I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Well, it's not shameless self-promotion, but it's pretty close...

A good friend of mine is helping sell T-Shirts to commemorate Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration coming up on January 20th. Here is the blurb from the website:

History has been made as America continues its arduous path towards becoming an even greater country than it already is. Join us as we celebrate this historic inauguration on January 20th, 2009 and wear this limited edition commemorative tee as "NEW HOPE" sweeps the nation and brings us together as one. America has stood up in the face of abundant adversity and collectively we have decided to band together and forge a path to unity.

If you'd like to check them out, please visit http://www.inaugurationtee.com !

What's Black and White and Completely Over?

Well, according to Jon Stewart, it's newspapers. Check out the video for Stewart's hilarious take on the not-so-hilarious decline of newspapers.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=213347&title=clusterf#@k-to-the-poor-house

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

(Courtesy of Comedy Central)

All Frocked Up

In honor of our Director of Media - Tina Hemond, a woman with a frock for every occasion - here are a few 1930s era Christmas ads for your enjoyment!

(Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune - Check out the link above for a bunch more)

Apps: The Newest Brand Graveyard

By Brian Morrissey (AdWeek)

NEW YORK Standing before an overflow crowd of the crème de la crème of the advertising world in Cannes this summer, Nike global director of digital media Stefan Olander explained how the brand saw its mission as building community through applications. He highlighted a new initiative: the Ballers Network, a robust Facebook application built by digital shop R/GA for basketball players to find games and manage leagues. On its Web site, Nike promises it will "revolutionize the way players around the world connect online and compete on the court."

Six months later, Nike is confronting a dilemma familiar to many brands that charged headlong onto Facebook: very few people use Ballers Network. Despite its global ambitions and support in three languages, the application has a mere 3,400 users per month. According to Nike, it's still testing the application.

Brands, in general, have found Facebook unforgiving terrain for marketing. It's well known, for instance, that banner ads perform poorly on the site. (A recent IDC report called advertising on social networks "stillborn.") But the Facebook Platform, launched 18 months ago -- which lets developers create social applications for users -- was thought to offer the perfect opportunity to move beyond banners to provide "branded utility." So far, however, Facebook apps from brands like Coca-Cola, Champion, Ford and Microsoft are as popular as desolate Second Life islands.

Mike Murphy, vp of global sales at Facebook, defends the platform by noting success stories would likely involve much broader efforts than they've seen so far. "We find that if a brand builds an application as their social strategy and not as a tactic that contributes to their overall strategy, then more than likely they won't see good results," he said.

Application experts pointed to several other reasons so many top brands have fallen short. In some cases, they said, brand apps are too complicated. Some provide little worthwhile interactivity and are overly branded. And despite Murphy's admonition, most exist as one-off experiments, tied to a launch-and-forget campaign approach versus one created with the mind-set of a developer, which leaves room for tinkering. What's more, many companies build applications on the cheap, frequently relying on "viral" distribution rather than buying media. One overriding criticism: They're often little more than ads.

These applications, said Adrian Ho, partner at Zeus Jones, a Minneapolis brand consulting shop, are "still about being disruptive and grabbing attention. [But] if you talk to most designers who do things useful, they try to make them as invisible as possible."

Take Ballers Network. The application, say some developers, is too slick. Unlike the most popular applications, it resembles a Flash microsite with lush photography. And while simple typically wins out in social networks, where users jump from activity to activity, Ballers Network has myriad options. These include finding courts, creating pickup games, managing league results and trash-talking opponents. Nike also hasn't promoted the application through media buys. Perhaps most important, said Chris Cunningham, CEO of Appssavvy, an ad rep firm for developers: Ballers Network feels all about Nike.

"Marketers want to build something that's product and marketing first," he said. "The developer wants to provide utility, functionality and better someone's life."

Even Facebook application "success" stories have fleeting appeal. FedEx proudly trumpeted the viral aspect of Launch a Package -- an application for the sending of virtual gifts in FedEx packaging -- that gained 100,000 installations in three days. In all, FedEx reported, 1 million packages were sent. But many of those users didn't stick. The numbers indicate that by late September, just 4,000 people were using Launch a Package per month, according to Appdata. Now it attracts just 1,500 monthly users.

One possible reason for the big dip: People were acquired through pay-per-install ad networks, where application makers "guarantee" downloads by inviting users getting another app to add one from an advertiser.

"People are tricked," said Cunningham. "They have no idea what they're installing."

Andreas Combuechen, CEO of FedEx digital shop Atmosphere BBDO, believes the program was a success, if only in the short term. "Do we know what the magic formula is? I don't think so," he said.

Success stories seem to involve simple messaging and modest expectations. Anheuser-Busch, for instance, used a Facebook application as part of a Bud Light party cruise. The app was given to 4,600 cruise goers who could use it to see who else would be on the ship, upload photos and keep in touch afterward.

"There's a social context for the cruise that makes it fundamentally better," said Michael Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media, the firm that created it.

For big brands needing mass reach, partnering is easier. Gap reached 7 million users in a little over a month by partnering with RockYou's Pieces of Flair during the presidential election for an app that distributes virtual campaign-style buttons. Digital shop AKQA considered building a Gap application, but decided against it, according to Scott Symonds, executive media director at AKQA.

While such media buys aren't revolutionary, they're probably the best way for brands to participate on social networks, he said. Slide, a top app company, has integrated brands like VitaminWater and Starbucks into their most popular Facebook franchises. Microsoft tried building its own "poking" application to promote Office, but an integration with Slide's FunSpace app, which has 14 million users, got the same engagement at a tenth of the cost, according to Kevin Freedman, CFO of Slide.

"You can take that same amount of money and spend it to reach the consumers who are going to use your product," he said. "Just look. It's pretty clear building [brand] applications isn't working."


(courtesy of AdWeek)

Google Knows When You Sneeze...

