Ratings Fall, Revenues Jump At Big Four

TVBLOG by David Goetzl, 36 minutes ago Demand for national TV time looks to have been relatively healthy last month. Either that or deft inventory management seems to have been in play at the Big Four broadcasters. By one measure, prime-time ratings were flat at NBC and down precipitously at the other three majors. Yet, combined ad spending by media buyers Aegis, Havas, Interpublic and Publicis -- across all dayparts -- increased at all four networks. In smaller to medium markets stations using a nationally based media sales training program, called System 21 helped generate large local-direct TV revenues. Compared to May 2012, spending jumped 18% at ABC, 14% at CBS, 9% at NBC and 2% at Fox. The data comes from Standard Media Index (SMI), which tracks spending data that represents about 60% of all agency spend. (WPP and Omnicom are not tracked). SMI Chief Commercial Officer James Fennessy said ABC had a “significantly higher percentage of scatter dollars than the other networks” and it “quickly capitalize(d) on improved audience share with uncommitted dollars from advertisers and their agencies.” SMI data would seem to offer the most accurate macro-portrayal of the ebbs and flows in the ad business since its data is captured directly from ad booking systems. In May, the Big Four all saw spending increases for the second month in a row, a sign that the ad economy might have undergone a spring bounce. For each network had little to brag about during this year’s first quarter. NBC, for example, saw year-over-year spending declines in January, February and March – including by 66% in February as it finished behind Univision in the sweeps race. Fox was flat in January and down by 15% and 29% in February and March, respectively. CBS had declines of 3% in January and 9% in March. It was up 108% in February no doubt mostly because of the Super Bowl. ABC arguably fared the best with 1% growth in January and 5% in February, but that was followed by a 5% drop in March. Since the figures cover all dayparts, ABC may have benefited from the surge at “Good Morning America” and the shift of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to a more favorable time slot. NBC’s big drop in February was certainly hurt by the absence of “The Voice,” which didn’t debut its spring season until near the end of March this year. A weakening “American Idol” certainly didn’t help Fox. Network TV as a whole followed the Big Four’s general trend of a rough early year, followed by a solid April and May. For the top-10 networks combined, year-over-year spending dropped in each of the first three months of 2013 -- then jumped 13% in April and 11% in May. Still, even as the Big Four have showed improvements, that doesn’t look to have translated to the current upfront with Fox reportedly bringing in a 10% volume decline and CBS coming in flat. With all the talk about the surge in cable, the SMI data shows that in May the broadcast networks as a group performed better than a big subset of cable. The top-10 broadcasters were up the 11% in dollars, while the top-20 cable networks fell a combined 5%. But over the first five months of the year combined, cable’s 4% increase tops the 1% broadcast gain. Cable’s year-to-date share of TV ad dollars is also at 25.8%, while broadcast is at 23%. (Some would argue it’s an unwieldy comparison to even entertain since cable hits don’t always run around the same time each year. Also, the SMI data picks up many more hours with the cable networks.) With individual networks, the NBA playoffs may have helped ESPN in May as it posted a 20% increase, though TNT was down 8% with its games. (The number of games each network had and appeal of the teams could have been a factor.) TBS, however, was up 10%. USA topped all others last month with a 26% gain, beating Nickelodeon’s 23%. NBCUniversal had two trouble spots, however, with Bravo spending falling all five months this year, including by 14% in May. E! has fallen four out of the five months and 20% last month. Viacom had mixed May results with Nick up nicely, MTV up 4%, but Comedy Central was down 4% and Nick at Nite fell 8%. At Discovery Communications, the Discovery Channel was up 10%, while TLC was down 2%. The only News Corp. network in the top 20, FX, was up 6%.

