick snapshot of the newly released spring 2009 local radio ratings, including gains/losses since the last survey period in fall 2008:

Federated Media stations top the list, with WOWO continuing to dominate in the market. It should not come as too much of a surprise that the conservative city of Fort Wayne listens to the likes of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

Both country stations, K105 (WQHK) and WBTU, had some minor losses in shares, yet K105 remains strong in key demos. While the country format may be declining, the two hip-hop stations, Hot 107.9 (WJFX) and Wild 96.3 (WNHT), showed some gains.

WLDE 101.7 took the greatest hit with a 2.4 share loss. WFWI The Fort is also declining. Is it possible that Bob and Tom have finally run their course?

Although the Arbitron rating system is imperfect, because it depends on written diary entries, it does give us a glimpse into the trends of Fort Wayne’s radio listening habits.

--Tessa G.

Ozzy + Chimps = Ad of the Day?

The latest commercial from Samsung Wireless features Ozzy Osbourne as we now know him: a sad, lost soul holding on to his fading fame with weak and predictable attempts at humor. Maybe it’s just me, but an aging rock star with a chimpanzee is not a winning combination. The commercial doesn’t make me laugh. It doesn’t shock. It doesn’t make me want to go out and buy a Samsung Solstice phone. Am I missing something?

--Tessa G.

Nielsen Offers New Radio Measurement

Nielsen is rolling out a paper diary system to measure radio in 51 small to midsize markets. Similar to diary measurements for TV, this radio version will rely on consumers to log their listening habits. This will be beneficial for small markets who cannot afford the portable people meter offered by Arbitron.

There are pros and cons to this new system. On the plus side, Nielsen’s sample size will be larger than Arbitron’s and will thus offer a more precise measurement. They will over-sample and offer larger incentives to harder-to-reach younger demos and minorities. Also, Nielsen’s diaries will include stickers with station call letters and frequencies, which will help respondents recall which stations they listened to rather than name stations based on their top-of-mind awareness.

On the other hand, the stickers may prompt participants to check off a station they don’t listen to. Another concern is that ratings will only come out once a year. Format fluctuations and local programming changes will make these ratings irrelevant.

The bottom line: Some ratings are better than no ratings. For small markets who are not subscribing to Arbitron because it is cost-prohibitive, Nielsen is a valid and cost-effective alternative. For large radio groups such as Cumulus and Clear Channel, switching from Arbitron to Nielsen seems like a step back, but in these economic times, the pros apparently outweigh the cons.

--Tessa G.

Late Fringe Morphs Into Prime with Leno

It’s not really a new show, per se, but rather an old show redefined and uprooted to a new time period. Jay Leno is moving from the 11:30 p.m. late fringe time slot he inhabited for 17 years as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” to 10 p.m.—the final hour of prime time. The show will air every day, Monday through Friday.

It is hard to predict whether NBC is crazy or brilliant. According to NewMediaMetric’s research, Leno may be able to pull off a ratings win on Tuesday night, when other networks are showcasing new and unproven dramas. The other nights will prove more difficult, when Leno has to compete with hits such as “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: New York,” “Private Practice” and “Numbe3rs.” Can Leno compete with first-run programming that has a solid and loyal audience?

Giving one program monopoly over five nights of prime programming is a very risky move on NBC’s part. They have the potential to lose shares (and revenue) every weekday. Leno jokes about his precarious position in the fall 2009 lineup: “Do we expect to beat ‘CSI?’ No,” he admits. “Originally I wasn't going to stay at NBC. But I remembered something my parents always told me, ‘Whatever I do in life, make sure I come in fourth.” The show would have had a much better chance of rising above fourth place had it premiered during the summer months, when other networks are in repeats.

“The Jay Leno Show” premieres September 14 at 10 p.m. (Eastern).
--Tessa G.

Networks Balk at C3 Ratings for Sports

The C3 ratings system, which averages live ratings with three days of DVR viewing, was implemented for network television in 2007. These ratings differ from traditional live program ratings in that they take into account commercial viewing during DVR playback. Nielsen believes it is ready to apply this metric to TV sports starting with the 2009 NFL season, but networks are resisting the change.