When you're trying to look something up on the internet, if you're like millions of other people in this world, you go to Google first.

Well, apparently Google has started tracking and compiling data on searches related to flu symptoms. They have been creating a data-tracking tool that they hope will detect outbreaks of influenza faster than other traditional systems in place.

Of course, no program is foolproof, as stated in this CNN article:

The tool may miss cases of influenza spreading among elderly people, because they are less likely to use the Internet than younger people, Stafford said. He also noted that many people who search for flu-related terms have viral infections that are not actually influenza.

Google has also taken into account that people sometimes look for flu-related terms in response to certain news headlines and do not actually have the flu, Ginsberg said. The tool looks for terms that, for example, reflect searches by a person who has chest congestion or wants to buy a thermometer, he said.

Hmm. Just one more way search engine technology is evolving.

(Courtesy of CNN and Google)

How Can Radio Complement a Newspaper Campaign?

Both newspapers and radio are extremely valuable advertising tools, and where one may lack some crucial element, the other can fill in the gaps. So it would make sense that combining the best features of both media would create a solid advertising venture.

Here are five solid reasons to use a combined newspaper/radio campaign:

1. Extra local impact in relevant markets or regions

2. Radio can break through ad clutter in newspapers by directing listeners to advertisers' coupons

3. Newspapers allow advertisers to provide more detailed information than would fit in a typical 60-second radio spot

4. Radio's demographic targetability increases the reach of an ad and ensures greater coverage among light readers and younger consumers

5. Radio can complement targeted newspaper section placement with programming features or sponsorships - sports, business reports, etc.

Still not convinced? Check out this study by the Radio Marketing Bureau that "highlights the implications of adding radio to newspaper campaigns. Opportunities for exposure, brand recall and preference, message playback, advertising efficiencies and communication strengths are explored."

FCC clears Google-backed plan on airwaves use

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved a plan sought by tech companies like Google Inc and Microsoft Inc to open soon-to-be-vacant television airwaves to new wireless devices.

The five-member FCC voted to open unlicensed pockets of the spectrum known as white space that will become available when U.S. broadcasters are required to move to digital television next year.

Companies like Google and Microsoft, as well as consumer groups, said access to the white space airwaves would encourage innovation in cellular telephones and wireless devices, much as WiFi did.

"Let's hope it's not just Wi-Fi on steroids but Wi-Fi on amphetamines," FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said.

FCC commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate dissented in part, saying she preferred a more formal process to deal with interference issues.

Traditional broadcasters such as Walt Disney Inc's ABC, General Electric's NBC, CBS Corp and even country singer Dolly Parton opposed the plan. They said signals sent over that part of the spectrum could cause interference with broadcasts or wireless microphones at live productions.

A broadcasters' group, Maximum Service Television, said the decision "imperils American's television reception in order to satisfy the "free" spectrum demands of Google and Microsoft."

The FCC sided with the tech companies and consumer groups after two rounds of testing the devices. An agency engineering report released several weeks ago said the spectrum could be used without causing harmful interference.

Harold Feld, senior vice president at the consumer group Media Access Project, said the vote will lead to expanded investment in broadband and other technologies.

"Motorola, Google and Microsoft have invested five years and millions of dollars to get this approved," Feld said. "The people that made those decisions are going to show they made good decisions."

The bi-partisan vote by three Republican and two Democratic FCC voting members signals that greater access to white space will move forward regardless of whether Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama wins the presidency, said Ben Scott, policy director of the advocacy group Free Press.

Republicans back white space access as a free-market approach, while Democrats like that it improves affordability and is pro-consumer, Scott said. "No matter who is president, this white space policy will be expanded upon," he said.

The decision "will allow the marketplace to produce new devices and new applications that we can't even imagine today," Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell said.

The order requires both fixed and portable devices to be capable of sensing television stations and wireless microphones and that those devices be registered in an FCC database.


(Courtesy of Reuters and Yahoo)

The :30 Second Presidential Candidate

In the spirit of Election Day today, here's a link to some great information from a Wisconsin PBS production called The 30-Second Candidate. It chronicles the history of political TV advertising from the first ads in the early 1950s through the presidential campaign in 1996.

Check out the Tricks of the Trade for a neat walk-through on ways to put together elements in a political ad FOR or AGAINST a candidate using exactly the same footage.

It's also definitely worthwhile to flip through the Rosser Reeves Collection. Awesome photos and videos from over 50 years ago, including media-buying documents (with rates!) and storyboards. Fascinating guy, here's a little more about Reeves:

One of the best ad men was Rosser Reeves. He'd made a name for himself creating campaigns for big clients like Anacin, Colgate, and M&M's. Famous for catchy slogans like "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands," Reeves was approached by a group of Texas business men to come up with a Republican slogan to compete with the Democrats' "You Never Had It So Good."

Instead of a mere slogan, Reeves pitched an entire campaign. Republican presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower would speak to voters' chief concerns in a series of short television "spots" airing shortly before the November election. "Eisenhower Answers America" was just underway.

In any case, it's a great look back on the progression of political advertising in the medium. Check it out!



(Courtesy of PBS)

14 Tips for Better Newspaper Advertising

If you've advertised in newspapers before, the tips below should look pretty familiar. If not, then it will definitely be worthwhile for you to review this information. Quite honestly, whether you've seen these before or not, it's a smart idea to periodically revisit good newspaper advertising techniques to make sure you're getting the best value for your investment.

Number 4 - dominate the page without paying for it - is an especially great tip because everyone is feeling the budget crunch right now. By making your ad just big enough to take up over half the page, it makes it harder to place other ads around it and creates an "island." In fact, there are some publications that even offer "island" advertising on a normal basis.

Let the learning begin...

Tip #1: Consistency is key in newspaper advertising. Whether you’re interested in community, local or national newspaper advertising, always think in terms of using it consistently no less than once a week.

