- Twitter will launch its enhanced brand ads on February 1, according to Business Insider. The Facebook-like functionality has been available to a few select brands, including Coca-Cola, but now will be generally available—at a pricetag of $25,000.
- ESPN and Jeep caught heat from Digiday, which named the network and automaker in its Bad Ad of the Week.”ESPN covered the memorial service of former Penn State head football Joe Paterno. A rich-media ad for Jeep had a Jeep Wrangler “crash through” the computer screen, as well as Paterno’s casket, which sat dead center.
- The Sundance Film Festival and YouTube have cut a deal to rent out Sundance titles, reports Streaming Media. Most Sundance titles will rent for $2.99 to $3.99 for a 48-hour rental--$1 or more cheaper than from Comcast. The Sundance Film Festival wrapped over the weekend.
- Consumer-goods maker Procter & Gamble will “throw caution to the digital wind,” reports AdExchanger. Chairman and CEO Bob McDonald in an earnings conference call said the company would eliminate 1,600 non-manufacturing jobs, and invest heavily in its digital marketing. "In the digital space, with things like Facebook and Google and others, we find that return on investment of the advertising when properly designed, when the big idea is there, can be much more efficient."
- Angry consumers used Facebook to storm the gates of clothing retailer H&M last week. They accused the company of lifting a designer’s ad idea, reports Adweek. The company has begun marketing goods with the simple tagline “You look nice today,” with a red heart shape. Atlanta artist Tori LaConsay created the tagline—complete with red heart—for a sign in her neighborhood, in 2008. She was unpaid for the sign. Supporters have since deluged H&M’s Facebook site with hate messages. H&M at first attempted to dismiss the similarities as a “coincidence,” but is now seeking a resolution with LaConsay.
TV Leads as Political News Source, Newspapers Lag
When asked where Americans get their political news, fully 44% of Americans responded “Television,” reports Poll Position. Only one segment—adults 30-44—responded “From the Internet.” In that 30-44 segment, 35% chose the Internet, 32% said television was their source for most political news, 18% said somewhere else (e.g., radio, magazines), and 14% picked newspapers.
The overall results are grim for newspapers, at only 16% among all surveyed. 2011 was a tough year for newspapers, with ad revenues a mere $24 billion in comparison to the record high of $49.4 billion in 2005.
Poll Position surveyed 1,113 registered voters nationwide, and claims a margin of error of ±3%.
A Decade of Super Bowl Ad Stats: Ad Spend Reaches $1.72 Billion
From 2002 through 2011, the Super Bowl game has generated $1.72 billion of network advertising sales from more than 125 marketers, reports Kantar Media.
Leading the pack is Anheuser-Busch InBev with $239.1 million in ads. The company has advertised in every Super Bowl for the past decade, as have two other top spenders, PepsiCo and Walt Disney Co. The top five advertisers of the past decade collectively spent $636.6 million, for 37% of total advertising revenue.
The average rate for a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl increased 40 percent over past decade, for $3.1 million in 2010. NBC is asking $3.5 million for a 30-second unit in 2012, but the price will vary based on when the ad runs and if the advertiser opts for a larger package that includes spots in the pre-game and/or post-game coverage.
Kantar Media bemoans the rise in “clutter,” as the volume of commercial time has crept up. The Fox broadcast of the 2011 Super Bowl included 46 minutes of network ads, second only to 2010 with 104 minutes. That commercial time included paying sponsors, NFL messages, commercial messages from the NFL and Fox ads promoting its own shows.
About 20% of advertisers are first-timers, but in 2011 that dropped to 14%, with only four new marketers (Best Buy, Carmax, Groupon and Salesforce.com). Only three first timers have confirmed ad slots for 2012, being Century 21, Dannon and Relativity Media, a film studio.
Interestingly, the Super Bowl is attracting not just giants like PepsiCo and Disney, but smaller marketers as well. In 2011, nearly one-third of advertisers spent more than 10% of their full-media budgets. Careerbuilder spent $3.1 million, for 31% of its budget, and Salesforce.com spent 23%.
