The launch of a new Conversion Index - which compares search performances of different publisher segments within Google, Yahoo and MSN - by search marketing company Did-it.com comes at an opportune time, as some marketers complain that paid search is priced too high, writes Internet Retailer.
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Lillian Vernon Corp. created a destination online devoted to showcasing its Lilly’s Kids catalog, Multichannel Merchant writes. The growth of Lilly’s Kids amounted to half of online holiday sales being kids-product related.
Unlikely to dominateMerrill Lynch hosted an advertising panel of senior executives that identified new dynamics in the changing world of media and predicted that “upfronts will be different” because advertisers are hesitant to form binding, long-term contracts with old media venues while new, interactive outlets are more flexible with ad spending, writes Mediapost.
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By the middle of this year, American Online will try to secure a place in the market for video-on-demand over the internet by selling programming on its website, writes Reuters.
Steve Morris, Arbitron president and CEO, held a conference call Thursday to discuss Nielsen Media Research’s decision not to join the company with the launch of the Portable People Meter (PPM) as a radio and television ratings service, writes Mediaweek. Morris said Arbitron was “not surprised” by the outcome, and he plotted the company’s future plans regarding PPM.
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Despite stiff competition from American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor and the Olympics, Univision took second in overnight ratings, with its annual music awards show Premio Lo Nuestro a La Musica Latina reporting record numbers among kids 2-11 and teens 12-17, for the night of February 23, writes Media Life.
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Interpublic Group confirmed the paid, indefinite suspension of Garry Lace, CEO of Lowe London, while the agency investigates “certain matters that have come to the company’s attention,” writes Adweek. Sources said IPG and Lowe were exploring allegations that Lace met with former chairman Sir Frank Lowe to discuss the firm’s Tesco account before Lowe launched his new agency The Red Brick Road in December. Directly after, Tesco switched its estimated $80 million account to Lowe’s new shop.
Six Flags and National CineMedia, the sales and marketing arm of the three largest theater circuits in the U.S. (AMC Entertainment, Cinemark USA and Regal Entertainment Group) announced today a marketing alliance giving Six Flags a significant advertising presence in those theaters through June and July 2006.
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Confronted by a virtual mob of nonprofits brandishing the online equivalent of pitchforks and torches because of its plans to charge what they say is an “email tax” on those willing to pay in order to guarantee email delivery, AOL has apparently decided on a strategy of divide and conquer, writes MarketingVox. Silicon.com reports that AOL will not charge nonprofit organizations that send bulk emails to AOL members, offering two options to such groups. The first is AOL’s Enhanced Whitelist, which the company had said it would phase out but subsequently backtracked, saying it would retain it; messages would not be marked as “certified” but would be delivered for free.
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A successful lobbying campaign in South Carolina has made it virtually impossible for local governments to get rid of unwanted billboards, according to the Myrtle Beach Sun News. The outdoor advertising industry spent at least $339,000 - more than most interest groups spend lobbying at the State House in a typical two-year period - lobbying legislators to keep billboards from being taken down across the state.
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Despite continuing financial woes for Talbots and disappointing figures for the Sharper Image Corp. - down 2 percent and 33 percent respectively - February brought growth in direct sales and overall revenue to the publicly traded cataloger/retailers tracked by Multichannel Merchant.
People magazine ranked No. 1 on the annual Adweek Hot List, and People magazine managing editor Martha Nelson was named Editor of the Year. The executive team at Martha Stewart Living received accolades for bringing the title back from the brink after Stewart’s release from prison. A steep advertising page decline in 2004 would be a death knell for most magazines, but the Living team kept the editorial content sharp and remained relentlessly upbeat until advertisers were coaxed back into the fold in 2005, according to Adweek. The top creative team was Kate Stone and Claudia Bruno from Dwell and Domino - poised to reach a rate base of 500,000 after launching at 200,000 in February 2005 - was named 2006 Start-Up of the Year.
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GM Planworks will eliminate “share deals” - agreements that place the bulk of GM’s local TV adspend with the same few stations, generally large network affiliates, over and over - and instead is asking both broadcast and cable outlets in local markets to bring offers to GM, reports Television Week (via Automotive News). Price will be a key factor, but GM will also look for innovative deals such as exclusive sponsorship of programs. GM is asking outlets to bring their best offers. The change will be effective in Q2 ‘06.
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Since Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson - ABC’s morning show stars - began alternating with Elizabeth Vargas on the beleaguered World News Tonight, viewership has been dropping, Media Life writes. In the week after Bob Woodruff was injured in Iraq, viewership climbed to 9.3 million, but since then the show has been dropping, though last week the newscast was up slightly to average 9.1 million viewers. Overall, World News Tonight is averaging 8.8 million viewers, down from the 9.6 million it drew during the same period in the 2004-05 season, when Peter Jennings was still on the air.
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NBC Universal announced today that it will acquire iVillage for about $600 million, or $8.50 per share, writes Mediapost. Thanks to the acquisition, NBC U expects to grow its digital revenues to approximately $200 million in ‘06, and expects a 20 percent growth rate. iVillage revenues grew 20 percent in 2005 over 2004, excluding acquisitions.
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Emap is launching a new weekly magazine geared toward mothers returning to work, with a first-year target circulation of between 150,000 and 200,000, according to Brand Republic. The launch, backed by a 12 million pound budget, is being seen as an additional read, adding to the Emap audience that already reads More, Heat, Closer and Grazia. Readership is likely to be suburban women in their mid-thirties with children around the age of five.
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