Tip #2: Certain days work better than others for certain types of advertising. Generally, the best day to run a newspaper ad is Sunday. That’s when most people spend the most time reading the paper. Let’s take a look at the other days:

- Monday is good if your audience is primarily men all weekend sports are usually summarized on Monday.
- Tuesday and Sunday are great days for classified ads, especially financial or business related classified ads.
- Wednesday and Thursday are good days if those are the food or health days in your paper, and yours is a food or health related offering.
- Friday is a good day if your business picks up on the weekends restaurants, bars, nightclubs, some retailers, concert venues, farmer’s markets.
- Saturday is good because fewer advertisers use the Saturday edition, thinking it’s a bad day for readership. This means less competition for your prospects attention and money

Tip #3: Positioning your ad. To gain maximum exposure, request that your ad run in the main news section of the paper, as far forward as possible. Traditionally, you were told to always ask for a right-hand page, but recent studies have shown it doesn’t really make a difference. Half the people read the newspaper front to back, the other half, back to front. You should, however, request that your ad be positioned above the fold.

Tip #4: Dominating a page, without paying for it. To dominate a page in the newspaper, which is usually 8 columns wide by twenty-two inches high, design an ad that is five columns wide and twelve or more inches high. This is proven to have the same affect as a full-page ad, at a much lower cost.

Tip #5: Use color. You should also inquire about adding one color. The use of just one color, any color, can dramatically increase your “net exposure” (that's what I call the number of people who actually read your ad) and nearly double your response rate.

Tip #6: Whatever you do, don’t let the newspaper people design your ad for you. Have your ad professionally designed, otherwise it will look like every other ad in the paper. (I once worked in a newspaper ad department, believe me, I know!) Be sure the designer has experience in newspaper ads, too. You want your ad to reproduce properly, which means it may need a certain line-screen. Also, stay away from reverse-type white type against a black background. Keep your type clear; your headline bold.

Tip #7: Make your ad newsworthy. People read newspapers to get the news, so try to make your ad as newsworthy as possible. If your ad is small, give it a distinctive border so it creates a visual identity for your ads.

Tip #8: You’re paying for that space – use it! Be sure to give your prospects enough information to buy what you’re selling. And don’t fall into the trap of revering white space because it looks good. You’re paying for every square inch of that ad – use it. Your ads should win sales, not design awards.

Tip #9: Test, test, test! If you’re just getting started in newspaper advertising, don’t settle on just one newspaper. Test your ad in the various newspapers available to your market to figure out which one works best. Once you’ve figured out which newspapers are read (the most) by your prospects, stick with them.

Tip #10: Don’t expect it to work overnight. CARDINAL RULE: Don’t expect newspaper advertising to work instantly! (This takes us back to Tip #1: Consistency is key.) Unless you make a time-sensitive offer such as a free gift for stopping by before a certain date, or offer a discount coupon with an expiration date, don’t expect a stampede of customers through your door the day you run your ad. It won’t happen. Never does.

Tip #11: Use “tracking devices” to measure ad performance. A “tracking device” is any element you can include in your advertising that makes it easier to measure that ad’s effectiveness. Adding a number code or color code to your coupons is a good example of a “tracking device.” This will make them easier to track if you’re using more than one newspaper or advertising on different days. You want to know which coupons came from where, when, and how many. That way, you’ll know which newspapers work the best for you, and on which days, and even which headlines work best for those papers on those days. Get it?

Tip #12: The “big” newspapers aren’t as expensive as you think. If you’re not happy with your local newspaper, or you’d like to hit a larger audience than just your town, look into advertising in the regional editions of USA Today, The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, if your prospects read them. These regional editions, while more expensive to advertise in that your local newspaper, are much less expensive to advertise in than the national editions. (If you’re a local or regional business, you should NEVER advertise in the national edition. I don’t care what the ad rep tells you, don’t waste your money.)

Tip #13: The first thing people will see in your ad is your headline. This should entice the reader into wanting to learn more. I always INSIST that a headline make a meaningful or fascinating statement of benefit – or an outright offer – to the reader. For instance, “Get Your Tax Refund Today!” or “Professional Tax Preparation Only $10” are much better headlines than “Bob Jones Tax Service.” That’s pretty obvious, I know, but I can’t tell you how many people put the name of their business or product or service or worse yet, some totally worthless copy, in place of a headline and then hide the meaningful, fascinating stuff in the copy. It’s the biggest mistake in advertising! Put your main benefit or offer in the headline (and/or subheading) so even those who don’t read the entire ad will get the main point.

Tip #14: Next, people will see the visual, any subheadings, and then your name. Adding a visual can TRIPLE the “net exposure” of your ad. More people will notice it if it has a photo or image, which means more, in turn, will RESPOND to it. A photo of yourself will add instant credibility. A product image is better than a logo. Even better is an image of your product or service being used. Let people see it in action. Let them see how good it looks, how good it fits or how good it works. Let them see the smile on the face of a person using it.



(Courtesy of Phil Autelitano)

FCC considers product placement rules for TV

So I was watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 the other night because I may or may not be obsessed with their adorable kids. For those of you not aware, Jon & Kate Plus 8 is a show on TLC that follows a family of 10 - the two parents and their twin girls and sextuplets - through their everyday lives.

It's become clear to me that the product placements on this show are getting more and more pronounced. In previous episodes there were lingering camera shots of certain juice bottles and obvious references to food and clothing brands, but at least they were not totally in-your-face endorsements.

Well, in Monday night's episode, there was a toy kitchen that Jon (the father) had gotten for the younger girls to play with. While he was setting it up there was a shot of the box and the name of the toy brand. He mentioned it like it was no big deal, just bought it for the kids to play with.

A few minutes passed and I forget about the toy kitchen set until the next commercial break, when what do you know, there's a commercial for the very same toy kitchen set. Must be magic!

