Thursday, December 29, 2011

What is the standard mobile ad size?

Anyone in the media business is aware that there are some standards when it comes to ad sizes. Print has the tabloid sizes and radio has certain spot lengths, etc. The new emerging standards are in regards to mobile.

According to MediaPost, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has recently created six set ad sizes for both feature phones and smartphones. Creating these guidelines enables media buying to be more cohesive from vendor to vendor.

The MMA whittled down the sizes by first analyzing 150 billion mobile ad impressions during second quarter to find what were the most consistently used. They found about 60 mobile ad formats before declaring the final six sizes. The new standards are part of the Mobile Universal Ad Package where feature phones have three sizes (120x120 , 168x28 and 216x36 pixels) and smartphones have three as well (300x250, 300x50 and 320x50 pixels).

If the program survives the 30-day comment period, the ad package will be come finalized in January. All networks will have to comply with the guidelines by March 2012.

Mobile advertising has grown from its inception; however, if the ad sizes become more standard among media vendors, advertisers will have an easier time adapting creative to the medium. Therefore, this could lead to healthier growth in this advertising vehicle.

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, December 22, 2011

Which media has the most time spent listening per day?

How much time are we spending on media? According to a new eMarketer estimate, the US has increased the media consumption to 11 hours and 33 minutes per day. MediaPost recaps a few of the media platforms as follows:

• TV increased to 4 hours and 34 minutes
• Internet increased 7.7% from 2010 to 1 hour and 47 minutes
• Radio dropped to 1 hour and 34 minutes
• Mobile increased 30% to 1 hour and 5 minutes
• Print and Magazines have a combined 44 minutes

One thing to note is that time spent isn’t indicative to how much money will be attributed to a particular medium. For example, TV is about 42.5% of time spent, however, advertisers spend roughly half of the budget on it. For mobile, only 1% of advertising dollars are used when it accounts for 10% of consumers’ time.

Why is this significant to advertisers? Knowing how media consumption is trending can help navigate a campaign. Therefore, it behooves us to pay attention to the spending habits and media usage of the target demographic.

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, December 15, 2011

Did I just see an ad on a mail truck?

Because the world appears to be trending towards wireless and paperless in many aspects of life, the institutions that are wire and paper must adapt. According to MediaPost, the United States Postal Service is attempting to enter into the advertising world in order to help its financial decline.

A pilot program recently launched in which the USPS is selling advertising on its freight trucks. At the moment, approximately 17,000 trucks in 11 states have advertisements on them.

Paired with an outside contractor Lighted Promotions, advertisements are being sold from $500 to $600 per month.

A noted concern is making sure that the ads are appropriate for the government trucks. So far, most vinyls have been in regards to road safety like drunk driving, seatbelt usage, highway safety in addition to topics like anti-drug and anti-alcohol. In fact, some advertisers have been turned away like political candidates and medical marijuana.

If this pilot program is successful and launched nationally, then it could be a new vehicle for advertisers. As long as its message falls in-line with a government owned platform.

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, December 8, 2011

How did Cyber Monday 2011 compare to 2010?

Black Friday did not disappoint this year and neither did Cyber Monday. According to MediaPost, ComScore recorded that Cyber Monday saw a 22% increase in spending compared to last year. The U.S. spent about $1.25 billion this year, making it the biggest online shopping day in history.

The term Cyber Monday was coined in 2005 in reference to a spike in online shopping and spending the Monday after Thanksgiving. Most likely, this was due to the fact that people did not have a fast internet connection at home and instead waited to shop utilizing their faster work computer.

Experts believe that this may start to decline now that high-speed internet is more common in homes. Therefore, shoppers don’t have to wait until Monday. Retailers are also running online specials starting Thanksgiving through Monday, which is another reason why shoppers don’t have to wait.

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, December 1, 2011

Who uses the internet on a cell phone?

Cell phones. You would think that almost anyone over the age of 15 has one in the US. A new study conducted by eMarketer found that ethnic groups utilize cell phones at different levels.

According to MediaPost, the study revealed the cell phone penetration among ethnic groups in the following capacity:

· White: 78.3%

· Asian: 77.3%

· African American: 74%

· Hispanic: 69.2%

Regardless of the penetration, it was found that minority groups utilize the internet on mobile phones more than the white population. In fact, the breakdown is as follows:

· Hispanic: 52.9%

· African American: 48.9%

· Asian: 48.1%

· White: 36.3%

Researchers theorized that mobile internet usage is higher in minorities due to the fact that as a group, they are younger than the white population. Therefore, they may be more willing to be early adopters. Also, these groups are more likely not to have a home phone and only have a mobile.

How is this relevant? This will help advertisers better cater their message to their target 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...