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The Marketing Ideanet is a free idea sharing newsletter published by 602 Communications. We are a TV training and consulting company that specializes in improving front-line news and marketing skills. Check out thousands of cutting edge examples at our web site. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
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Graeme Newell
602 Communications
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In This Issue
Promo of the Day
Managing Your Not-So-Secret Weapon
Super Bowl 2010 Top-Rated Telecast Ever
CNN to be AP-Free for a Week
TVGuidePoll Shows Rocky Road Ahead for Leno
DeGeneres Debut Delights 'Idol' Fans
'South Park' Apologizes to Fans South of Border
Reality Show Charged with Animal Cruelty for Rat Risotto
Discovery Earnings Up In 4Q
ESPN Lifts Disney Q1 Results
Frank Magid's Legacy
Message From Michael: The Super Bowl Special Edition
Introducing the Hot New Social Network, PhoneBook
Quotes
"If you do not ask the right questions, you do not get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the A-B-C of diagnosis. Only the inquiring mind solves problems."
- Edward Hodnett
"The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a very creative mind to spot wrong questions."
- Anthony Jay
"A prudent question is one-half of wisdom."
- Francis Bacon
Promo of the Day
WGCL's The "Great Moments in Tough Questions History' POPs showcase their reporter's journalistic prowess. Feet get held to the fire in Atlanta!
602communications.com/VideoExamples
Seeking Promo Submissions
Was a new marketing campaign part of your station's 2010 resolution? How about a branding campaign with the Olympics? Are you cross-promoting with social media? Or do you just have a new spot or 2 that you are really proud of?
If so, we'd love to feature it on our example site! Share your creative work with your promo peers on the 602communications.com site. Just email it to
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Flash (.flv) or QuickTime (.mov) files, size 320 x 240, are preferred, but WindowsMedia (.wmv) files will also be accepted. Large files may be sent via http://www.yousendit.com. You can also mail your clip a DVD to Graeme Newell at 1011 Lyndhurst Falls Lane, Knightdale, NC 27545.
Managing Your Not-So-Secret Weapon
By Paul Greeley
Admit it.
When one lands on your desk or on your computer screen, you often eye it contemptuously. Just another document demanding your already stretched-thin time. You want to hand it over to somebody else in your department to handle. But you’re a conscientious local television marketing executive and you believe only you can do it right. So, you pick up your pencil, grab your list and begin the sometimes tedious task of filling in those numbers you almost know by heart that represent your news image spots, your news topicals, your syndicated programming topicals, and whatever else needs exposure to your viewers everyday.
That’s right, folks -----(insert scary music here)---- it’s time to do the log.
The log. It usually arrives around the same time everyday. It can’t wait for you to have lunch, and you can’t tell traffic to just fill it out. It needs you, and you alone. It’s not going away, so why not learn to love it. Because without the daily routine of filling in the log, you wouldn’t have any airtime and without airtime, you’re doomed. So let’s try a little log counseling here to see if I can get you two back together, working in harmony, with respect for each other. Hell, maybe you’ll get to the point that you can’t wait to get that log everyday, like a puppy dog waiting for its owner.
For local television marketing executives, the log represents your most powerful weapon, access to your own on-air time. If you had to buy it--you couldn’t afford it. Its value could often be in the millions of dollars; yet, you pay nothing. Use it intelligently and it could help lead your station to successville. Mismanage it and you could be an ex-exec.
That’s right, the log is the most important document in the station, and certainly the most important document to local TV marketing execs. If you’re not paying close attention to it everyday (and during sweeps, several times a day), you might be wasting millions of dollars of your company’s money by missing opportunities to reach viewers.
How to get a good schedule
First off, let me be specific. The on-air schedule I’m addressing in this section is for local news IMAGE advertising. I’ll discuss the local news on-air topical schedule in another section. This schedule is to create awareness for your news image/branding and for year-round image/branding maintenance. It can and should be bolstered when launching a new campaign or introducing a new newscast or talent or marketing plan or any other station agenda that needs exposure. And it should definitely be increased during sweeps. And it can be lowered, (that’s right, an advertising person recommending to give back airtime), when you have nothing new to say or your inventory is old, tired, past its usefulness.