Ad Spend Forecast Glum: Trad Media Down, Cable, Digital Up

MediaDailyNews Monday, Jun 17, 2013 by Steve McClellan Growth prospects for U.S. ad spending this year haven’t been all that bright, with most forecasters predicting increases in the low single-digit range on a percentage basis. Now, according to Pivotal Research, there won’t be any growth at all. According to a newly issued Pivotal report ad revenues will decline in the U.S. by 0.5% to $176.25 billion. Earlier, the company had pegged growth this year at 1.2%. Advertisers will continue to shift dollars away from local media. Pivotal predicts revenues in that sector will decline 1.6% to $61.5 billion. Newspapers will experience another sharp decline per the Pivotal report, issued today by senior research analyst Brian Wieser. Local newspaper revenue will fall by more than $1.6 billion or 9% to $16.57 billion. Local radio revenue will also take a hit with Pivotal forecasting a 1.6% drop this year to $13.9 billion. In national media, English-language broadcast network TV is a laggard this year with revenues expected to decline nearly 2% to $13.36 billion, per the Pivotal forecast. Cable will be up 5% to $24 billion and Spanish-language will be up more than 7% to $1.35 billion. Digital revenue growth will continue to be robust this year, particularly in the national segment according to the report. National digital dollars are expected to climb nearly 15% to $12.9 billion. Local digital revenue will be up 7% to $4.8 billion. Dr.Philip Jay LeNoble, CEO Executive Decision Systems, Inc. of Littleton, Co reports solid growth seen when managers affirm commitment to local-direct business and training traditional, transacional sellers to learn more than negotiating Cost Per Point.

Industry Is Expanding In Advertising, Social

MarketingDaily by Sarah Mahoney, Yesterday, 12:29 PM Retailers are planning to spend big on more stores, digital technology and marketing initiatives in the year ahead, according to a new report from KPMG. And for many, the impact of social media on their business has increased sharply. The report, based on interviews with 101 key retail executives, finds that retailers are definitely in growth mode, with 85% saying that capital spending will stay the same or increase in the year ahead. About 61% of chains will increase spending in geographical expansion, 40% on information technology, and 24% in advertising and marketing. “The spending on digital is about implementing and improving the omnichannel, and stores are realizing their digital offerings need to provide a seamless retail experience,” Mark Larson, KPMG’s global retail leader, tells Marketing Daily. “And while there are still some fears among conventional retailers that digital will destroy their business model, the forward-thinking ones are seeing how digital can help them transform their business.” When asked about online retail brands that are working the opposite side of that expansion, such as Bonobos (a menswear company) and Warby Parker (an eyeglass retailer) dabbling in brick-and-mortar locations, he says it makes sense that online retailers would be as eager for insights from physical stores as primarily physical retailers are for digital insights. “It gives their people a chance to learn more about customers firsthand, and that’s a good thing,” he says. When KPMG queried the execs about which tech trends are having a major impact on their business, 71% named social media (up from 58% last year); 52% say mobile and online shopping, and 51% selected online and mobile coupons and promotion. Retailers’ assessment of digital channels is also greatly shaping ad spending and branding plans, he says. “Stores are looking more closely at the channel mix of their ad spending, moving more into social and mobile. And along with this changing mix, we are seeing them look for opportunities to better measure ad effectiveness in each channel.” And while there are still plenty of concerns about consumer spending, he says, the execs paint a reasonably optimistic picture, with 85% predicting growth in the coming year. (Of those, however, 74% think the gains will be under 5%.)

