Clear Channel Preps for Online Ads

Clear Channel is building more original programming and other features into its stations’ Web sites to lure new listeners and new advertisers, The New York Times reports.

This month, Clear Channel began replacing its current Web sites, containing ads, song lists, entertainment news and pictures of D.J.’s, with simplified sites, featuring fewer ads and highlighting original programming, live Webcasts and other interactive elements like “Sneak Peek,” which offers Clear Channel’s online visitors the chance to listen to yet-to-be-released tracks.

Online Ad Prices Up along with Spending

The rapid and relentless growth in internet media spending finally seems to be having an effect on the prices, with most categories seeing increases in media rates. Sixty-six percent of media executives surveyed by Deutsche Bank said that their clients’ online ad spending increased from the first quarter, MediaPost reports. Forty-eight percent said that marketers upped their spending by at least 11 percent. On average, respondents forecast a 10 percent third-quarter increase.

Eighty percent of respondents reported that impressions on home pages, vertical channels, and rich media cost more this quarter.

ContextWeb Displays Image Ads

ContextWeb has launched contextually targeted image ads with CPM pricing to its text advertising network, which is sold on a cost-per-click basis, ClickZ reports. Publishers in the network can opt to display image ads, text ads, or both. Image ads have run on a few of the 400 network sites, including AccuWeather, Associated Press, and Parenthood.com. Advertisers can choose content categories within ContextWeb network to target image ads against. All rich media formats and third party ad management platforms are accepted. Several of ContextWeb 1,000 advertisers have already run image ads, including Delta Airlines, Tickle and Vonage.

Product Placement to Nth Degree in ‘Must Love Dogs’

In the upcoming film Must Love Dogs, online dating service PerfectMatch.com has been extensively written into the script, according to AdAge. There was no product placement fee for the service to appear in the film; rather, PerfectMatch.com supplied its technical services to production of the film and coordinated co-promotions with the studio.

Columbia House Settles, Will Pay $300,000

Columbia House agreed to pay $300,000 to settle allegations by the FTC that it violated the national no-call list by calling “tens of thousands” of former members who were on the no-call list after the legal time limit for existing business relationships had expired, according to DM News. Telemarketers can call those on the list up to 18 months after they made a purchase or three months after they made an inquiry. A compliance program put in place by Columbia House to avoid such violations proved ineffective, said the FTC.

TiVO Pushes Ads

In an effort to increase ad revenue, TiVO will insert advertiser symbols during commercials, making them more visible even when a customer is fast forwarding through them, the Associated Press reports.

If the symbol interests a TiVO subscriber, many of whom subscribe to TiVO so they can skip ads, they can pause their show to watch a “long-format” commercial or obtain product information. The new campaign will be launched with General Motors and The WB Network commercials.

TV Ad Growth Predictions Revised (Again)

ZenithOptimedia has revised its projections for 2005 and 2006 global ad spending, Adweek reports. Worldwide ad expenditures this year will increase only 4.7 percent to approximately $404 billion, rather than the earlier projected increase of 5.4 percent, Zenith predicts, while in 2006, spending will increase about six percent to $428.4 billion, down from the previous projection of 6.5 percent. Global internet spending projections have been increased to an estimated $16.4 billion in 2005, a $1.2 billion increase over earlier projections. And the new TV projection was pruned by $2.3 million. Last month, Universal McCann also cut its global ad spend projection, from the 6.1 percent growth it predicted last December, to 5.8 percent.

News Corp: Forms Internet Division, Acquires Intermix

Media giant News Corp. announced today that it signed an agreement to acquire Intermix Media for approximately $580 million in cash; in a separate transaction, Intermix announced that it exercised its option to acquire the 47 percent of MySpace.com that it does not already own. The announcements follow on the heels of News Corp’s announcement Friday of Fox Interactive Media (FIM), a new unit that will form an online hub for its entertainment, news and sports.

Launched less than two years ago, MySpace.com is the fifth ranked web domain, according to comScore Media Metrix, and was the leading site for advertisers in June, leaping ahead of MSN Hotmail and Yahoo Mail which led in May. With the addition of MySpace and Intermix’s network of sites, News Corporation’s US web traffic will nearly double to more than 45 million unique monthly users. The Intermix network is the largest multi-category online entertainment network with more than 27 million unique monthly users across its entertainment, humor, gaming, and social networking sites.

Ryanair Campaign Called Crass

Londoners not happy

Irish budget airline Ryanair launched a 1 euro fare for European flights to and from London in the wake of the London bombings. It also moved its “three million seat sale,” which normally begins in September, to this month, and plans to spend 5 million pounds on print advertising in Europe, reports Media Guardian.

But at least some Londoners aren’t happy about the airline’s approach. Ryanair ran a full-page ad in the Daily Telegraph and Independent, a week after the city was bombed, featuring Winston Churchill giving the victory sign and saying, via a speech bubble, “We shall fly them to the beaches. We shall fly them to the hills. We shall fly them to London!”

Black Enterprise, Clear Channel Partner for Programming

Clear Channel Radio and Black Enterprise magazine are teaming up to produce business and lifestyle programs geared towards African Americans to air on 29 Clear Channel stations across the US, beginning August 15. The programs, twice-daily reports titled “Keys to a Better Life,” will cover topics such as how to invest in a 401k and how to purchase a first home, MediaPost reports. The monthly Black Enterprise draws 3.8 million readers. Clear Channel Radio’s broadcasting and syndication brings in more than 110 million listeners each.