In any case, it got me thinking about the evolution on product placements over time. From the Reese's Pieces in the movie "ET," to the ridiculous and continuous product plugs in American Idol, which "logged a impressive 4,636 product placement shots during the first half of this year."

Apparently the FCC is now thinking about an initiative to make advertising placements more obvious to viewers. Reminds me of the children's shows that I grew up with having to announce a disclaimer when going from tv show to commercial because the kids couldn't tell the difference between the programming and the advertisements. ("After these messages, we'll be right back!")

In fact:

The Children's Media Policy Coalition warns that embedded ads worsen toddlers' "inability to distinguish commercials from programming, and makes it more difficult for them to discern persuasive content."

Click the link above for some additional reading.

(Courtesy of ars technica)

Rumours of a Facebook Block Persist in Egypt

Fascinating article from the Arab Press Network. I guess Facebook is used for something other than virtually stalking strangers...

A recent surge of social activism among Egyptians has alerted the government to a networking force that has thus far eluded their control: Facebook. Since the 6 April general strike, rumour has it that the social networking website has been front and centre on the Egyptian authorities' radar as they mull over the possibility of a block.

Further:

Wael Nawara, an avid blogger and Vice Chairman of Egypt's El Ghad opposition party, once depended on independent El Ghad newspaper to represent an alternative voice to the official publications. The paper was founded in late 2004, with famed Al Dustour editor-in-chief Ibrahim Eissa at the helm, but after a string of scandals, the paper was finally banned in August 2007. Within days of the banning Nawara turned to Facebook as a channel to broadcast his oppositional message, initially starting with two groups: The Third Republic and Egypt Remembers."

Facebook came as a surprise to everyone," Nawara explained. "When the government realized that tens of thousands of people and activists can be rallied in a few days time using viral communication techniques available on Facebook, they started to monitor the social network more closely. The word is that there is even a special division called the State Security Investigation Police for Facebook."

Holy crap.



(Courtesy of the Arab Press Network)

Academy to Allow Film Ads on Oscars

It was only a matter of time before the Oscars allowed movie advertising back into the awards telecast. The Academy understandably wanted to rule out any notion that movie studios were able to "influence" the awards, and for years did not allow any movie advertisements.

From Gregg Kilday of The Hollywood Reporter:

The opportunity to promote upcoming movies -- particularly summer tent-poles -- is sure to appeal to the studios, which already use the Super Bowl broadcast to unveil new ads. And just as there are viewers who watch the Super Bowl simply for those ads, previews of highly anticipated summer movies also could lure more eyeballs to the Oscarcast.

Of course, there are a number of carefully constructed rules to ensure an unbiased approach. Studios can't promote nominated movies (including any prequels or sequels), only one movie spot can air per commercial break, each spot can only promote one film at a time, and the spots cannot make any mention of the words "Oscar" or "Academy Award".

Seems a small price to pay to be able to promote films during the industry's biggest night.


(courtesy of Adweek)

Shameless Self-Promotion!

It's about that time...

Check out my new blog, Katie's Advertising Deals, for information on advertising specials I can provide. I'll keep it updated with exciting new services, remnant space offers, last-minute deals, and anything else I can get my hands on!

I specialize in newspaper networks, and can place your classified or display ad all over the country with only one insertion. Want to learn more? Send me an email!

Remember to check often, as many of the deals I get are only offered for a limited amount of time. If there's something specific that you want and you don't see it there, let me know! I'll be happy to do the legwork for you.

Font Play

Folha de São Paulo, a Portuguese language newspaper from Brazil, is running these very cool ads of celebrities created solely from characters in different font characters.

Brando's still pretty fine, considering most of his top half is made out of punctuation.

(Courtesy of Geekologie and Walyou)

Natural Born Clickers

A study commissioned by Starcom and Tacoda, and conducted by comScore shows that only 6% of the online population accounts for 50% of all display ad clicks.

While click-throughs are generally a valuable tool for judging campaign effectiveness, don't be fooled into thinking that they provide 100% accuracy. The study suggests that this small percentage of "heavy clickers" does not represent the click habits of the general public:

In fact, heavy clickers skew towards Internet users between the ages of 25-44 and households with an income under $40,000. Heavy clickers behave very differently online than the typical Internet user, and while they spend four times more time online than non-clickers, their spending does not proportionately reflect this very heavy Internet usage. Heavy clickers are also relatively more likely to visit auctions, gambling, and career services sites – a markedly different surfing pattern than non-clickers.

Click the title above for the full press release.

Jeans Theme: Unbutton Your Beast

I'm sensing a trend here. First it was Quiksilver Deep Blue, making their jeans into creatures from the deep sea.

Now? Trout Troutman literally pops out at you from a pair of Levi's and starts talking.

Levi's 501 is letting you "unbutton your beast" on their website. There are some critics that see this as a campaign "so lacking in nuance, it makes you want to cringe."

To that I say...

If it's generating buzz, it's working! And really, tell me who doesn't appreciate a hilarious penis joke - subtle or not. I think we are all winners here.

In any case, between the actual claw, the dangling toothpick, and the nut-cracking, I'd be a little nervous if I was a dude and THAT was in my pants.

Good Marketing in a Bad Economy

You're sick of hearing it, but here it is one last time - It's very important to continue advertising, even when the economy is bad. Especially when the economy is bad.

And here is someone else who agrees - David Warschawski, in an opinion piece from the August 25 edition of Mediaweek. He says:

Just as any wise investor knows that the best opportunities are found in down markets, the savvy marketing executive knows that this is the perfect time to proactively market their product or service.

Recessions are periods of opportunity that can be taken advantage of or can take advantage of you. Make certain you know how to capitalize on the great marketing opportunities provided by a recessionary period.

OK. I lied. I just really can't emphasize this point enough - It's very important to continue advertising, even when the economy is bad. Especially when the economy is bad.