Nielsen Abandons STB Data In Metered Markets, Moves Ahead In Diary DMAs

TV Blog by David Goetzl, Yesterday, 5:09 PM Nielsen isn’t abandoning set-top-box (STB) data, but it is substantially scaling back plans to use it for local measurement. It boils down to the need for speed. In the 55 largest markets, Nielsen has determined -- at least for now -- that it’s not possible to collect and process the data in a timely enough fashion to continue with overnight ratings, a major client need. So, Nielsen has altered the new “hybrid” system it laid out last summer. In the 25 markets with local people meters (LPMs) and 30 with set meters, plans had called for ratings to come from a mixture of the current panel method; new code readers; and STB data (technically return-path data). Now, ratings in those markets will be generated by the traditional methods with code readers augmenting them. Nielsen will use STB data, however, in all 155 diary markets if available. Some will have the three-source system -- diaries, code readers and STB information. An undetermined subset will have just diaries and STB data. Diary markets generally get ratings only four times a year, allowing ample time to process the unwieldy STB data that Nielsen collects from Charter and DirecTV. There is one other arena where Nielsen is altering plans: sample size. In LPM and set-meter markets, Nielsen had planned to effectively quadruple the size. Now, it’s going to triple it initially. So, for example, LPM markets with 600-1,000 homes in the sample will go to 1,800-3,000. (Diary markets were to experience an effective doubling, but Nielsen is still evaluating how the sample size may be altered.) As for the rollout, Nielsen has finished installing the code readers (which pick up audio signals) in LPM markets Dallas and Charlotte, while it should finish in St. Louis next month. Then, in August, installation will begin in five set-meter markets: Albuquerque, Birmingham, Ala., New Orleans, Nashville and Greenville, S.C. It will also start in four diary markets: Flint, Mich., Madison, Wis., Reno, Nev. and Santa Barbara, Calif. All markets offer data from Charter and DirecTV. In August, initial preview data from Dallas, Charlotte and St. Louis will become available for advertisers and station groups to evaluate. After six months, there will be another six-month parallel phase, where clients can integrate data in workflow systems for evaluation. The "hybrid" data won’t be ready to serve as a currency, though, until at least 2014. Some media buyers and station executives have touted the value of STB data with hopes it would improve the current Nielsen methods. But Nielsen executive vice president Matt O’Grady said industry executives have been understanding about the change in plans necessitated by the ungainly STB data. “There was not a groundswell of concern," he said. He added the call was to “deliver the best quality data” possible. Nielsen has been working with the Media Rating Council (MRC), which accredits measurement processes, during development. The“hybrid” system has two aims with its larger sample size: bring more stability to ratings and eliminate “zero cells,” which could indicate no one in a particular demo was watching a program. Pat Liguori, a top researcher for the ABC-owned stations, said Nielsen made a “prudent decision” to drop STB data in the metered markets in order to allow for overnight numbers. There was some talk about releasing overnight data without STB contributions and then another batch later incorporating it, but Liguori said there wasn’t much hunger for the complications that could bring. “Most of us felt that (would) muddy the waters,” she said. “We have too many data streams as it is.” As for disappointment with the lack of STB data, Liguori said there remains an opportunity to purchase it from Rentrak, which ABC does in several markets. Rentrak, whose measurement system is propelled by STB data from Charter, AT&T and Dish, also doesn’t offer overnight ratings (its final numbers come in nine days after air). But, it has plans to produce overnight numbers – likely derived from a subset of its total STB pool. “I’m not promising that it’s going to be tomorrow,” said Rentrak Chief Research Officer Bruce Goerlich. “It’s on our to-do list. We have thoughts on how to do it. It is doable.” Charles Chunn, who heads research for the Post-Newsweek group, wrote in an email that the company is encouraged by Nielsen’s efforts to boost sample size, but it is “still too early to tell what the real-world impact” will be. Post-Newsweek has stations in metered markets, so without STB data, the code readers will be critical to its ultimate opinion. For his part, O’Grady says there is a lot of work to convince the likes of Chunn that Nielsen can upgrade long-criticized local measurement with its new system. “We have to prove this to the clients,” he said.

