Thursday, December 30, 2010

Cable vs. Network TV on 2010 Viewership

As viewers’ options of programming continue to increase, the competition to gain that viewer likewise increases.

While network television has historically been dominate in ratings compared to cable original programming, a small shift has begun to develop. According to an article in USA Today, the Nielsen Company stated that both network television and basic cable gained 1% in 2010, which brings the overall viewing to about 34 hours a week.

Broadcast television had a rough fall season with viewership declining on both FOX, which is down by 15%, and ABC, which is off by 5%. These decreases are equalized by small gains from both CBS and NBC.

Original cable programming like Rizzoli and Isles, The Walking Dead and the Jersey Shore has recently beaten out some of the broadcast TV rivals. While some of the bigger cable networks have lost viewership over 2010, some of the mid-tier channels grew by double digits. Most notably, Investigation Discovery grew 63% this year. Other channels showing growth were TV Land with 15% gain and History with a 34% increase.

As consumer’s options in programming increase, the competition to gain more viewers increases. Thus, more original cable programming is likely to go head-to-head with broadcast television.

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 23, 2010

What medium is best when targeting affluent individuals?

Not every advertiser wishes to reach a broad audience. Some wish to target the product or service to a specific demographic, geographic, or psychographic group.

How do you target affluent individuals in the United States? Which media is statistically proven to be the primary choice for this demographic? The answers lie with the new annual research study released by Ipsos’ Mendelsohn Affluent Survey.

According to MediaPost, the best media to reach affluent people is television. On average, this group watches approximately 17.6 hours a week which is about the same as 2009. When broken down by age, the younger ones, who are 18-34, watch less TV with an average of 15.4 hours a week. The older half, who are 65+, watch more with an average of 22.2 hours.

Ipsos’ survey also showed that TV was the top medium on an engagement metric. In fact, 24.3 million affluent individuals had interest in TV ads, which is more than any other media platform.

Affluent people are considered by the survey as individuals who have homes with incomes of $100,000+. In fact, it is estimated that 21% of US homes fall within this category.

Not every advertiser wishes to reach a broad audience. Some wish to target the product or service to a specific demographic, geographic, or psychographic group. The key to putting the right message in front of the right audience is staying current with research 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...

Thursday, December 16, 2010

How do 12-24 year olds access music?

You never know when a shift in media consumption can occur.

With so many media options to choose from, it can be difficult to know which consumers are using.

Edison Research recently conducted follow up research to its 2000 study which chronicled the media habits of 12-24 year olds. The recent update titled American Youth Study 2010, which was sponsored by Radio-Info.com, shows an adaptation of radio consumption.

According to the results, internet usage did increase over the last 10 years; however, traditional radio is still a dominant player in new music discovery. In fact, respondents relayed the following:

  • 80.2% of 12-24 year olds use AM/FM radio to listen to his/her favorite songs


  • 71.9% use the radio to learn about new songs and


  • 66% listen to figure out what are the current popular songs

The average amount of time listening to combined AM/FM radio, streamed AM/FM, and internet only stations for 12-24 year olds is about 24 hours and 23 minutes per week. Overall, internet radio listening did account for the majority of the time.

You never know when a shift in media consumption can occur. In order to understand where consumers are accessing his/her media, it’s best to stay updated with the latest study 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...

Thursday, December 9, 2010

How mobile advertising is trending at the end of 2010

While mobile advertising is growing quickly, it is important to understand that consumers are still trying to figure it out.

For those who follow new entries into the United States’ media landscape, it comes as no surprise that mobile advertising is steadily growing. What some may not know is the extent and how that compares to other countries. The Center for Media Research released information from the Smaato whitepaper on the subject of mobile advertising.


According to the whitepaper, the United States has become the second largest mobile advertising market in the world. Japan is the largest with a billion dollar mobile advertising economy. The US will end 2010 averaging $797.6 million. Researchers estimate that the US will exceed the $1 billion mark in 2011 becoming the second country to reach that level.


On average, mobile advertising only receives about 1% of the overall budget. For 2010, advertisers will collectively spend an estimated $151.2 billion on a variety of media vehicles.


While mobile advertising is growing quickly, it is important to understand that consumers are still trying to figure it out. Advertisers should make sure that their target audience would benefit from mobile advertising before committing to a campaign as 10-15% of the budget is used to develop and set up the creative.



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...