Here are two more links to fascinating case studies and facts/statistics on advertising during tough financial times:

Investing In A Bad Economy (Chuck McKay) - From 2005 but definitely still relevant. Excerpt:

During the recessionary period 1989-1991 Kraft salad dressings, Jiff peanut butter, Bud Lite, Coors Lite, Pizza Hut, and Taco bell were in the aggressive group which increased advertising expenditures. Jell-O, Crisco, Hellman´s, Green Giant, McDonalds, and Doritos cut back on advertising during this period. Predictably the first group had showed growth during the recession ranging from 15% to 70%. The second group´s sales dropped 26% to 64%

How a Bad Economy Can Be a Good Opportunity (Clff Freeman & Partners) - Excellent case studies and focus on importance of sound business model to truly use ad dollars wisely. Excerpt:

By one measure, 70% of companies are not fully prepared for an economic slowdown. Moreover, a survey of 100 US senior executives showed that only a handful of business leaders see an economic downturn as an opportunity that can be turned into a long-term competitive advantage.

Don't be fooled - despite the bad economy people are still going to have to spend their money. Make sure they spend it with you.

Foosball with a Twist

An agency out of Philadelphia has created a foosball table where Hatfield brand Polish and Italian sausage links take the place of the soccer players:

Art directed by Todd Taylor and designed by Jaimi Steen, the foosball table will be used at live events and sponsorships. The ultimate goal of the foosball table is to add to the Hatfield brand experience at events and create a fun, engaging environment for consumers to familiarize themselves with the brand and the products themselves.

Unfortunately they are made of plastic, eliminating the possibility of gaining an advantage by eating the opposing players. Too bad.

(Quote courtesy of AdFreak)

All The News That's Fit to Print...

How To Determine Your Advertising Budget

It's understood that no one really wants to spend money on advertising. In a perfect world we'd have lots of happy customers buying our products and services all the time without needing to find ways to draw them in.

Since we know that's not the case, here's an easy way to get a good estimate of what you can expect to invest in growing your business:

Rule of thumb:
- Advertising budgets vary from business to business, however we find that on average 2%-7% of total sales are dedicated to advertising.

Equation:
1. Average sale x frequency of sales* per day
2. Daily sales total x open for business timeframe (i.e. days per week)
3. Weekly sales total x appropriate percentages based on your business needs

*Sales can be actual dollar sales, patients, clients, students, etc. depending on your specific business

Examples:

Small Ticket -
1. $25 average sale x 100 average sales per day = $2,500 daily sales
2. $2,500 daily sales x 7 days/week open for business = $17,500 weekly sales
3. $17,500 weekly sales x 2% (low end of range) = $350 weekly advertising budget

Large Ticket -
1. $500 average sale x 10 average sales per day = $5,000 daily sales
2. $5,000 daily sales x 6 days/week open for business = $30,000 weekly sales
3. $30,000 weekly sales x 5% (middle of range) = $1,500 weekly advertising budget


The main point to remember is that all advertising budgets are different based on specific business needs. This formula obviously will not work for every business, however it's a great way to at least get an idea of what you need to be investing to get a solid return.


(courtesy of Diane Ciotta, Publisher of Kidsville News! of Middlesex County, NJ and Founder/President of Training Classics, the name under which she has been giving seminars on sales training and sales refinement for over 19 years)

Watch That Zipper...

Quiksilver Deep Blue jeans have a campaign out with their jeans featured as creatures from the dark depths of the deep blue sea. Be careful zipping up those teeth...

Need Help Writing Your Classified Ad?

Because these folks sure do.

Use of "Ad Networks" Surges Six-Fold

The Interactive Advertising Bureau has released findings of a recent study stating that online publishers and websites have been placing their unsold inventory in the hands of "ad networks."

As online publishers continue to experience growth rates of 20-30% in ad revenue, the race to create new advertising opportunities has left publishers with an excess of inventory which they are selling through ad networks at up to 90% discounts versus direct sales rates.

These networks are able to acquire unsold inventory from hundreds and hundreds of premium and non-premium websites and create package deals for advertisers. Also:

“Online publishers are producing more inventory than the market demands, and risk devaluing the premium nature of their brands, particularly in light of ad networks growth and their dramatically lower pricing,” said John Frelinghuysen, a partner in Bain’s Global Media Practice and study author. “Building more effective relationships between publishers and ad networks is critical. In the longer-term, both parties will benefit from gains in ad network CPMs.”

But many advertisers want to be associated with big-name, tier 1 sites. They want the branding and the affiliation with the premium names out there. What they forget is that it's not the website that's buying their products and services, it is the actual user of the website. Chances are good that the user is visiting multiple websites during any given online session. And if it's the users you want to reach, shouldn't you focus on the sites they are actually visiting as opposed to the sites you think they'll be visiting?

Jim Meskauskas of iMedia Connection agrees:

...what needs to be understood is that the audience is what matters most-- more than where the audience is found. And if where these audiences are found are places where those audiences have chosen to be, even if it is a place you haven't heard of, what's wrong with that?

We all know that an ad in a bad place can have a negative impact. But does being on a site the advertiser is familiar with versus one it has not, so long as the audience is right, have a more positive impact?

None of this is to say that buying within ad networks is better than buying a highly branded single site. It is to say, however, that advertisers need to think more seriously about ad networks in addition to those sites.

The best thing about some of these ad networks is that they offer behavioral tracking, so when your target user moves from one site to another, the ad can follow them and show up on additional sites, whether or not the newly visited site has anything to do with the original ad. Depending on the network, you can optimize your impressions to show more on the sites that are receiving the most response.

As Meskauskas notes, it's finding a way to add networks to existing single site placements that will provide the largest gain.

A Publisher's view: Selling Online Advertising Requires Different Sales Strategy

My last post was about the challenges that nationally recognized "local" newspapers face when trying to evaluate advertising revenue in print and online.