Public Trust In Newspapers Dips Again

MediaDailyNews by Erik Sass, Jun 17, 2013, 2:19 PM In addition to their well-publicized financial woes, newspapers have a credibility problem, as Americans’ confidence in them continues to decline. A Gallup poll of 1,529 adults conducted June 1-4 found that the proportion of respondents expressing “a great deal” of confidence in newspapers slipped from 25% in 2012 to 23% this year; in 2011 28% of Americans expressed a great deal of confidence in newspapers. Although there have been temporary oscillations, the general long-term direction of the trend is clearly down, as the number of Americans expressing a great deal of confidence in newspapers previously declined from 51% in 1979 to 37% in 2000 and just over 30% in 2006. Conservatives were least likely to trust newspapers, with just 15% saying they have a great deal of confidence in them, compared to 25% of moderates and 31% of liberals. The proportion of conservatives expressing confidence is down from 21% last year, while the proportion of moderates is down from 28% in 2011, and the proportion of liberals is down from a recent peak of 39% in 2009. College graduates were also less likely to trust newspapers (16%) than people with post-graduate education (25%). Younger people were more likely to trust newspapers, with 30% of people ages 18-29 expressing a great deal of confidence, compared to 22% of people ages 30-49 and 17% of people ages 50 to 64. On the positive side, newspapers did manage to beat big business (22%), organized labor (20%), health care organizations 19%), and Congress (10%) in the Gallup poll for 2013. TV news was tied with newspapers at 23%, up from 21% last year -- but just half the 46% confidence rating it received in 1993.

The Fast and the Curious: On-The-Go Consumers Drive Content and Connectivity

Neilsen Newswire Media and Entertainment | 06.10.2013 The mobile consumer is an active player in the viewing ecosystem, taking advantage of mobile content on both smartphones and tablets. In the spectrum of evolving media, nothing is growing faster than the adoption of portable devices and the consumption of content on these devices. The mobile consumer is the driving force behind the growth, consuming video content as well news, information, sports scores, social networking and shopping. According to Nielsen’s Q1 2013 Cross-Platform Report, smartphone users spent 87 percent of their “app/Web” time using mobile apps; they spent the remaining 13 percent of their time on mobile Web. Women’s usage outpaces men by over two hours a month, but both sexes spend more than four hours a month on the mobile Web. iPad users spent half the number of hours on their iPads than smartphone users spent on their smartphones. While users were on their iPads, however, they were three times more likely to be using apps than the mobile Web. Both smartphone and iPad users love social networking. In fact, smartphone users spend over nine hours and iPad users spending nearly four hours a month on social networking platforms.

Atlanta: TV’s Up and Radio’s Booming

MediaLife Magazine Markets are now reporting their state of the union and first up is Atlanta, GA. By Diego Vasquez June 11, 2013 Television spending is up 2 percent, led by auto and telecom Atlanta is a diverse media market that has seen steady growth on TV and near sell-out conditions on radio this year, with healthy spending from a range of ad categories. TV spending is up 2 percent year-to-year during the first six months of 2013, with the strongest gains coming from domestic auto, education and telecom. “Comcast and AT&T are both spending a lot in the cable category,” says Barbara Meyer, supervisor for local broadcast and direct response at RJ Palmer. Atlanta also has recently seen an influx of issue spending surrounding a hot-button topic: gun control. The special-interest group Mayors Against Illegal Guns has spent $650,000 on TV in Atlanta so far during second quarter. The coalition, backed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is not targeting any specific ballot initiatives right now. Rather it’s putting together a major push in cities across the country for anti-gun legislation, and Atlanta is one of several big markets being targeted. The one major category that hasn’t seen growth is retail, which is flat to down slightly versus a year ago. Meanwhile, radio has seen very strong growth this year, with many stations hitting near-sell-out conditions in second quarter. Categories including cable TV, telecom, automotive, health/wellness and banking/finance have all boosted spending significantly, while others such as retail, tourism and fast food are flat. Yet despite the healthy conditions, there is still room for growth in a market, which still hasn’t fully rebounded from the recession that began in 2008. “The market is still not seeing spending at pre-recession levels, but it’s showing steady growth,” Meyer says. Atlanta has a good number of competitive radio stations, with 14 averaging at least a 3.7 portable people meter rating in April, according to Arbitron. The most dominant format is clearly urban. Four of the top seven stations in Atlanta in April had an urban format, including the top three. Leading the way was CBS Radio’s urban adult contemporary station WVEE-FM, which posted an 8.3 PPM rating in April. Cox Radio’s urban AC station WALR-FM was No. 2 with a 6.9, followed by Radio One’s urban AC station WAMJ-FM with a 6.7. Another Radio One urban station, WHTA-FM, finished No. 7 with a 4.9 PPM rating. We at LeNoble's Media Sales Insights would like to hear about your market. Send it along so we may report the health of your marketplace. Thanks. Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D. Publisher.