The on-air schedule you’ll propose is an ideal schedule for a perfect world.
Many factors determine what your on-air schedule will eventually be. Most are out of your control. These include but are not limited to the owner or corporation which owns the station, its revenue goals, individual station revenue goals, the economy, the news product itself and the role it plays in station revenue, and other, harder to quantify issues like vision, commitment, confidence, beliefs, etc.
If I’m new at a station or have inherited a schedule that I want to measure and possibly modify, my first step would be sales. Find out which sales account exec is best with reach and frequency issues, and qualitative info programs like Scarborough. You’re looking to get a schedule that has acceptable to excellent reach and frequency numbers for your targeted demos, which are probably adults 25-54, or adults 35-54 and often, women 35-54. Depending on the personality of your newscasts, you might want to further target viewers by way or education, income, geography, and size.
The reason I suggest using a sales account exec is because they have the knowledge, the software, and the skills to accurately measure your desired audience. The computer will spit out a schedule that does not take into account value, time, or programming.
Obviously, primetime will be the most desired time and the hardest to get. Expect to use time within your own newscasts. Expect more time in access and fringe, and late night than afternoon soaps, network morning news, and primetime—the station has less time in those periods and thus that time is most valuable. Expect little time in weekend sporting events like NFL football.
The fight for on-air time usually pits you against the sales manager, with the GM cutting the baby---balancing the need for the station to make money while giving the station adequate air time to effectively advertise its local news product.
No matter what schedule you’re working under right now, you can (and often should, change it). Remember this, the log should not be etched in stone. It’s a liquid document, subject to daily changes.
Here are 10 ways to view and use the log:
1. You alone should do the log. Having said that, you should cross-train selected personnel in case they have to do it. This training will also help them understand your logic in doing the log.
2. Check the log often. Don’t be afraid to make last minute changes. It should be managed every day—check it in the morning and at the end of the day.
3. Know the folks in traffic. Love them. Feed them. Communicate often with them. Set up a system that if any changes are made after you do the log, they can contact you.
4. Know the master control operators. Love them. Feed them. Visit them often. Tell them to call you with any questions at any time, in the office or at home. Post your numbers in plain site in master control.
5. Make sure all your promo spots are first in the break. Not necessarily new info here, but important to your on-air effectiveness.
6. Use :15-second bookends. During sweeps, air your news series promos first in the break, with :15-second network promos for prime lead-in or syndicated programming :15 second spots in the last slot in the break.
7. Establish clear directions on avails---what happens to open inventory, who can kill a spot, when and how. I usually allow news producers the option to kill open inventory in the news programming in favor of news content. However, clear instructions need to be communicated through the news director, the general manager, and newscast producers. For example, the noon producer calls and wants to kill a 30-second spot in the newscast. You should decide which spot is taken because you know the priorities.
And you should always be informed or any changes. Sometimes, under special circumstances, this can not be done before, but should always be done after.
Fixed inventory—news topicals, news image, syndicated or network spots---are off limits to everyone except you, the GM or news director. This is a given.
8. Encourage give and take with sales management (and no other person from sales should approach you—make sure they go through the sales manage and/or GM). Give time when you can, when time is tight and when you really don’t need it. But on the other hand, when you need added time---new campaign, talent, new shows or during sweeps---fight for every low-cost spot on the log. Out of sweeps, be open to swapping spots and time placement with sales to help them. During sweeps, expect them to help you with no-charges or freebies. Make sure your GM is aware of this, and is working actively with you, sales, and traffic to ensure your dept gets the maximum amount of exposure with the minimum amount of costs to sales. This is extremely important during sweeps. Don’t give away the store or make it a common practice, but should the sales manager ask for help with inventory out of sweeps, be accommodating.
It is critical that sales and marketing work in harmony as it relates to airtime. It can happen; foster a positive relationship.
9. A couple of topical news and programming thoughts:
A) Place your late-night Leno/Letterman spot in the first position of the first break of your late news. This will not only drive viewers to your late-night programming, but should increase your late-news numbers through the second half of your late news.