Along somewhat similar lines, Craig McMullin, Executive Director at the Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP), provides perspective from the publishing side:

Whether publishing a newspaper or shopper, breadth of coverage has always been a key ingredient. We cover a community and we realize that our community consists of people interested in a wide variety of news and advertising information.

And, we know that if we publish a paper with a wide variety of news and/or advertising information, something in our paper is going to be of interest to each and every person in the market. It will be something different for any two people, but there's going to be a hook that engages each person and that will make them want to read my paper.

You don't know which hook brought a reader to your paper, but there was a hook somewhere. Our readership scores prove it!

And in the community paper field, our publications are small enough that you can bet nearly everyone flips through the entire paper looking at each page. That's enough to assure that ads work regardless of where they were placed.

Joe may have been interested in tires and he knows from previous experience with the Buyers Guide that he'll find tire ads, so he reads the Buyers Guide. While flipping through the pages, he sees that the local Mexican restaurant has a "kids eat free on Tuesday" promotion going. So, he finds his tires and tells his wife that the family should go out to eat next Tuesday.

It's a winning recipe and it serves us well. And, it will continue to serve us well in the future. But, outside influences are cutting into our margins and we need additional revenue to keep our businesses solid.

So, why is online cutting into our margins?

Online habits vs. print habits

People use the Internet in completely different ways than print. While Joe was looking for tires, he took the time to flip through the Buyers Guide and found an ad for a Mexican restaurant that caught his eye.

When Joe searches for tires on the Internet, he's using search tools to look for tires and only tires. He doesn't randomly flip through pages of your website to see what else is for sale. He looks for tires, makes a decision and goes about his life.

That's good for the tire guy, but not so good for the Mexican restaurant guy.

And that has a dramatic impact on how we sell advertising.

Craig points out an important point - readers searching through a print publication see ALL the ads in any particular section as they look for something specific. They may skim the ads, but they are guaranteed to at least appear on the page. Online searchers have the option of bypassing everything they are not interested in, giving them a faster search but limiting the newspaper's cross-selling abilities.

Some smaller community newspapers don't have the enhanced online capabilities of larger publishers, such as search tools, print ads appearing online, interactive features, and forums. Because of this, print ads in these newspapers are a valuable asset for local readers.


More about AFCP:

The Association of Free Community Papers was formed in 1951 to provide a forum for free paper publishers across the country to come together, share best practices, exchange ideas and build a stronger free paper industry. Since those early days, AFCP has grown to represent nearly 3,000 individual publications delivered to more than 45 million homes across the United States. AFCP also provides The National Advertising Network, Inc. (NANI), the largest national classified advertising network in the country, offering advertisers a convenient, one-stop opportunity to advertise products and services in local community papers.

To learn more about Association of Free Community Papers, click the title above, or visit www.AFCP.org.

To learn how to advertise in NANI, contact me by email or by phone toll-free at 866-612-0034 x115.

The Challenge Of Non-Local Newspaper Advertising

Scott Karp, of Publishing 2.0, presents an in-depth look at the dynamic between print and online advertising for major newspapers.

With some of the major “local” newspapers – New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe – becoming more and more a part of the national (and global) media scene, it would make sense that most of the advertising revenue would come through their online editions. And yet, even with online readership skyrocketing and print subscriptions dwindling, that doesn’t begin to tell the full story.

Karp says:

I’m still more valuable to the New York Times as a print subscriber than as an online reader because my advertising value is still so much higher in print — despite my not living in New York City.

Here’s the economic reality for national newspaper brands: Print readers are scarce. Online readers are a commodity.

So here’s the dilemma – print readers are declining, but are the cornerstone of the advertising revenue. There are 10x more online readers, but newspaper websites don’t offer enough value to make it worthwhile to spend the dollars online.

It also points to the value of the local newspaper allowing advertisers to pinpoint one geographic market. While the online presence of a newspaper adds searchability and ease of access, there’s something to be said about having a product that physically reaches X amount of houses in the New York City DMA.

Karp continues:

In the market for local advertising on the web, newspapers are competing with other traditional local media companies, e.g. TV station, as well as with new web-native local publishers, and with search engines — this is a newly leveled and expanded competitive landscape, but still limited.

For non-local readers, on the other hand, newspapers are competing with hundreds, even thousands of other content sites.

In any case, it’s a fascinating issue that will continue to make news (no pun intended).

Holy Bazoongas, Batman!

A clever agency over in Germany created this Wonderbra ad for a public bus stop. Obviously, creating the illusion of a larger bust size on a woman is Wonderbra's bread and butter, and it's nice to see a playful take on that when it comes to marketing. Sometimes you have to play to your strong point, or points, as the case is here.

Equally entertaining, the extra yellow safety line at the metro stations, again provided by Wonderbra. Just protecting their assets....

UPDATE:

This Wonderbra campaign is really cranking. The billboard shown below is a collage of hundreds of photos of women wearing their bras:

(courtesy of www.adrants.com and http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak)

Community Papers Perform Well, Focus on Local News

Al Cross of the Rural Blog discusses the reasons why local community newspapers continue to grow as a result of continually providing actual news that people want to read. What a concept - newspapers with news!

How Many Ads Do You REALLY See Every Day?

Visit the Hill Holiday Blog to check out their insight on just how many ads we really see during each day. 500? 5,000? Even 13,000?

Maybe I should keep my eyes closed when I head to work every morning to bring the number down into the low thousands....

But then I'd miss the face recognition billboards!

This Interview Sponsored by Dr. Pepper...Or is it Sunkist?

As a member of both Colbert Nation and the Advertising World, imagine my delight when journalist Lucas Conley stopped by the Colbert Report last night to discuss his book "OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder."

We all know about the pervasive nature of marketing nowadays, and it's nice to see the silliness of it all exposed once in a while. Case in point, the argument over whether the interview is sponsored by Dr. Pepper or Sunkist. At first I was thinking how clever it was to square off over the different brands, allowing them both to get some airtime. After I checked it out, both drinks are actually owned by the same company - Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. Sneaky, sneaky....

