Spots N Dots
The Daily News Of TV Sales
February 2, 2017
AUTO SALES DOWN, VW AMONG GAINERS
TOUGH MONTH FOR DETROIT THREE
Coming off of back-to-back record sales years for cars and light trucks, the auto industry slipped in the first month of 2017. January sales overall were down 1.9% to 1.14 million. Even so, some manufacturers reported strong growth.
Volkswagen AG is finally on the mend from its diesel emissions test cheating scandal. Total sales for the group were up 14.0% over January 2016 to 41,074. Perhaps even more significantly, the flagship Volkswagen brand was up 17.1% to 23,510. Sales of the Passat, many of which are assembled in Tennessee, were up 64.2%. Bentley, though small in unit sales, was up 82.7%, Audi gained 11.2% and Porsche rose 5.7%.
Among the larger players in the U.S. market, Nissan Group led the way with January sales up 6.2% to 112,319. The Nissan brand was up 3.6%—with sales of crossovers, trucks and SUVs up 22% to a January record. The luxury Infiniti nameplate gained 35.8%.
American Honda also had a good month, with sales up 5.9%. Honda gained 7.7%, while Acura dropped 10.2%.
Among the smaller makers, Jaguar Land Rover was up 29.9% to 9,102 as Jaguar sales soared 117.4% and Land Rover gained 9.0%. Mazda was up 10.1% to 21,698; Subaru gained 6.8% to 43,879; and Mitsubishi rose 3.1% to 6,457. Mercedes-Benz USA posted a January record with sales up 3.5% to 27,900, with Mercedes-Benz up 3.8% and Smart down 18.8%.
The Detroit Three all posted lower sales, with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles hardest hit. FCA sales dropped 11.2% to 152,218. The small Alfa Romeo brand was up 58.8% and the Ram truck nameplate gained 5.5%. The company noted that Jeep Renegade sales shot up 52% and Grand Cherokee 24%, but Jeep sales overall slipped 6.9%. Fiat was down 9.0%, Dodge 17% and Chrysler 38.6%.
“In early January, we focused on profitability while key competitors sold down their large stocks of deeply discounted, old-model-year pickups,” said GM U.S. sales chief Kurt McNeil in explaining GM’s 3.8% sales decline. Even so, the GMC truck brand gained 1.1% in unit sales, while all others were down. Chevrolet declined 1.9%, Cadillac 4.1% and Buick 28.2%.
Ford Motor Company had the best performance of the three, with sales down only 0.7% to 171,186. Ford was down 1.8%, although F-Series truck sales gained 13% and SUVs 6%. The luxury Lincoln line was up 22.4%.
Toyota Motor Sales saw unit sales decline 11.3% to 143,048. Toyota was down 8.2% and Lexus dropped 25.6%. Hyundai-Kia was down 1.4% to 82,129. The newly separated Genesis brand sold 1,818 units, while Hyundai dropped 0.7%, so together they were up 3.3%. Kia was down 7.0%. BMW Group sales fell 0.5% to 21,219, with BMW up 0.1% and Mini down 4.0%. Volvo was down 18.2% to 3,472.
ADVERTISER NEWS
Coach, the high-end accessory brand, got a bump in their stock price after Evercorepublished a note saying “we have been impressed with the commitment to innovation and quality on the full-price side of the business, where promotions have also remained very disciplined.” Evercore went on to say that Coach showed several positive results including better quality and a strong response from customers. Coach reported adjusted earnings per share of 75 cents, beating the 74-cent estimate from FactSet. Sales for the company were $1.32 billion, up from $1.27 billion last year……A report in the Wall Street Journal estimates that the final bill for Volkswagen to settle the emissions-cheating scandal could top $25 billion. Court documents filed in the U.S. say that the automaker will pay an additional $1.2 billion in settlements tied to about 80,000 of its larger, 3 liter diesel-powered vehicles. That’s in addition to the $17.5 billion settlement to compensate consumers, regulators, dealers and state attorneys general in the U.S. the company agreed to last year. German parts supplier Robert Bosch GmbH has agreed to pay $327.5 million to settle a U.S. civil claim that it helped create the device that allowed Volkswagen to dodge U.S. pollution testing……J.M. Smucker Company announced plans to construct a new plant in Longmont, CO for its Smucker’sUncrustablessandwiches. The company has seen revenue for Uncrustables increase nearly 2,000% since 2000, reaching sales of around $200 million in 2016. The product is already being manufactured in Scottsville, KY with that plant producing about 2 million sandwiches per day……Moody’s is projecting sales for off-price chains are to rise 6-8% this year, with stores like T.J. Maxx, Burlington, Nordstrom Rack and Ross continuing to dominate the field. The sector is expected to continue to ramp up new store programs and dig deeper into beauty, home and gift categories, while protecting their core apparel business. TJX, the leader in the sector expects to operate 5,600 stores this year, up from the current total of 3,785. TJX operates T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s and Homegoods……Macy’s has reached an agreement to sell its Frangochocolates business to Garrett Brands, the Chicago-based snack company. The move comes as Macy’s continues to sell off its properties. The retailer will still sell Frango products in the FrangoCafè in more than 350 store locations in the U.S. as well as online.... Credit rating firm Fitch Ratings predicts the retail default rate to climb to roughly 9% in 2017 from its current 1% level. There is more than $4 billion of retail high yield bond outstandings with a high risk of default on Fitch’s “Bonds of Concern” list, led by Claire’s Stores ($1.799 billion in debt outstanding and an interest payment due March 15) and Sears (which has $1.134 billion of debt and an interest payment due April 15).