Sports were not initially included in this system because the regional nature of sports programming makes the process a bit more complex than for consistent national programming. Commercial breaks occur at different times in different markets and fluctuate from game to game. Nielsen needed some time to fine-tune the new metric and ensure there were no technical problems. They now feel confident that C3 can do for sports what it is doing for other programming: offering advertisers a more precise measurement of who is watching their commercial.

But networks (who refused to officially comment) are not convinced. Their main concerns are the methodology and potential errors. Compounding the issue was a memo from Nielsen recently acknowledging that it made errors processing the ratings for five NFL regional and national telecasts, as well as mistakes for a number of pre- and post-game shows and other segments.

Then there’s the fact that ratings will most likely drop an estimated 6 percent with the C3 system. This drop in ratings could equate to significant revenue loss for the $8 billion sports market. This, most likely, is the rub.

--Tessa G.span>

Advertising in Kindle’s Future

The Kindle ebook reader, the newest gadget everybody wants but nobody needs, is planning on adding advertising to its ebooks.

According to patents filed by Amazon, the Kindle would include ads throughout the ebook, in its margins, between chapters or every 10 pages. The ads could be targeted based on the consumer’s profile as well as the content of the novel. Imagine settling down to read “Moby Dick” and being sidetracked by an ad for a whale-watching cruise from Expedia.com.

Users would have the opportunity to purchase the book at a lower price if they agreed to view the ads.

This is a novel (pardon the pun) way for advertisers to target their audience; but from the perspective of a consumer, I would have a hard time really losing myself in a story if ads were incorporated into the pages. It would be a distraction that may negatively affect my perception of the advertiser.

--Tessa G.

MRI Launches New Ratings System for Magazines

Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) unveiled the first ever ratings measurement for magazine advertising. The new service, AdMeasure, will focus not only on circulation or potential readership of an ad, but will go a step further by measuring the ad’s effectiveness.

The metric will answer the questions:

Was the ad noticed by the reader?
Did it affect consumer behavior?

“Historically, a magazine’s total readership was accepted as a proxy for ad exposure,” said Kathi Love, president and CEO of MRI. “AdMeasure sharpens the focus of magazine accountability by moving the needle from measuring the ‘opportunity to see’ a print ad to measuring how many readers actually saw the ad, as well as how many took an action as a result of seeing it.”

There seems to be a trend in media’s desire to give marketers more precise and qualitative measurements of their advertising. From the new Eyes On rating system for outdoor advertising to this new AdMeasure for print, those media once considered to be a complement to TV and radio are stepping up by offering better accountability and giving advertisers more reason to spend their ad dollars with them.

AdMeasure will provide ratings for national ads one-third of a page or larger in roughly 645 consumer magazines nationwide.

--Tessa G.

Jammin’ with Jelli

Traditional radio will never be the same. On June 28, CBS Radio is launching a 100 percent user-controlled radio program on KITS-FM, out of San Francisco. Listeners will be able to take over the airwaves via a web service called Jelli, whose motto is “No Suits. No DJs. No Kidding.”

Every song that airs on the station between 10 p.m. and midnight on Sundays will have been chosen and voted upon by listeners. Anything goes, as long as enough people agree. Not only can you vote for your favorite song to be played on the air, but you can also vote for a song to be taken off the air. All this happens in real time.

What will this mean for the radio station’s ratings? With the format fluctuating from country to rap to adult contemporary, will the station be able to keep a loyal audience? Will people enjoy listening to Eminem, followed by Miley Cyrus, followed by Lyle Lovett? (Granted, Lyle Lovett probably would not make it on Jelli’s playlist, but that’s another story).

It’s an interesting experiment that may shed light on listener profiles, but personally, I would rather use Pandora or Slacker, which allow you to customize your own personal radio station on the web. These services allow you to expand your horizons without having to endure formats that are on the opposite end of your own musical spectrum. Radio would truly be revolutionized if we could figure out how to transfer these custom stations to live radio.