Ad Cutbacks Backfired for Bankruptcy Victims

Mervyn's, Bennigan's, Sharper Image All Dialed Back on Ads to No Avail

In the really tough times, it's almost instinctual for a company to dial back on marketing, but there's a growing body of evidence -- and bankruptcy filings -- to suggest that cutting ad dollars can be the ultimate false economy.

Last week, department-store chain Mervyn's and S&A Restaurant Corp., which owns Bennigan's, Steak & Ale and Tavern restaurants, became the latest to file for bankruptcy. Both Mervyn's and Bennigan's dramatically cut marketing spending in the past 12 months.

According to TNS Media Intelligence, Mervyn's measured media spending plunged about 25% to $76 million in 2007. On a smaller scale, Bennigan's cut spending 75% in 2007, to $347,000. Another recent bankruptcy victim, Sharper Image, slashed its budget 82% in the two years before it filed for bankruptcy in February. Baker's Square restaurants cut spending 19% in 2007 and filed for bankruptcy in May.

Of course, it's not strictly a cause-and-effect relationship. "Obviously there are a lot of factors at play," said Kevin Keller, professor of marketing at Dartmouth. "But the pattern is there. It's not like they were investing a lot in advertising and failed."

***Note a previous post on the importance of advertising during an economic downturn!

(read more from www.adage.com)

Cheesecake Anyone?

Now that I have your attention, I wanted to let you know about a unique advertising opportunity! I have a contact that allows me to offer advertising space in The Cheesecake Factory Restaurant menus in all of their 140 locations across 34 states.

These menus are printed twice a year, giving you a full six months of exposure for one price. The menus run from mid-August to mid-February and vice versa (with the exception of 9 locations in the Los Angeles area which are printed mid-June to mid-December). The full page, full color 6-3/8 X 11” ad is priced as low as $5,250 per location and there are multiple location discounts available.

As an added value, there are only 14 advertisers within each 36 page Cheesecake Factory Restaurant menu.

If you are interested and would like to learn more, please don't hesitate to let me know!

The image below is an actual ad from the menu:

The Perfect Time to Advertise? Right Now!

Follow the title link for good information on some basic ways to keep your advertising up and running during tough economic times. We've seen cutbacks across the country in every conceivable business and market, and now is the time to take advantage of the advertising slowdown and stand apart from the crowd.

It's true that media are discounting space and providing good deals to advertisers and agencies. If you can jump on some of these opportunities you'll be ahead of the game.

In my own experience, I can say without a doubt that one of the best things you can do to get a discount is to ask for it! What do you have to lose? The worst someone can say is "no," but at least you've made the effort.


(Article from www.icon-media.com)

Would You Like a Bag of Chips with your Blood?

A new series on HBO is promoting their September launch by selling "synthetic blood nourishment" beverages in vending machines across the US.

Yikes.

More info at http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/ (or click title above to go right to the story)

Denver Water Having Fun With Advertising Campaign

It seems like the ultimate challenge for an ad man: Create a campaign to convince people not to buy the client's product....

(Click to read more, from www.bizjournals.com)

World's First Ever Truly 100% "Green" Car Ad

Toyota in Colombia promoted the 4WD Prado in Colombia, South America, encouraging readers to keep in touch with nature. Banana plants produce one crop before being recycled. The Leo Burnett team bought banana leaves, most nearly 6.5 feet long, from the biggest banana producers in the country. Each leaf provided material for eight screen printed advertisements for insertion in Colombian magazine Semana. The process had to be completed within five days, before the leaves started to dry out. The banana leaf advertisements went to 25,000 magazine subscribers in Bogota and Medelin. (From http://print.duncans.tv/)

Christmas In July!

Check out our Special Advertising deals starting in July. Click on the picture below for a full-size view. I want to get you started so don't hesitate to get in touch!

Eight Key Trends in Hispanic Print

Hispanic publications continue to grow and generate new revenue for businesses across the country. Access to Media has a great connection with the Latino Print Network and I can get you into this growing market. Call me at 866 612-0034 x115 to discuss how your business can benefit!

This article is written by Kirk Whisler, of the Latino Print Network:

________________________________________________________________


Overall 2007 represented another year of growth for Hispanic print. Hispanic newspapers are now used by at least 54 percent of Hispanic households on a weekly basis, while approximately 30 percent of these households read more than one title per week. Hispanic publications generated over $1.7 billion in total revenues last year.

More audits than ever.
2007 saw 211 audited Hispanic publications with a combined circulation of over 18 million.

The number of tabloids continues to grow.
81% of all Hispanic newspapers are now tabloids, up from 59% in 2000.

Bilingual newspapers are growing.
In 2000 there were 58 bilingual Hispanic newspapers. Today there are 189, with a combined circulation of 4.2 million.

Hispanic newspapers experience a decline in ad revenues.
We have been analyzing annual trends for Hispanic Print since the late 1970s. From the mid 1980s through to the early 2000s, every year saw double-digit growth in Hispanic Print advertising. 2007 was the first year we have seen a decrease, and that was for Hispanic newspapers. As a solid sign of the continuing growth of Hispanic newspapers, forty percent of all of those currently published have been launched in this decade. At the end of 2007 there were
827 Hispanic newspapers in the U.S .and Puerto Rico, an increase of 92 in the past two years. Circulation is also on the rise, having increased by 800,000 over the same period.

Decline in Spanish-language dailies.
Between 2005 and 2007 nine Spanish-language dailies ceased as dailies, with four folding and five switching to a weekly frequency. While there are still a number of very strong spanish language dailies in the U.S., the demise of some of the weaker of them should not be seen as a negative to Hispanic Print. Instead, we see an evolution away from strong dailies in key markets, and towards many more quality weeklies, since weeklies seem to be a better fit for many people’s media habits.