NETWORK NEWS
A new comedy from How I Met Your Mother writer Hilary Winston called Real Life has picked up a pilot order from CBS. It’s based on a web series from Avital Ash that chronical the lives of two 20-somethings, who go from being co-workers on opposite coasts to working in the same office. Carter Bays and Craig Thomas will serve as executive producers on the project along with Winston…… ABC has ordered two more pilots including a new action spy dramedy starting Toni Colette. Unit Zero comes from black-ishcreator Kenya Barris and will follow a group of CIA desk jockeys into the field as secret agents. Writer and producer Lindsey Shockley will be executive producer on the project along with Barris. David Gordon Green will direct the pilot. ABC’s second pick up is Salamander, about a brilliant engineer that recruits a skeptical Homeland Security agent to help him track a mysterious bank robber whose crimes may lead to a greater conspiracy. The two projects join a hefty slate of pilots at ABC, which had ordered the most of any broadcast network this season……The next project for Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale is a pilot for the CW called Life Sentence. The one-hour dramedy is about a young woman diagnosed with terminal cancer who finds out she’s not dying after all. She then must learn to live with the consequences she made when she decided to “live like she was dying.” Insatiable, from executive producer Ryan Seacrest, is another pilot ordered by the CW. The drama will be written by Lauren Gussis of Once Upon a Time……Parenthood creator Jason Katims has landed a pilot order from NBC for an hour-long series about the drama department at a working class high school. Drama High centers around the amazing students that soar under the guidance of a passionate teacher and family man. Drama High is being described as Glee meets Friday Night Lights. Katims was executive producer for the latter……ABC, dick clark productions and the Miss America Organization announced the return of the storied competition to Atlantic City’s historic Boardwalk hall. ABC will broadcast the 2018 Miss America Pageant on Sunday, September 10th at 9 PM (ET)……Fox has placed pilot orders for two more single-camera projects including Type-A, about a group of consultants hand-picked to do the dirty work most professionals can’t handle, like downsizing and layoffs. LAX-> Vegas is an ensemble workplace comedy set on the Friday night flight from LAX to Vegas and the returning flight on Sunday, and the group of underdogs looking to come back as winners.
SMALL MANUFACTURERS EXPECT GROWTH
Xometry, an on-demand manufacturing software platform, released the findings of its first ever Small Manufacturing Index, showing small to medium sized manufacturers are anticipating a marked increase in demand. 57% of surveyed manufacturers reported that they were likely to see strong to mild month over month growth, and 61% reported that they were likely to see strong to mild year over year growth. Xometry says small to mid-size manufacturers represent more than 190,000 companies, over a $50 billion market.
ACCOUNT ACTIONS
Walgreens (Now WBA) has partnered with WPP and selected a team of WPP agencies to operate and develop multiple marketing and communications channels for its retail and wholesale businesses, as well as its health and beauty product brands. In handling the $600 million account, Team WBA will provide traditional and digital advertising globally. Hub office locations for Team WBA will be created by WPP in Chicago, London and New York to support WBA and businesses including Walgreens, Boots and Alliance Healthcare businesses……22-year-old craft brewer Dogfish Head Brewery has named Crossmedia, New York, its first-ever media AOR. The brewery based in Milton, Delaware, was featured in the documentary Beer Wars and in the Discovery Channel series Brew Masters.
FUEL PRICES COULD IMPACT PICKUPS
Pickup trucks have been big drivers of the past two record years of new vehicle sales. However, Kelley Blue Book (KBB) is warning of demand softening in the used pickup market. The reason is rising pump prices.
“Historically, fuel prices and pickup truck segments have maintained an inverse relationship,” said KBB analyst Sean Foyil. “As fuel prices increase, demand for trucks tends to decline. While pickups continued to see exceptionally high demand throughout 2016, despite a 10% increase in December in the average cost of fuel, 2017 could turn out to be a tough year for trucks, as fuel prices are expected to continue increasing through the first quarter.”
For now, though, average values for one- to three-year-old pickups held up well through the end of 2016. That was despite the overall market for one-to three-year-old vehicles posting an average decline of 15% for the year. In just the fourth quarter, values fell a substantial 6.8%, or $1,146 per unit.