B) Have your morning news topical in the last slot of the first break. Even if it’s just your talent on camera for :10-:15-seconds, this will help showcase your talent, and create awareness of them and the show. I know this will probably not be a promo driven by “breaking news,” but most morning shows have something they can promote in advance.
C) Make every effort to load your lead-in programming with topical spots. For example, if the mission is to get the 4pm Oprah audience to the 5pm news, work with the GM, and sales managers to get you as much time as possible in Oprah. Even if it means trading time in other afternoon programming like soaps. The same applies to prime lead-in—give up earlier prime topical time in favor of more time in the prime lead-in show to your late news. This is not always easy, given the limited time local stations get in prime.
OK, I lied, I promised you 10 ways and only delivered 9. But now, you have a new found appreciation for the log and what it can do for you and the station. And, hopefully, the next time traffic says it’s time for you to fill out the log—(insert some rock ‘n roll music here)—you’ll say, “Great!”
Super Bowl 2010 Top-Rated Telecast Ever
The New Orleans Saints' victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday. Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season. "It was one of those magical moments that you don't often see in sports," said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports. Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday's Super Bowl. The "M-A-S-H" record was 105.97 million. The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl – last year's game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said.
Huffington Post
CNN to be AP-Free for a Week
Sure, broadcast networks "break" news, but they often get a little help from their friends -- or, reports from wire services that have reporters stationed on location as events happen. But for the next week, CNN wants to prove its newsgathering grit by saying no to the Associated Press wire service and relying on its own wires to deliver breaking news. "CNN has made a conscious effort in the last few years to reduce our reliance on outside wire services," CNN representative Christa Robinson said. "Currently CNN.com does not use stories or images from the AP." As part of the test, the network will evaluate the need for an AP subscription, and will look to staff for feedback on how a lack of AP wires affects workflow. CNN already offers an external wire service to other news outlets. The network is known for its breaking news coverage, which has some from the inside fearing it won't be able to keep up. "A lot of us are worried this could hamper our newsgathering abilities, but it's too soon to know for sure," a staffer in the D.C. bureau told Yeas & Nays. For now, we'll have to stay tuned to see if Team CNN can keep flashing the breaking news banner, or at least keep us intrigued through a commercial break.
Washington Examiner
TVGuidePoll Shows Rocky Road Ahead for Leno
Could Jay Leno be in for a rough return to The Tonight Show? An overwhelming Leno ends prime-time show — will you watch him at 11:35? In a TVGuide.com poll viewers said they used to watch Jay Leno, but will not watch anymore after what happened to Conan O'Brien. Only 15 percent of votes cast were from people who said they will continue to watch Leno when he returns as host of The Tonight Show on March 1. Of the remaining votes, 12 percent said they never watched in the first place and 4 percent said they will remain open-minded about the show. Do you think Leno may be in for a bumpy ride?
Yahoo TV
DeGeneres Debut Delights 'Idol' Fans
Ellen DeGeneres hit the right notes with "American Idol" viewers. Fans took to the Internet to express their pleasant surprise over the 52-year-old funnylady's debut as the singing competition's fourth judge. DeGeneres assumed her judging panel post for Tuesday's episode chronicling the first round of "Hollywood Week," the cutthroat post-audition phase in which 181 contestants will be narrowed down to 24 semifinalists. The majority of folks posting about DeGeneres on Twitter praised her performance. Some said they were only tuning in for DeGeneres, but not everyone was a devotee. A denim ensemble worn by Degeneres, also host of "The Ellen Degeneres Show," was mocked by a few tweeters. When Fox announced that DeGeneres, an Emmy winner with no formal music experience, would be the new judge last September, fans were divided over the unlikely replacement for Paula Abdul, the sugary sweet pop singer who judged "Idol" since it debuted in 2002 then left amid contract negotiations after the eighth season ended last year.
