Search »

‘Less is More’ Drops Inventory

Clear Channel’s strategy to reduce ad clutter, “Less is More,” has meant higher prices and a scarcity of inventory for some media buyers and advertisers, but it’s beginning to reduce total inventory at Clear Channel and its competitors, Media Life reports. Competitors that initially took advantage of “Less is More” by increasing their own inventory, are realizing that they can reduce ads and charge higher prices too.

 

Clear Channel’s competitors reduced inventory in June by 1 percent over June 2004, after being up by 4 percent in April and 5 percent in May over the previous year. Inventory was down in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Detroit.

Clear Channel wants to reduce its inventory by 19 percent and limit commercial breaks to four minutes. To do it, advertisers are required to buy a certain percentage of 30-second spots with the standard 60s, with the 30s priced at about 75 percent of the cost of a 60.

In December its mix of ads was a 31/69 percent split between 30- and 60-second ads, but by June that mix had grown to 40/60.

Clear Channel recently began revamping its station’s Websites to draw advertisers to its online properties.