Spots N Dots
The Daily News Of TV Sales
June 1, 2017
NEW MEAUREMENT FOR TV AD EFFECTIVENESS
TV ROI ANALYSIS TO RIVAL DIGITAL
Kantar Millward Brown is partnering with Samba TV to introduce what they describe as the industry’s largest and most precise TV advertising effectiveness analytics platform.
The joint initiative matches Kantar Millward Brown’s Ignite Network panel — comprised of 8 million PC and 3 million mobile users — with Samba TV’s 13.5 million smart TV and connected device households to create a single-source TV exposure dataset. Linking passive exposure data with claimed exposure (opportunity-to-see) at the individual level creates a new standard for TV advertising effectiveness measurement.
Brand Lift Insights for TV powered by Samba TV helps advertisers answer key questions such as: Which elements of the TV ad campaign are most successful? How does the campaign benchmark against the industry? And how can optimizations be made in market to improve campaign effectiveness?
The effort will give marketers that buy TV the same precision ROI data they get from digital media measurement.
TEENS TRUST/DON’T TRUST ADS
A new study by YouGov.com reports that teens’ (ages 13- 17) attitudes on advertising were almost evenly split.
47% saying they found ads they read, see or hear to be “somewhat trustworthy” or “very trustworthy. And 46% felt ads were “somewhat untrustworthy” or not to be trusted at all, eMarketer reports.
Unlike older demographics, teenagers’ views on advertising are shaped by marketing online and on social media, where a considerable amount of their media consumption occurs. For instance, teens may be more likely to trust advertising if a brand is recommended or liked by a social media contact.
“Compared to their elders, teens probably ingest a disproportionate amount of their advertising in venues like Snapchat and Instagram, which they regard as their own turf,” eMarketer analyst Mark Dolliver says. “That might make them less inclined to be instinctively distrustful of the ads.”
Teens can be swayed by celebrities pitching products, which is particularly common on social media, with 55% saying they enjoy watching ads featuring their favorite celebrities. In a more traditional endorsement, teens say that ads influence their purchase decisions, with 58% reporting that ads helps them to choose what they want and what they buy, YouGov notes.
While teens may be accustomed to digital advertising, it doesn’t mean they’re a captive audience. In another recent study, Kantar Millward Brown reported that teens are impatient with digital advertising, particularly formats they regard as invasive, such as online display ads, video ads and autoplay ads on social channels.
ADVERTISER NEWS
This Week In Consumer Electronics reports General Wireless Operations pulled the plug on most of its remaining RadioShack stores over the Memorial Day weekend, leaving only about 70 company-owned stores and 425 independently-owned franchised locations still in business. GWO plans to consolidate operations around its RadioShack.com website. TWICE notes RadioShack hit its peak in 2004 with more than 7400 stores in operation at that time……The Chicago Tribune reports Payless ShoeSource is seeking bankruptcy court approval to close about 400 stores more than it had originally called for when it filed its bankruptcy plan in April. Payless has been trying to negotiate lower rent for some locations and says while some of those attempts have resulted in savings, “other negotiations have not been as successful”……Lidl has firmed up plans for the beginning of its foray into the U.S. supermarket business, with the first nine stores set to open two weeks from today on 6/15. Plans are for 20 locations to be open by this summer and at least 100 by next summer. “We cannot wait to open our first U.S. stores and introduce customers to grocery shopping refreshed, retooled and rethought to make life better,” Lidl’s U.S. CEO claimed……After acquiring hundreds of stores from other chains, Mattress Firm moved past Ikea into the number two position for all U.S. furniture stores according to Furniture Today’s annual analysis. The Ashley HomeStore network of company-owned and franchised stores remains number one. FT notes nine bedding specialists made the top 100 list of furniture sellers with Mattress1One, which added 30 units last year, showing 9.6% revenue growth, well ahead of most other bedding chains……While the practice of fast-food chains tying in to movies isn’t as frequent or as heavily-promoted as it had been in the past, Sonic Drive-Ins is teaming with Paramount Pictures on the upcoming movie Transformers: The Last Knight and will introduce several new slushes inspired by some of the movie’s characters. Sonic is also starting a Transform Your Summer Sweepstakes with prizes ranging from cars to Sonic gift cards……As carbonated soft drinks continue to lose share to other beverages, the major companies look to new products to find ways to increase revenue. Gatorade is introducing a new sub-line called Gatorade Flow, said to offer the same hydration and fueling benefits as the original drink but with fuller flavor and a smoother finish. And PepsiCo (owner of Gatorade) is reported to be looking at an acquisition of All Market which has the Vita Coco coconut water brand. USA Today reports coconut water is a hot beverage trend with electrolyte-filled liquid extracted from young coconuts.