Yahoo TV
'South Park' Apologizes to Fans South of Border
President Felipe Calderon's "South Park" cameo will have to wait. MTV says it canceled the airing in Mexico of an episode in which a caricature of Calderon appears in front of a Mexican flag. The network says it needs permission from the government to show the episode inside Mexico because of a law stating the flag and other national symbols must be handled with respect. There is a 52,590 peso ($4,900) fine for violating the law. The episode, titled "Pinewood Derby," had been scheduled to run Monday. MTV explained its decision in a statement Tuesday, apologizing to Mexican fans of the irreverent cartoon show. Interior Ministry spokesman Luis Estrada said the government hasn't received a request from MTV for permission to air the episode.
Yahoo TV
Reality Show Charged with Animal Cruelty for Rat Risotto
A British broadcaster has been convicted of animal cruelty after two reality show contestants skinned, cooked and ate a rat during filming in Australia. ITV Studios, producer of "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here," was fined 3,000 Australian dollars ($2,615) after pleading guilty Monday, the Australian RSPCA said Tuesday. The RSPCA filed a complaint in December against show participants chef Gino D'Acampo and actor Stuart Manning who prepared the risotto-and-rat meal on the wilderness show late last year. Animal activists said the rat squealed in apparent pain and took more than 90 seconds to die. After ITV's guilty plea, the RSPCA decided to drop its complaints against D'Acampo and Manning, according to a statement from David O'Shannessy, chief inspector for the New South Wales state RSPCA. If convicted, the men could have faced up to three years in prison. The conviction confirms that killing and preparing an animal for human consumption should not involve unnecessary pain, distress or suffering of the animal, O'Shannessy said. ITV previously said producers had sought health and safety advice about eating the rat but failed to check whether killing it was legal.
Huffington Post
Discovery Earnings Up In 4Q
Discovery Communications Inc. posted a 46 percent jump in fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday, taking in more money from the cable providers that run its channels as well as advertising. Discovery, which operates the Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, said it earned $155 million, or 36 cents per share, in the quarter ended Dec. 31. That's up from $106 million, or 25 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue climbed 7 percent to $964 million. The profit matched what analysts expected, while sales topped the average forecast of $942.5 million, according to a Thomson Reuters survey. Discovery's international networks posted the strongest gains. Revenue in the segment was up 22 percent, helped by foreign currency swings and growth in advertising and cable fees. Revenue at the company's U.S. networks, which make up more than half of the company's total, climbed 3 percent. For 2010, Discovery projected full-year earnings of $660 million to $725 million and revenue of $3.63 billion to $3.75 billion. Analysts are expecting $3.72 billion in revenue. The company did not offer a forecast for earnings per share.
Huffington Post
ESPN Lifts Disney Q1 Results
Driven by record Monday Night Football ratings and a strong slate of college gridiron matchups, ESPN saw its fiscal-year Q1 ad sales revenue increase by “mid-single digits” over the year-ago figure, a boost that went a long way toward improving the overall performance of Walt Disney Co.’s media networks division. For the three-month period ended Dec. 31, ESPN saw its prime-time deliveries grow 8 percent, as the network averaged 2.3 million total viewers. Per Nielsen ratings data, ESPN also posted gains among the two major TV demos, bettering its standing among adults 25-54 by 8 percent (1.12 million), while growing its average nightly draw of viewers 18-49 by 6 percent (1.11 million). While analysts had anticipated modest results for Disney’s TV unit, an improving advertising marketplace and higher affiliate fees at ESPN helped spur an 8 percent rise in revenue at the company’s cable networks, which took in $2.65 billion in FYQ1. Sales topped earlier Barclays Capital projections by some $70 million. ESPN, Disney Channel and the other Mouse House cable nets posted a 5 percent increase in operating income, notching $544 million. Growth at the broadcasting unit was muted, as lower prime time ratings at ABC and a decrease in average CPMs led to a decline in ad sales revenue. This despite scatter coming in more than 20 percent above upfront levels, a juxtaposition that underscores how debased broadcast CPMs were during last year’s bazaar, and the sheer volume of inventory that was held back. All told, profit from operations at the TV unit grew 11 percent to $724 million, on revenues of $4.18 billion (up 7 percent versus the prior-year period).