Interactive Video Ads Strong in Completion, Action, Finds Benchmark Study
Interactive in-stream ads keep viewers attention found PointRoll, a marketing solutions technology provider and a Gannett Company. PointRoll has announced the findings of its 2011 Video Benchmark Study, which revealed that 78% of viewers completed 100% of interactive in-stream ads, compared to 69% who completed 100% in-stream ads without interactive elements. Further, interaction rates (wherein users took an action within the ad) were more than 300% higher than those of in-banner video ads. The study compared campaign results from April–December 2011.
In interactive ads, automotives are particularly strong in holding viewers attention. Fully 80.66% of in-stream interactive ad viewers watched the ads to 100% completion. Non-profits held strong interest as well at 70.66%, and entertainment at 69.77%.
Non-interactive ads paint a different picture. Consumer goods leads the pack, with 96.85% of viewers going to 100% completion, and consumer electronics second at 82.89%. Last in the field—restaurants and food service, at 9.03%.
A key metric is interaction rate, versus click-through rate. Automotives garnered a 12.29% interaction rate, but only 0.25% click throughs. Consumer goods achieved a 2.07% interaction rate, but only 0.62% in click throughs.
In-banner video is surprisingly soft at holding attention, with an average among all categories, with a 100% completion rate of 38.82%.
Research: Facebook Ads Offer 45% Cost-Per-Click Savings
Facebook enables advertisers to make “considerable savings” in online marketing, found TBG Digital (TBG) in its latest Global Facebook Advertising Report.
As a Facebook advertising firm, TBG is certainly vested in proving great results. But, it had its methodology and findings vetted by the UK’s University of Cambridge, and drew data from its own heavyweight client base, including JetBlue, CapitalOne, Dell and Heineken.
The report, which was based on 326 billion impressions in 205 countries, and from 256 TBG clients. It reveals these findings:
- Strong incentives for advertisers to stay within Facebook, with potential 45% reduction in cost-per-clicks (CPCs)
- Stabilizing Facebook growth in US created an increase in advertising costs
- Facebook earned 23% more in ad rates since Q1 2011
- Ad performance improved by 18% in 2011
- The top five Sectors comprised almost 70% of total impressions
- The financial sector accounted for more than 60% of impressions in offsite campaigns
- CPCs increased from Thanksgiving to Saturday December 17
TBG discovered reductions in CPCs for advertisers that run campaigns to recruit fans or that require users to install applications. Savings reached 45%, in contrast with those that direct traffic away from Facebook. That is a strong incentive for companies to build presence within Facebook. For example, financial services firms often direct users back to their own websites to complete a quotation or sign up, but tailored applications that perform the same functions within Facebook drives down advertising costs.
Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM) rates, the other core cost comparator which indicates how much Facebook earns every time an advert is shown to a user, increased by 8% on average over Q4, for a total increase of 23% in 2011.
Click-Through Rates (CTRs) also increased by 18% during for the entire year2011. This, believes TBG, indicates that ad output is resonating with users more, and indicates a greater that Facebook advertisers have a better understanding and use of targeting methods like time of day, demographics and user interests.
TBG assessed 18 “bellwether industry sectors” for volume and effectiveness. The top five sectors, ranked by volume, were finance; retail; food and drink; games; and entertainment, which accounted for nearly 70% of total impressions on Facebook. TBG Digital CEO Simon Mansell commented that “Users are increasingly discerning about what they view on social media networks, so it is in all advertisers’ interests to ensure that their content resonates with their target audiences and fits with their usage habits. Food and drink recorded the highest CTRs, largely due to successful fanning campaigns in that sector.
Radio Not A Dying Form Factor, But An Evolving One at CES
Radio is the subject of a “flurry of news releases at CES,” being the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But as Radio World describes, “you may have to expand your definition” of the word “radio.”
Among other announcements at CES, TuneIn Radio released a smartphone app that is compatible with Ford’s voice-controlled Sync system. This is a free service and app with access to 50,000 AM, FM, HD and Internet stations.
Subaru is working with Harman to provide its Aha platform in Subaru models. This is a cloud-based platform that enables drivers to use Internet radio content. Harman describes Aha as “the Web-connected ‘fourth band’ of radio, alongside AM, FM and satellite radio.” Aha provides Internet radio from Shoutcast, CBS Radio and Slacker, among other providers.
