Mall ad awareness is on the rise for shoppers

Static mall advertisements are making room for HD Smart Screen displays which can be an effective platform for mass reach.

It has been reported that Nielsen Media Research has recently conducted a custom study for AdSpace to determine the effectiveness of mall advertising.

According to MediaPost, the new research shows that shoppers are increasingly conscious of mall advertising. AdSpace published the results of the study which noted a jump of awareness from 47% in 2007 to 65% this year. Specifically, Nielsen found that the number of visitors that noticed advertising from Sony Pictures and Este Lauder elevated 44% this year compared to 2007.

Currently, the company operates the Smart Screen displays in malls with about 100 million visitors per month. AdSpace considers more engaging content and the switch to HD to be firm reasons to explain the increase in awareness.

Other mall advertising companies like Akoo and EyeCorp have also invested in studies about advertising effectiveness. Arbitron, which was the company that conducted the studies, found similar results to Nielsen’s outcome.

Besides the rise of acknowledgement, other positive factors are emerging. Especially during the holidays, mall attendance is up. With the increased foot traffic, it can be derived that mall advertisements could make sense strategically and financially.

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...

Daily radio continues to reach the majority of adults

Regardless of what many people speculate broadcast radio still reaches the majority of American adults.

According to MediaPost, new data shows broadcast radio reaches 77% of American adults everyday. Radio comes in second to television, which has an estimated 95% reach.

The Council for Research Excellence collected the data from the five metropolis’ Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Seattle in 2008. Nielsen analyzed the findings.

Data shows that the daily reach of radio was much higher than the percentage of American adults who listen to tapes or CDs. That group had a daily reach of 37%. American adults who listen to iPods or MP3 players only have a daily reach of 12%.

Of those 12% who listen to iPods or MP3 players daily overlap with the 77% who listen to radio. In fact, radio reaches 88% of the iPod/MP3 group.

In addition, daily radio reach beat out these categories: Internet at 64% (this excludes email usage), newspapers at 35% and magazines at 27%.

While it can be perceived that broadcast radio is being pushed out by satellite radio, MP3 players, tapes, CDs, etc., this study proves that is not the case. Therefore, broadcast radio still is a solid platform in which to engage the consumer.

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...

Digital out-of-home advertising grows in spite of economy

If a media vehicle is growing despite a down economy, then it could be helpful for your campaign to evaluate it and see if it will work within your message.

While most media vehicles have been negatively affected by the economic climate, digital out-of-home advertising has managed to grow in spite of the current conditions.

PQ Media, media industry economists, has recently released information on new estimates of advertising spending. Reported by MediaPost, the estimates show that digital out-of-home media is expected to grow 2.9% this year to $2.45 billion. This expansion is at a slower rate when compared to 2008. Last year, the medium had a 9.4% rate of growth.

Digital media has reached the point where it represents more than a third of the out-of-media market in the United States. In fact, MediaPost reports that “digital billboards have been the fastest growing segment of the market in 2009, and is projected to rise 11.1% to $511 million.”

Despite digital billboards fast growth, the largest segment of the digital out-of-home media in 2009 continues to be video-based advertising networks.

Mass exposure is vital to a campaign when the ultimate goal is brand awareness. Therefore, it is important in knowing which media vehicles are growing and producing results.

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...

Google looks for new ways to encourage ad engagement

In a digital world, pay for clicks and page views are the norm, but is there anyway to tell if the message is actually getting to the user? New online research and studies are trying to create new ways for users to engage in digital advertising that other mediums can’t compete with.

Google is working on a new advertising model that will help to determine the most-effective advertising for online videos. Right now, most online videos have pre-roll ads that appear automatically before or during online videos. There are very high abandonment rates for videos that have the pre-roll ads and advertisers want to know if the audience is actually watching them.

Google will be testing “skippable” pre-roll ads in YouTube videos that will give people the option of clicking the link and skipping the ad, taking them directly to the video. The tests will help to determine if and when people actually watch the videos and makes the advertising more engaging.

The search-engine giant is trying to bring a new advertising model to the digital world, where advertisers would only pay for opt-in engaged views of the ads and completed views of the ad. Advertisers will need to make their ads more engaging to promote more opt-in views by making sure they pay attention to quality and creativity during their campaign.