Average auction values for one- to three-year-old pickup trucks finished the year very strong with an increase of 2.7%, or $545 per unit, year-over-year. Full-size pickups gained roughly 3%, or $597, on average year-over-year. Mid-size pickups gained roughly 1%, or $141, on average year-over-year. Over the same period of time, the average cost for a gallon of gasoline rose as much as $0.65, or 37%, peaking in December 2016 at a three-year high of $2.38 per gallon.
BANKS FOCUS ON CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Enhancing consumer experience will be a top priority for banks this year, based on an annual survey by Computer Services, Inc. (CSI), which provides tech products to banks. More than half of the respondents (55%) plan to increase spending on customer experience initiatives in 2017, and nearly half (47%) cited using omnichannel technologies to attract new customers as their top opportunity.
“In a crowded marketplace, financial institutions must prove their value to the customer, which includes offering service experiences on par with other providers, especially those outside the banking industry,” said CSI CEO Steve Powless, As with other goods and services, people want to access banking services when they want, where they want and on the device they want to use.
The survey finding that 55% of respondents expected to increase spending on customer experience was topped only by increased spending on cybersecurity (57%) and information technology (56%). When it comes to enhancing customer experience, 41% planned digital banking enhancements, 12% customer relationship management (CRM) tools utilization and 10% omnichannel expansion.
NEW ADVERTISER CATEGORY?
A new study from Juniper Research finds that a gradual change in direction for fitness wearablestoward healthcare devices will lead to over 75 million Americans using dedicated activity trackers by 2021, over double the current user base.
AVAILS
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: KTVU/KTVU+ (SF Bay Area) seeks an AE to maintain & improve existing client list & generate new business on our FOX stations/websites. Involves local travel to call on regular and prospective clients. Bachelors’ Degree plus 4 years major market experience in transactional & online advertising is required. Must have a valid CA driver’s license with a good driving record. EOE/M/F/Disabled/Veteran Qualified candidates should submit their resume and cover letter via the on-line process at
WRGB/WCWN (Schenectady - Albany - Troy, NY) seeks an enthusiastic, highly motivated Account Executive. We’re looking for someone who can connect with clients and help them achieve their business objectives through effective TV and digital advertising. The ideal candidate will possess excellent communication skills, have an enthusiastic and outgoing personality, and a drive to succeed. Most importantly, we are looking for a hard-working salesperson who wants to have FUN and make money! CLICK HEREfor more info or to apply now. EOE.
WSMV-TV Nashville (Meredith Corporation) is searching for talented Account Executives who know how to achieve assigned revenue goals, solicit new advertisers and increase their share of business. If you are an experienced driven self-starter, ready for a move and would love to join our team and put satisfied advertisers on our station and digital properties visit more information see requisition JR02928, JR02877 or submit your resume directly to: OE.
Take the digital media industry by storm! KOIN 6, A Nexstar Media Group Inc. television station in Portland, OR is looking to hire a digital account executive. The DAE must demonstrate a passion for digital advertising and possess a creative and dedicated approach to uncovering digital media opportunities with regional digital agencies and direct clients. We offer a competitive salary, attractive benefits, effective training and an exhilarating work environment. Apply online at KOIN.comand include a resume and cover letter. No calls, emails or drop-ins. EOE.
Waterman Broadcasting Co. seeks a Digital Sales Specialist. This person is responsible for all aspects of the Waterman Broadcasting Digital sales effort, including but is not limited to Waterman legacy websites, mobile and social media. This individual would work closely with the current Television staff of 13 Local and Regional Account Executives and Sales management staff. The Digital Sales Specialist should exhibit superior time management skills and should be completely self-motivated. More details HERE. To apply, send cover letter/resume to . EOE.
ABC6 in Providence, Rhode Island is looking for a sales professional with sales experience to join this growing ABC affiliate as an Account Executive. We need an enthusiastic, accountable individual to work with local and regional clients– at the agency and local levels. This position is a great opportunity for someone looking for a move into a top 60 market. Please send resume to . No phone calls please. WLNE-TV / ABC6 is and equal opportunity employer.
Director of Sales: WBRE (NBC) and WYOU (CBS through a JSA with Mission Broadcasting), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and PAhomepage.com seeks a proven sales executive who has a track record of achieving new direct business, core digital and station revenue budgets. Proficiency with audience extension, inventory control, revenue forecasting and budgeting, account strategy and product development required. The DOS is responsible for achieving all assigned budgets. Minimum one year of television sales management experience required. CLICK HEREfor more info or to apply now. EOE.
BlackBerry just announced that it’s releasing a new phone next month that has a physical keyboard. Experts are calling it the biggest tech news of 2006. - Jimmy Fallon
A 25-year-old woman was arrested after attempting to break her boyfriend out of prison by smuggling him in a suitcase. The warden said it was an “open-and-can’t-quite-get-it-shut case.”- James Corden
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SPOTS N DOTS
The Daily News Of TV Sales
February2, 2017
Phone: 888-884-2630