Slacker and Verizon Wireless debuted the Slacker Radio application for Android, optimized for 4G LTE connections. This the companies described is “A highly visual application [that] features a unique station tile display [and] the ability to preview stations before playing and an optimized ability to browse for content, making music discovery even easier.”
Internet radio may get a boost in Europe, where Ford will cease fitting new models with CD players, in favor of MP3, USB and Bluetooth devices. Drivers will bring their own music on mobile devices, giving them the ability to stream Internet radio.
Report: CPG has Highest Category Spending for Online Video Ads
The CPG category remains the top online video ad spender in Q1 2011 at 28%, according to the "Q1 2011 Video Advertising Metrics Report," from YuMe. Share of spend by second-ranked telecom advertisers increased significantly from an average of 6% in 2010 to 11% in Q1 2011.
In terms of formats, the report found that pre-roll continues to be the most utilized format, representing 92.4% of YuMe's volume in Q1, and mobile video ad impressions made up nearly 2% of impressions served.
In measuring video completion rates, the report found that for Q1, the male audience has a higher video completion rate at 79% vs. 65% for females. Comparatively, for 2010, the female audience had a higher video completion rate at 74% versus 67% for males.
Chart: Automotive Search Sector Data, Q2 2011
About this chart: Source: Efficient Frontier / Context Optional, "Global Digital Marketing Performance Report," July 2011. The analysis was completed based on data from Efficient Frontier search engine marketing customers and the resulting Efficient Frontier’s Customer Index. The Efficient Frontier Customer Index represents a subset of Efficient Frontier clients who have spend data for six consecutive quarters or more whose resulting SEM metrics are then normalized to average industry category contributions established by multiple third party data providers.
Chart: Top 10 Least Effective Ads, Q2 2011
About this chart: Source: Ace Metrix, “Quarterly Top 10 National Ads,” July 2011. Definition: Ace Score is the measure of ad creative effectiveness based on viewer reaction to national TV ads. Respondents are randomly selected and representative of the U.S. TV viewing audience. The results are presented on a scale of 0-950, which represents scoring on creative attributes such as relevance, persuasion, watchability, information, attention, and others.
ABC Fall Premiere Schedule | James Spader Joins The Office | Chrysler’s Super Bowl Ad Wins 5 Awards
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ABC has its premiere dates for its fall lineup, which begins Friday, Sept. 16, with 20/20. The fall premiere of Dancing With the Stars launches the network's first full week of premieres on Monday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m., followed by Castle. Body of Proof returns for its first full season the next night. On Wednesday, following one-hour premieres of The Middle and Modern Family, the new drama Revenge takes the 10 p.m. slot. The network's Charlie's Angels reboot makes its first impression on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m., reports Broadcasting & Cable.
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NBC has found a replacement for Steve Carell on "The Office." James Spader, who appeared on the seventh-season finale of the hit comedy, will be joining the show as Robert California, who takes over as boss of the entire Dunder Mifflin operation, reports Media Life Magazine.
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The Chrysler brand's 2011 Super Bowl commercial, 'Born of Fire,' won five awards at the Cannes Lions 58th International Festival of Creativity held in Cannes, France. Four "Gold Lions" were awarded to the brand for Best Direction, Best Use of Music, Best Script, and Best Automotive Commercial and Best Editing. The brand also took home a "Bronze Lion" for Best Editing.
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Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast released its first TV commercial since 2006 today its new TV spot and the second of a three-part social video series featuring real employees from Jackson, Tenn. The new advertisement was created by Jun Group, and it was originally produced for the company’s Facebook page. The TV spot will air in the following select markets: Hartford, Conn.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Tampa Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Charlotte, S.C.; Providence, R.I.; Orlando, Fla.; Jackson, Tenn, the company said.
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The TV campaign that led to the capture of criminal mastermind James "Whitey" Bulger cost the FBI about $50,000, according to Media Daily News. The bureau had budgeted $45,000 to buy about 350 spots in 14 markets, and an additional $5,000 for production of the 30-second ad that was used.