MediaWeek
Frank Magid's Legacy
Frank Magid, the television "news doctor" whose survey research and advice to local television stations in the 1970s resulted in co-anchors who chatted between stories, fast-paced graphics, sports tickers and live shots, and a heavy reliance on crime coverage and feel-good segments, died of lymphoma Friday in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 78.
"Action News," as Magid dubbed his format, revolutionized broadcast-news operations from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At a time when most local-TV news shows featured a single anchorman reading the news from a sheet of paper in front of a static background, Action News and its rival, "Eyewitness News," demonstrated the untapped possibilities of the medium and the opportunity to devolve into "happy talk" between serious segments. The redone broadcasts almost always shot to the top of the ratings.
But Magid-style changes were criticized as both a uniformization and a dumbing-down of news coverage. "Thanks to him, local newscasts throughout America are like airports or fast-food joints; they lack all traces of indigenousness," the Washington Post's Tom Shales wrote in 1982.
Supporters noted that Magid consistently emphasized the importance of local news, sharpened his clients' news writing and forced them to pay better attention to the impressions of the audience. His research said viewers wanted hard news mixed with health, consumer and lifestyle stories, presented in a highly visual, fast-paced broadcast by people whom viewers liked. Shorter stories, urgent tones and better dressed and coifed news staffers were just part of the bargain.
The Action News format had its first major success in 1970, when WPVI in Philadelphia rocketed from last to first place in the ratings. Station managers took notice, and it quickly became standard fare across the country and later, around the world.
Magid's research also recommended CBS News feature Walter Cronkite as the solo anchorman on its evening-news program. That didn't stop the venerable broadcaster from describing the work of consultants such as Magid as "a fad" and "balderdash" in a widely reported 1976 speech, dubbing those who followed his advice "suckers for a fad" who were "editing by consultancy."
The criticism irked Magid. He told Washington Post reporter John Carmody the next year that "I feel sorry for Walter because he doesn't take time to check the facts. It's interesting that TV newsmen are so gullible."
Magid also helped develop ABC's "Good Morning America," which in 1975 defined the modern morning-show format, and he developed early-morning local newscasts as well.
"We were the first to suggest to clients that there was an opportunity for news between 6 and 7 a.m. in the morning and strongly urged our clients to do that," Magid in 1997 told Electronic Media magazine, which called him "the godfather of local-TV news research."
Clients resisted his suggestion, he recalled, claiming that the time was not covered by ratings, the audience was too small and advertisers would never support the concept. New Orleans stations, followed by Sacramento and Minneapolis, proved the naysayers wrong.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Marilyn Magid of Santa Barbara; two sons, Brent Magid who took over the company and resides in Minneapolis, and Creighton Magid of Washington; a brother; and four grandchildren.
AZ Central
Message From Michael: The Super Bowl Special Edition
THE TRIPLE THREAT: As everybody knows (or everybody who reads the message knows), the Super Bowl in its various permutations dominates the top 20 list of television viewing. This year’s event is expected to add to that list. But here is the factoid (and you know how I love factoids) that says it all. Super Bowl viewing is three to four times larger than any other sporting event. At nearly 100 Million viewers (specifically 98.7 Million for the 2009 game), that is more than three times the next highest sporting event which this year was…any guesses? The BCS championship game between Alabama and Texas which at 30,776,000 beat out the next highest sport event which was... Again, any guesses? It was The NFL regular season game carried on Fox between the Vikings and the Packers which had 29,820,000 viewers.
As the folks at Nielsen put it, with 43,700 hours of live sporting events in 2009, “we are living in an incredible time for sports consumption.” And sports spending. Nielsen says sports programming is “dvr-proof” and proof of that is that advertisers spent $7.6 Billion on sports programming this past year. And the top advertising money maker? Who else – the NFL which scored just under $1.5 Billion in ad dollars.