Magazines are filling many different roles.
Local glossy magazines are probably the most unsung success going on within Hispanic Print. 2007 saw the segment grow by 15 publications as revenues grew from $37 to $42 million. This segment also continues to transition towards English. The quality of these magazines has also improved significantly. Local newsprint magazines, many of them weeklies, held solid and saw three million in growth. Spanish is the strongest in this magazine category. National Hispanic magazines were also very strong with growth of 1.2 million in circulation and $18 million in ad revenues.

Spanish-language yellow pages.
Yellow pages may have arrived in large numbers only recently within the Hispanic market, but they are growing ever more formidable every year. With 149 yellow pages in 2007, we’re likely to see continued solid growth over the next few years.

Employment continues to grow.
Employment in Hispanic Print topped seventeen thousand for the first time, a positive in this era of employment consolidation. Over 4,600 of these employees are editors and writers for the publications – an impressive number in these days of declining editorial staffs. 2008 promises to be a good year for strong Hispanic publications as they fine tune their sales efforts and continue to show improvements in the editorial and graphic quality of their products, and also as they branch out onto the Internet.

SPECIAL: New York #1 Newspaper Network

Hello all!

Starting this week, the New York #1 newspaper network is running a frequent-buyer summer special. If you schedule and run an ad for 4 consecutive weeks, you get $90 OFF the regular weekly rate! This is not limited to new customers, so you can run this special over and over again!

Newspaper networks, as I’ve posted before, are a cost-effective way to advertise in hundreds of newspapers with only one phone call and one payment. NY #1 is one of the best networks I can offer, reaching homes across the state of New York through weekly community newspapers, free weekly papers, and shopper publications. Weekly papers have a longer shelf life than dailies, and many times are used specifically to scan the classified ads!

Here are the basics:

NEW YORK #1
- 7.3 million circulation in free weekly newspapers across the state
- Regular one-time 15 word classified ad cost - $495 per week
- YOUR one-time 15 word classified ad cost - $475 per week
- YOUR four-time 15 word classified ad cost - $405 per week
**Each additional word is $15
- Holiday Deadline: Thursday, July 3rd at noon EASTERN time to run week of 7/13
- Regular Deadline: Friday at noon (9 days prior to week of publication)

Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have questions or would like more information. I am always here to help!

Katie
Katie@AccesstoMedia.com

Newspapers Are Primary Shopping Medium for Most Americans

Interesting statistics on newspaper readership and buying decisions. Click the title to go directly to the information.

Arab Press Newsletter - 24 June 2008

The Arab Press Network was launched by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) together with the leading Danish press group JP/Politiken. This email-based network supports the development of a stronger independent press in the Arab world by facilitating the exchange of ideas and experiences between newspaper publishers and editors. The newsletter also serves as a conduit of information by providing information on external activities to help Arab press development.

Arab Press Network
Weekly Summary Nr 16/08
24 June 2008

This week:
***Newspaper Close to Hezbollah Claims Great Success***
***Offering an Alternative View on the Middle East***
***Five New Papers Get their License in Egypt***

Visit our website at http://www.arabpressnetwork.org/

----------------- CONTENT:------------------

NEWS FROM THE MEDIA SCENE

Five New Papers Get their License in Egypt In Egypt, five privately-owned newspapers received their printing licenses on 8 June. APN spoke to Ehab Elzelaky, the directing manager of Al-Masry Al-Youm, one of Egypt's most well-known independent dailies, and Atef Saadawy, the managing editor of the Al-Ahram Democracy Review, a political quarterly publication launched in 2001, who shared different views about the nature and impact of this event.

Trends in Newsrooms 2008 What skills are needed in the multimedia newsroom? Do you reporters know what the term "mojo" means? How can the readers be integrated into the news cycle? The recently published annual Trends in Newsrooms report answers these questions and many others linked to the transformation taking place in newsrooms around the world. APN spoke to John Burke, the report's editor-in-chief, about this year's trends.

Somali Media Fraternity Asks International Media Community to Help Injured Journalist Somali media practitioners and the Eastern Africa Media Institute is appealing to the international media community to assist in providing medical help to journalist Abdikahim Omar Jumaleh, who was wounded in a shooting by unknown gunmen in Mogadishu on 11 August 2007. His left hand was severely injured and he remains in poor condition nearly one year after the attack.

Arab Science Journalism Awards Reporters covering scientific topics are encouraged to enter the Arab Science Journalism Awards.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Offering an Alternative View on the Middle East Haitham Sabbah runs an acclaimed blog on Palestinian issues. Launched as a counterweight to what Sabbah found to be biased and limited reporting on the Middle East in Western media, his blog today gets quoted by the BBC, Agence France-Presse and Slate Magazine on a regular basis. In an interview with APN, Sabbah speaks about the role of blogs in the Middle East, and his own blogging.

Newspaper Close to Hezbollah Claims Great Success Almost two years after it hit Lebanese newsstands, the Arab language Al-Akhbar daily, a newspaper so closely aligned to Hezbollah that some consider it the party's mouthpiece, has achieved a success beyond all expectation, today boasting a circulation of 10,000. The paper targets mainly women and young people, reporting on issues that strike a chord in their daily lives. Ibrahim El-Amine, Al-Akhbar's chief executive officer, spoke to APN about the big goals he has for his paper.

PRESS FREEDOM

Moroccan Court Bans Publication of Abuse Testimony On 19 June, a Moroccan court ordered Al Jarida Al Oula, an Arabic-language daily launched in May, to stop publishing testimony given by victims of years of repression under late King Hassan II.

Imprisoned Yemeni Journalist Receives Amnesty International Award Amnesty International has granted its 2008 « Special Award for Human Rights Journalism Under Threat » to Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani just a few days after he was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of "publishing information liable to undermine army morale".

Latest Press Freedom News from the Region Last week, press freedom violations occurred in Algeria, Morocco, Qatar, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.