Thursday, March 31, 2011

2010 marked a strong year for cinema advertising

Why is cinema advertising revenue growth a big deal?

Media platforms in America have worked to steadily increase advertising budgets and revenue since the economic downturn in 4th quarter 2008. According to MediaPost, one platform outperformed all others in 2010.

With total ad spending growing 6.5%, cinema advertising saw a 12.7% revenue increase during the last fiscal year. 2010 marked an earnings of $658 million reported the Cinema Advertising Council. All revenue reported included commercials airing before the previews, lobby digital video, sampling, audio programming, special events, concession-based promotions and other lobby-based promotions.

Total revenue was broken out between national and regional ad sales and local ad sales. Local claimed about 19.8% while national and regional garnered about 80.2%.

Why is cinema advertising revenue growth a big deal? It shows that in a financially tight economy, enough people are seeing the movies to warrant advertising dollars being funneled towards cinema ad sales. In fact, it was said that enough 18-34 year olds go to the movies on Friday and Saturday nights, that cinema advertising would be the largest TV network.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Cross-platform branding: Does it garner a new audience?

Cross-platform branding is a key component to thoroughly reaching a target audience.

Today, many forms of media are connected through cross-platform branding. The goal in doing so is to reach the target audience in as many avenues as possible to be effective. According to MediaPost, the TV program “Hot in Cleveland” and the print magazine Woman’s Day have just formed a unique branding initiative.

One of the characters “Melanie Moretti” from the TV Land comedy will have several episodes in which she will be a columnist for Woman’s Day. Valerie Bertinelli, who plays the character, will be writing actual articles in the July, August and September issues. Bertinelli will be writing as the character “Moretti.”

Both the show and the magazine will promote this on TV Land, in the magazine and online which will include a social media component. In theory, this promotion will help both products in establishing their brand and potentially widen their audience.

Cross-platform branding is a key component to thoroughly reaching a target audience. Some out-of-the-box thinking can help solidify the campaign with a fresh take to traditional advertising. The audience will be exposed to branding without it appearing like the traditional ad.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Do teenagers still use social media networks?

Research reveals that online social networks have grown exponentially in teenage significance.

For those following media, it’s common knowledge that US teens are actively using the Internet and social media. What may not be known is the rate at which that is increasing. According to MediaPost, a few different research companies are keeping close tabs on this form of consumption.

eMarkter reports that by the end of this year, 96% of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17, who live in America, will use the Internet at least once a month. That is compared to the total American population at 74% usage.

It has been reported that in 2010 more than 4 million teenage girls purchased merchandise online. In 2009, 3.4 million girls made a purchase. That is a 52.6% gain in online spending from teenage girls alone. Experts believe that peer influence is a major motivator in teenage girl shopping. Such peer influence has expanded past the school walls into the social media realm.

Research reveals that online social networks have grown exponentially in teenage significance. Overall, about 80% of teens will use a social network at least once this year. By comparison, 64% of all Internet users will utilize such a network. Therefore, if the target demographic spends the majority of time online, it is a valid decision to put the campaign online and in front of the core audience.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Consumer magazines find stability in 2010

When looking at how media is trending, be sure to look at facts in context.

Since the economic downtown, all forms of media have been scrutinized in search for signs of recovery. Print is no exception. According to the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB), consumer magazines are stabling rather than declining as they have the last few years.

MediaPost reports that 2010 marked a good year for consumer magazines in that for three consecutive quarters ad pages (3.5%) and revenue figures (4.2%) increased. The return of automotive advertising was said to play a big part in this increase. Automotive ad pages rose 16.9% and rate card revenue grew 21.9% from 2009. Other categories that have seen improvement in ad pages are financial, insurance and real estate, toiletries and cosmetics, technology, retail, home furnishings and supplies.

An estimated 53% of consumer magazines had ad page gains during 2010, which is an increase from 2009 where only 8.6% showed an increase. This gain should not be taken out of context since 2010 total ad pages had a .1% decline from 2009.

When looking at how media is trending, be sure to look at facts in context. That will be the key tool in making educated planning decisions for your campaign.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Technology advances lead to TV audience interaction

Overall, interact with your audience. This will get them engaged and interested in your product or service.

If you ask a media insider for a tip to make an advertising campaign successful, he/she may tell you to make sure your ads are interactive. In general, ads that are interactive with customers can be more engaging and in turn, more successful. Up until recently, the most common kind of these ads were found online. Today, cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TWC) are working with other media companies like Canoe Ventures to make that kind of engagement possible for cable advertising.

According to MediaPost, Canoe Ventures can run interactive TV ads in approximately 18 million homes. Comcast makes up about 14 million of the homes and with TWC makes up the majority of the Canoe reach.

These TV ads work in part of an Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) technology which is installed on set-top boxes. This technology allows people to use his/her remote control to click on a commercial to receive more information on the product or service, or get a sample of it mailed to his/her home.

Both Comcast and TWC are starting to sell advertising in the local markets they cover. In fact, Comcast’s E! and Style networks are currently selling ads on the Canoe system.

Overall, interact with your audience. This will get them engaged and interested in your product or service. Therefore, it’s vital to stay up-to-date with technology advances; you never know when the next form of interaction will develop.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...