TOP SCORING SPORTS: Okay, let’s keep the guessing game going. Super Bowl first, BCS championship game second, Vikings-Packers third. What’s fourth? Okay, proof that football is America’s favorite sport, it was the Cowboys-Giants game on NBC which scored 24,818,000 viewers which was roughly 800,000 ahead of the Rose Bowl game between Ohio State and Oregon (24,025,000). Finally, in sixth place comes baseball with the World Series game between New York and Philadelphia on November 1st which came in with a respectable 22,477,000 viewers. Interestingly, unlike football, college basketball beats out professional basketball and pretty consistently. For example, the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games averaged a little over 9.5 Million viewers while the Western Conference and Eastern Conference games of just over 8.6 Million viewers. In terms of single games, the NCAA championship game between the University of North Carolina and Michigan State pulled in 17,649,000 viewers compared with 15,957,000 viewers for the NBA playoff game between the L.A. Lakers and Orlando.
In terms of single events, the MLB’s World Series game between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia pulled in 22,477,000 viewers, followed by the Daytona 500 with 15,958,000 viewers which trumped the Masters win by Angel Cordera which scored 14,303,000 viewers, well ahead of Y.E. Yang’s win of the PGA championship which had 10,079,000 viewers. Somewhat of a surprise to me, the Stanley Cup game when Pittsburg faced Detroit at Detroit (at 7,992,000 viewers) beat out the Wimbledon Men’s Final between Federer and Roddick which had 5,706,000 viewers. Interestingly though, the U.S. Open Men’s Final between del Potro and Federer (3,391,000) beat out the earlier Stanley Cup game when it was Detroit at Pittsburg (3,448,000). Part of the reason for that is that the game was carried on Versus and cable pretty consistently underperforms network television. As almost a footnote, the MLS Cup championship Soccer game scored an underwhelming 1,141,000 viewers.
A MULTI-PLATFORM TOUCHDOWN. All of these figures come from a Nielsen analysis titled The Changing Face of Sports Media which argues that sports is “perfectly suited” for the three-screen age. Proof of that, an average of 81 Million people visited sports websites each month in the past year. Let’s do the guessing game one more time. Name the top sports site. Give up? It’s Yahoo Sports which averaged 28.5 Million unique visitors, well ahead of ESPN’s 21.5 Million. But in that three-screen universe, ESPN wins the mobile side with 8.7 Million uniques compared to Yahoo Sports 2.8 Million. In third place in site visits was Foxsports.com with 14 Million, followed by CBS Sports with 11.5 Million. In an interesting twist, major league baseball (with 11.5 Million uniques) actually beats out the NFL’s site (9.9 Million). MLB (2.687 Million) also beats out the NFL (2.606 Million), albeit barely, in mobile sites, as well as Fox Sports (2.6M) and the NBA (1.5 M).
Nielsen goes a step further and says that in this multi-platform world, viewers have one eye on the TV and one eye on their computer. One in ten (12%) spent an average of 24 minutes doing both simultaneously. And although as you would expect, much of that viewing is on sports sites (18%), most of the website viewing is on general interest portals (54%). Web analyst comScore goes even further saying that a third (32%) log on during the game. Three quarters of those surveyed (77%) logged on before the game and more than half (53%) logged on after the game. But in keeping with the Nielsen findings, comScore found that nearly half (45%) said they would log on for “purposes unrelated to the Super Bowl.”
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. All right, let’s get to the important stuff – Ad Dollars. As noted earlier, the NFL is the top money maker, but after that? Any guesses? Again, a bit of a surprise (to me at least) – Golf, which took in $565 Million in ad revenue which was well ahead of NCAA Football which brought in $425 Million, which I would note is less than a third what pro ball does. The next big money pit is NASCAR which brought in a respectable $366 Million, most of which was on cable ($344 Million) After that it’s Major League Baseball with $217 Million in ad revenue, but that barely beat out NCAA basketball which, with $214 Million in ad revenue, was well ahead of NBA basketball, with $174 Million in ad revenue. That, in turn, was well ahead of Tennis ($139 Million.) Poor hockey was just that – poor, with just under $19 Million in ad revenue while the behemoth of the rest of the sporting world – Soccer, garnered a $5.4 Million.
BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. Proof of that is which ad was the most popular. According to USA Today’s Ad Meter analysis, it was the Snicker’s ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda which scored an 8.68 on “likability.” According to the website, fanhouse.com, which has a whole section devoted just to Super Bowl ads, it was the Punxsatawney Polamalu ad for Tru.TV. And according to the NFL’s own website, the top ad (or, at least the most viewed ad) was the “Dorito’s Smack Commercial” as it was called in which the little boy smacks the guy. The so-called Dorito Smack ad came in 11th on the USA Today Ad Meter, but the Doritos ad with the dog with the bark collar actually took second place. As everybody knows, (or at least everybody who reads the message) the top sports advertiser in the U.S. is Anheuser Busch which spent $245 Million last year on sports programs alone. Although some reviewers contend that the beer making giant’s Super Bowl efforts didn’t match past years, the ad featuring the man who builds his house out of cans of Bud Light came in third in the USA Today report, just ahead of the Clydesdale friend ad, which came in third in the fanhouse.com report.
THE NOSTALGIA BOWL. That’s how the New York Times labeled the ad wars in the Super Bowl. On top of Betty White and Abe Vigoda, there was Don Rickles, Chevy Chase, along with what the newspaper called “vintage athletes” – Lance Armstrong, Charles Barkley and Brett Favre. And the Times article didn’t even mention Flo TV’s ad which showed scenes from I Love Lucy and MTV, along with the lunar landing and the Berlin Wall. One of the more interesting advertising debates surrounding the Super Bowl was the fact that new media maven Google actually had a Television Ad, which got good reviews for its simple message of how the search engine is so integrated into people’s lives. And proof that YouTube folks aren’t quite as smart as we sometimes think, their vaunted “ad blitz” campaign of most popular ads doesn’t have any scores and apparently won’t have until February 15th – about a week after anybody cares. That’s the kind of ‘dumbness’ you might expect from a website claiming to be devoted to Super Bowl commercials but which (no kidding) is created by ‘expats’ in Hong Kong. (All right, opinion on my part, but still true.)
SUPER BOWL COCKTAIL CHATTER. You already know the cost of a spot (roughly $2.8 Million) and you probably also knew, or suspected, that Super Bowl advertisers see a significant jump in Web traffic (24%) after the game. But, according to Nielsen figures based on last year’s game, the Super Bowl is the 8th largest beer-selling event. (It doesn’t say what the top seven are.) Potato chips are the snack of choice, but tortilla chips are quickly gaining. NFL fans are more likely to own hi-tech electronic items than the average adult, are more likely to be physically active than the average American, slightly more likely to have higher education and higher income, and they’re also more likely (by 74%) to spend money on skin care products. As one might expect, men are more likely to watch the game (45.8 Million in 2009) but women aren’t that far behind (37.7 Million).
Michael Castengera is an instructor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia AND President of Media Strategies and Tactics Inc., a consulting firm that works with all media but primarily broadcasting. You can visit his website at MediaConsultant.tv.
Introducing the Hot New Social Network, PhoneBook
Allows User to Call Friends, Speak to Them
SILICON VALLEY (The Borowitz Report) – A new social network is about to alter the playing field of the social media world, and it’s called PhoneBook.
According to its creators, who invented the network in their dorm room at Berkeley, PhoneBook is the game-changer that will leave Facebook, Twitter and even the much anticipated Google Buzz in a cloud of dust.
“With PhoneBook, you have a book that has a list of all your friends in the city, plus everyone else who lives there,” says Danny Fruber, one of PhoneBook’s creators.
“When you want to chat with a friend, you look them up in PhoneBook, and find their unique PhoneBook number,” Fruber explains. “Then you enter that number into your phone and it connects you directly to them.”
Another breakout utility of PhoneBook allows the user to arrange face-to-face meetings with his or her friends at restaurants, bars, and other “places,” as Fruber calls them.
“You will be sitting right across from your friend and seeing them in 3-D,” he said. “It’s like Skype, only without the headset.”
PhoneBook will enable friends to play many games as well, such as charades, cards, and a game Fruber believes will be a breakout: Farm.
“In Farm, you have an actual farm where you raise real crops and livestock,” he says. “It’s hard work, but it’s more fun than Mafia, where you actually get killed.”
The Borowitz Report
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Graeme Newell
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