--Tessa G.

DTV Switch Goes Without a Hitch

As of last Friday, television stations across the country dropped their analog signal, switching exclusively to digital TV. More than 900 stations waited in anticipation for the switch to take place, expecting a plethora of problems. For the most part, there were no major glitches. FCC Chairman Michael Copps declared the transition a success. “For TV broadcasting, it was a final farewell to the Dinosaur Age and the dawn of the Digital Age,” Copps said.

All TV stations in Fort Wayne made the switch with very few issues. The stations received a handful of calls from viewers with reception problems, most of which were resolved by having the viewer re-scan the airwaves for the digital frequency.

--Tessa G.

TAB Launches New “Eyes On” Ratings

The Traffic Audit Bureau is fine-tuning the way it measures ratings for out-of-home advertising. The new “Eyes On” measurement will add information from mailed surveys about destinations and interviews with drivers who keep weeklong travel logs to driver and pedestrian traffic counts.

The data will be analyzed to provide a “visibility adjustment” for each billboard, which will let advertisers know not only how many cars drove by the billboard, but how many people noticed the ad and remembered it. Outdoor companies will no longer be able to get away with billboard signs with compromised visibility, whether too far from the side of the road or half-covered by overgrown trees. Furthermore, unlike any other medium, the quality of outdoor creative will have an impact on the measurement, as it will affect the number of people who notice and remember the message.

This new system will also provide demographic information, such as gender, age, race and income level. It will answer the question of “how many,” as well as ”who,” “what,” “how often” and “where.”
This richness of quantification will allow advertisers to more precisely understand their audience and make better decisions about billboard locations.


--Tessa G.

Sci Fi Channel Steers Away From the “Geek” Demographic

I am a spelling snob, and my greatest pet peeve is the conscious misspelling of common words to make them appear more hip and cool. For example, “night” becomes “nite,” “light” becomes “lite,” etc. Somehow it has become okay to change the English language to one’s fickle delight. Imagine my frustration in this age of texting, Facebooking, and Twittering, wherein this genre of abbreviated writing is rampant.

The Sci Fi network is joining the bandwagon of language distortion. As of July 7, their name will change to SyFy in an effort to appear less geeky and appeal to a wider demographic.

According to Tim Brooks, who helped launch the Sci Fi Channel, “the name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that …” Seriously? Stereotyping and insulting your core audience is not the best marketing strategy.

The Sci Fi Channel has already tried to branch out by incorporating wrestling, original movies and reality shows in its programming. The name change is yet another step toward homogenization and the potential alienation of its most loyal viewers—the geeks. At least they know how to spell.

--Tessa G.

New Media Expected to Salvage Slumping Ad Revenue

Local advertising spending on traditional media such as television, radio, print and outdoor is forecasted to drop to $144.4 billion by 2013, down from $155 billion in 2008, according to Adweek.

Traditional media outlets will need to branch out to offer new media, such as radio and TV internet advertising, the revenue from which is expected to climb to $1.9 billion by 2013, up from $805 million last year.

Another avenue advertisers are exploring is local mobile advertising, which the Kelsey Group predicts will generate $3.1 billion, up from $180 million in 2008. More than half of that revenue will come from local search. “Mobile gets you closer to the point of purchase because it goes with you to the store,” says Michael Boland, senior analyst at the Kelsey Group. “When we come out of this (economic slump), we’ll see a sudden interest and demand in mobile marketing.”

E-mail advertising is yet another growing trend as advertisers seek ways to more closely target their audience in a cost-effective way. Local email advertising is starting to replace direct mail and is expected to climb from $848 million in 2008 to $2 billion 2013.

There is no doubt that new media is here to stay and will continue to change the media buying landscape as it increases its share of the proverbial pie. What was once a complement to traditional media has become a necessary and substantial part of smart media plans.

--Tessa G.

“Hulu: An Evil Plot to Destroy the World. Enjoy.”