Google's research notes that high-quality advertisements most likely influence viewers to stay and finish viewing ads three times more than if that same person watched the same ad on television. Online advertisements tend to be a lot shorter and make it easier for the call to action because all the tools that viewers need are at their fingertips.

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...

Political advertising to excel in 2010

How will the political climate affect advertising in 2010?

In 2010, political advertising will climb to an estimated $3.3 billion dollars, an increase of 11 percent over 2008 but a slight decline from 2006. This is fueled by the election of 37 governors, 38 senators, the entire House of Representatives and issue advertising, including the big healthcare debate.

Broadcast TV will secure the most revenue with well over 60 percent of the projected spending. The rest will be spread amongst cable, direct mail, radio, newspaper, outdoor and internet. The TV groups that will be the most affected are Disney’s ABC stations, Journal Communications and CBS.

Political advertising couldn’t come at a better time for TV, which has had a difficult time due to the economy and auto market decline. According to the Television Bureau of Advertising, political ads will contribute to an increase for spot TV between 3.6 and 6.1 percent.

When placing your ad dollars in 2010, be aware that costs may be driven up during political windows especially in television, which may increase preempt ability. Political advertisers spend at the top tier for their advertising so if there is low inventory, there is a chance for a lower tier schedule to get bumped.

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...

Social Networks do little to generate leads for a small business

Social Networking sites may have appeared to interweave itself into today’s advertising fabric; however, it’s possible that it isn’t always a key component to a campaign.

Citibank partnered with GfK Roper and recently released survey results of 500 American small business executives’ views on social media driving leads and/or expanding his/her businesses.

In contrast to the perceived norm, most respondents noted that networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter did not benefit the company in expansion or generating leads. The Center for Media Research reports that only 3% of executives felt that social networks were “very helpful.” Sixty-three percent of those polled felt that networks were “not at all helpful.”

It has been stated that a reason behind these findings may be because the small business owner might not have the manpower or extra time needed to invest in social media.

The research survey did find that 61% of small business owners regularly seek out business advice or information from general search engine sites like Yahoo! and Google rather than small business-focused sites and the Wall Street Journal website.

Small business owners can utilize these findings to create a more effective venture in generating leads. Meaning, while social media may become a very useful part of anyone’s business, it should not be the only aspect to a 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...

Partner Spotlight: Linda Norfleet

Question: Has the ability to view television programs on-line, record them via DVR or watch via mobile video affected overall television viewership?

Answer: According to the data from the Nielsen Company, Americans are increasing their overalll media consumption, and media multi-tasking is part of the equation. During 2nd Quarter 2009, the number of people watching mobile video increased 70 percent from last year adn people who watch video online increased their viewing by 46 percent compared to a year ago. Average TV consumption remains at an all-time high compared to the sane time frame last year. As of 2009 the 290 million people in the United States with TVs, spend an average 141 hours, 3 minutes each month viewing televisions. Nielsen data also shows Americans are using DVRs more than ever, watching one hour more of time shifted TV each month than a year ago.

As of June 2009, 57 percent of consumers with Internet access at home watch TV and go online simultaneously at least once a month. On average these consumers spend 2 hours, 39 minutes each month using the Internet while also watching TV. Their online experience at home is in front of the television almost a third of the time.

Mobile video usage is not pulling big numbers

New technology may seem to be where advertising dollars should be invested; however, sometimes it’s best to wait to see how successful that platform can become.

According to MediaPost, The Nielsen Company recently released a report about the usage of mobile video in the United States.

Only about 7% of the mobile phone owners were found to be active mobile video users during second quarter. This is about 15.3 million people, which is an increase of 70% from 2008. This is still a relatively low number when compared to the 220 million users.

Fifty-two percent of US mobile subscribers carry phones that do not have the capacity to view video. In addition, about 78% of current users are first year subscribers. The research company found that first year users are most likely “testing” the service and then discontinuing before the second year. Nielsen did attribute some of the findings as the outcome of a weak economy.

Nic Covey who is the director of insights at The Nielsen Company summarized mobile video as “a transformational technology that will require real changes or additions to the consumer media diet. As such, it may have a long way to go before making a dramatic impact on our media economy.”

If the report is any indication, it will be a long road considering that customer satisfaction has actually declined to 65% during second quarter from 74% in second quarter 2008.

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...