NETWORK NEWS
CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley is leaving the network’s flagship newscast and plans to return full-time to 60 Minutes, according to a person familiar with the situation. CBS News has declined to comment on the move and it appears the network was caught by surprise by Pelley’s departure. Pelley’s office was packed, in full view of staffers, while he was on assignment for 60 Minutes. It is expected that Pelley will return to the evening newscast before ending his tenure. CBS Evening News has gained viewership while Pelley was at the anchor desk, but continues to trail NBC’s Nightly News with Lester Holt and ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir. NBC’s newscast is the ratings leader in adults 25-54, while ABC wins with more total viewers. CBS veteran weekend anchor Anthony Mason is expected to fill in for Pelley on an interim basis…….NBC has reversed its decision to move its hit series This Is Us to Thursday. The network said earlier this week that it has decided to leave the heartwarming series on Tuesday nights. A network executive familiar with the plans told the Associated Press there was concern that with NBC airing Thursday Night Football games in the late fall and that would result in too many interruptions for the serialized show, and could annoy the program’s viewers. The decision to stay on Tuesday night will result in NBC’s ability to air nine or 10 continuous episodes before there are any interruptions. The move to Thursday had been the centerpiece of NBC’s plan, announced just two weeks ago, to create a schedule that echoed its “must see TV” Thursday nights of 20 years ago……NBC News has acquired a 25% stake in the European news network Euronews. The deal is expected to close this week and will see the creation of a new EuronewsNBC brand bearing the American broadcaster’s famous peacock. Variety is reporting that the two companies have been in talks since late last year and have agreed to a deal under which NBC News will pay $30 million for its share in the news channel based in France. The alignment will allow the two news organizations to recruit more journalist, have a larger footprint, and add to its staff in Brussels and other critical locations……Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical, Powerless) will join the judge’s panel for the next season of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. Hudgens’ becomes the third judge for the 14th season joining Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy. She will make her debut on the show’s season premiere from the Los Angeles auditions on June 12.
TV: $100 BILLION BY 2030
Mediapost reports on a recent forecast by Credit Suisse -which estimates that TV advertising revenue will grow from $71 billion today to reach $10 Billion by 2030. How? By infusing campaigns with data to enhance their efficiency. The website notes that there are strong indications in the run-up to this year’s network upfronts that digital-fueled ad tech is starting to take a starring role in TV advertising. On the selling side, NBCUniversal, Google and a triumvirate of Turner, Viacom and Fox have announced a renewed focus on data-driven TV advertising innovation.
ECONOMIC NEWS
Consumer spending was up 0.4% in April in the latest figures just reported by the Commerce Department, and that was the biggest gain since December after a relatively low first quarter. It has now been more than two years since there has been a decline of any size in the Personal Consumption Expenditures analysis……There was however a small drop in the Consumer Confidence Index just issued by The Conference Board, although the overall number remains strong. The May index was 117.9, down slightly from 119.4 in April and the director of Economic Indicators for the Conference Board commented, “Consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions held steady, suggesting little change in overall economic conditions. Looking ahead, consumers were somewhat less upbeat than in April but overall remain optimistic that the economy will continue expanding into the summer months.”
CASH-OUT RE-FIS SURGE
Homeowners who refinanced their mortgages took out about $61 billion in cash from those deals last year, and according to Freddie Mac figures, cash-out re-fis put another $14 billion into homeowners’ hands in the first quarter of this year. More can be expected the rest of the year as rising home prices combined with still-historically low mortgage interest rates are giving home owners the opportunity to pull cash out of their home’s equity and still have potentially lower monthly mortgage payments. Almost half of all refinance transactions in the first quarter involved borrowers cashing out some of their equity—while that’s still way below numbers that preceded the housing crash a decade ago, it’s also about four times the percentage of refinance deals with cash-out earlier this decade.
In a related note, Zillow says the median home value in the country is now $198,000, a percentage point higher than the old peak value that had been recorded in April, 2007. The Zillow Home Value Index says home values were up 7.3% over the past year and there are currently almost 8% fewer homes on the market than there were at this point in 2016. That 7.3% yearly increase is the biggest one-year jump in more than 10 years.
BUSINESS BYTES
Smartphones are now the second most-frequently owned tech product (behind just televisions) according to the Consumer Technology Association with 80% of U.S. homes having one of more of the devices. That’s up 6% from 2016 as the phones took over second place from DVD/Blu- Ray players. Several other tech devices showed significant growth in penetration, as least on a percentage basis. Internet-enabled TVs rose from 50% last year to 54% now, and smartwatches grew from 8% to 12%. Wearable activity trackers continued their growth rising from 20% in 2016 to 24% now. The senior market research director for the CTA noted three of the top five most frequently owned technology devices have screens (TV, smartphones, and laptops) and predicts those numbers will continue to grow as about a third of consumers plan to buy at least one smartphone this year with about 20% saying they’re likely to buy a TV or laptop.
AVAILS
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 calls please. WLNE-TV/ABC6 is and equal opportunity employer.
KHOU Media Solutions, Houston, seeks a Digital Sales Specialist (DSS) to join our sales team. This position works strategically with the sales staff to generate creative solutions that deliver customer results through our digital assets, as well as, monitor campaign performance. The DSS must have expert knowledge of digital marketing including social media, SEO/SEM. Minimum 2 years of account engagement in a professional, fast paced sales environment, and a proven track record of exceeding expectations preferred. CLICK HERE for more info or to apply. No calls please. EOE/Drug Free.
KHOU Media Solutions, Houston, seeks a Lead Generation Specialist. This position is responsible for prospecting, qualifying and generating new sales leads to support the Sales team by securing appointments for outside sellers. This individual will be a highly motivated, self-starter who enjoys identifying and developing new business prospects from multiple sources including inbound marketing leads, prospect lists, contacts, discovery and individual research. CLICK HERE to apply. No calls please. Due to the volume of resumes received, we are unable to provide updates on the status of individual applications. EOE.
Comcast seeks a Regional Automotive Director for a positon in Bingham Farms, MI in the Detroit metro. The Regional Automotive Director will be responsible for developing, leading and supporting the region's growth in the automotive category within all Comcast Spotlight businesses and advertising tiers. 10+ years in related automotive media management and/or automotive advertising sales experiences, with increasing management responsibilities. Experience in the automotive, media, sales and marketing industries is preferred. CLICK HERE to apply. EOE.