Hulu’s tag line is proof that this online television website has not only a sense of humor, but also a keen understanding of human foibles. Their television spot pokes fun at the brain numbing properties of television. We consumers know that TV, in general, is bad. We know we should be doing something more constructive, as we sit, in a stupor, glued to our television sets every night watching wonderfully mindless shows. We’re incorrigible zombies. Hulu makes fun of us but they do so in such an irreverent, comical way that we accept their condescension. It’s reverse psychology at its best. The ads make us want to log on to hulu.com to watch television we might have missed the night before. Who says you can only watch Saturday Night Live on Saturday night?

Although there is controversy concerning how many people are watching their favorite shows on Hulu, their 490% growth year over year indicates that people may be rotting their brains, but at least they’re doing it on their own time, when it’s convenient for them.

--Tessa G.

NBC Unveils 2009-2010 Season

NBC has announced its schedule for the 2009-2010 season two weeks before the other networks. The traditional upfront week, when networks announce their new schedule, begins May 18. NBC jumped the gun on May 4 with an “infront” presentation of their new fall season, although they did not reveal official time periods. They are launching four new dramas, two comedies, three reality shows and a new talk show with Jay Leno, which will air Monday through Friday from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The Dramas:

• Mercy: A medical drama seen from the perspective of three nurses.
• Parenthood: An adaption of the movie by the same name.
• Trauma: Another medical drama about first-responder paramedics.
• Day One: About a group who survive a major catastrophe.

The Comedies:

• 100 Questions: A woman’s experiences as she looks for love via an online dating site.
• Community: The life and trials of a group of college students.

The Reality Shows:

• The Marriage Ref: Celebrities analyze domestic disputes between real-life couples. (Created and produced by Jerry Seinfeld.)
• Breakthrough with Tony Robbins: Author Tony Robbins gives insights on how to live a better life.
• Who Do You Think You Are?: Celebrities tell their life stories.

Adam Stotsky, president of marketing for NBC, said they wanted to start spreading the buzz about the new season early in order to have more control over how the information is conveyed to consumers.

“We learned with the successful launch of ‘Heroes’ that every piece of information posted or leaked or chatted about becomes part of the campaign,” he said. “Our fundamental strategy is to control that information from the get-go. If we don’t do it, the consumer will do it on our behalf—sometimes accurately, sometimes not. So we have to shape the message we want to advocate.”

Sources: Adweekmedia.com and tvweek.com

Quantifying March Madness

For the first time in Fort Wayne media history, we know what people are watching on television during the month of March. Nielsen moved the February 2009 sweeps period to March because of the digital transition, which was originally scheduled for February 17. Although this transition date was moved to June, the March 2009 sweeps period remained as scheduled. This gives us a glimpse of television viewership to which we have never had access. Most importantly, this change gives us actual ratings for the first rounds of the NCAA tournament on WANE-TV and allows us to more accurately project ratings for future tournaments.

As expected, March Madness delivered solid ratings in the Fort Wayne market. Here is a snapshot of how the NCAA performed:

NCAA Ratings on WANE-TV (Source: Nielsen March 2009, Adults 18+)

Event - Date - Time – Rating/Share
1st Round Games - 3/19-3/20 - 12p-5p – 6.5/54
1st Round Games - 3/19-3/20 - 7p-12a – 9.5/29
2nd Round Games - 3/21-3/22 - 12p-10p – 8.7/36
Regional Semifinals - 3/26-3/27 - 7p-12a – 9.5/29
Regional Finals - 3/28-3/29 - 230p-9p – 11/42

As Nielsen explains: “A rating is a percent of the universe that is being measured, most commonly discussed as a percent of all television households. As such, a rating is always quantifiable, assuming you know the size of the universe (TV households, persons, women 18 – 34, and so forth). A share is the percent of households or persons using television at the time the program is airing and who are watching a particular program. Thus, a share does not immediately tie back to an actual number, because it is a percent of a constantly changing number–TV sets in use. Shares can be useful as a gauge of competitive standing.”

--Tessa G.