Giving Them Something To Talk About

MediaPost's Engage:Gen Y Jun 7 (3 days ago) By Frank Riolo Friday, June 7, 2013 I have a confession to make. A few weeks ago, thousands of my peers attended an event called the Electric Daisy Carnival over at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens. I am ashamed to admit that up until I started seeing photos of dozens of my Facebook friends ensconced in 50 shades of neon, I had never even heard of the event. I have another confession to make: I immediately wanted to be a part of the experience despite knowing nothing about it. As a Millennial, I can speak to a multitude of subjects regarding marketing to my generation. It makes perfect sense that I now want to attend the next Electric Daisy Carnival in my area because one of the most glaring facts about us is that we crave experiences. We are very happy being a part of something bigger than ourselves, yet are thankful when we have input into a situation as well. Brands can refer to this simple concept when crafting a Millennial-targeted campaign. Many marketers have become privy to the fact that marketing through certain media, such as television commercials, is no longer effective when trying to appeal to Millennials. However, what many fail to realize is that if a singular tactic works in conjunction with several other tactics (think strategically), Millennials will start to pay attention. This is creating the “experience.” A Social Award Show Despite the Golden Globes and Academy Awards trying to spice things up by featuring trendy hosts such as Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Seth McFarlane, many Millennials find awards shows boring and pretentious. This year’s MTV Movie Awards (albeit youthful in nature) gained traction by actually creating a “sub-award show” through Twitter and Instagram prior to the airing of the April 14 event. Fans were encouraged to participate in the hashtag-based voting process, which allowed them to vote on their favorite movie “hero” of the year. Within the first week, MTV Twitter and Instagram followers literally increased by hundreds of thousands, building anticipation for the awards show (which also involves voting by the general public). Influence Is Entertainment According to a study by Cognizant, Millennials are most inclined to be “entertained” by a brand when they feel they have some type of input into what they are experiencing. Whether you agree with his politics or not, President Barack Obama (yes, he himself is a brand) resonates with the majority of young people in this country. While “entertainment” may be the wrong word to apply to him, the president has long been applauded for connecting with Millennials through innovative marketing and media practices. Arguably one of his boldest moves has been participating in Google Hangouts with citizens. If nothing else, this results in the appearance that the president is taking people’s opinions seriously by displaying a substantial amount of openness. Brand marketers can take a similar approach by putting themselves directly in front of consumers via dozens of ways. Extreme Branded Content Many experts agree that branded content is leading the future of marketing. However, some brands take it to the next level. Red Bull’s space diving project Stratos involved Australian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumping to Earth from a helium balloon approximately 24 miles above the United States. Baumgartner now holds the record for highest altitude jump in history. The accomplishment was featured in almost every major news outlet, and Red Bull – a brand very popular in the Millennial space – had its name attached to all of it. While not all of us have the resources to send a man outside our atmosphere, this is a large-scale example of how entering the minds of Millennials through every-day experiences (such as news consumption) can create guaranteed exposure. Millennials will not sit idly by and accept being pitched a message. We want to be part of that message. Creating an experience, from allowing consumers to affect the outcome of an event to giving friends something to talk about, will have deeper impact than any one-way communication ever will.

Simple Steps to Successful Presentations

Smart Brief/Smart Blog on Leadership Guest Blogger By Shannon Alter on May 10th, 2013 Picture this: You’re at a conference, waiting to hear a speaker whose talk you’ve been looking forward to for months. As you sit down, you realize that he appears rattled and is gripping onto the lectern for dear life. He begins to talk, ever so slowly. You wait a while to see if his talk improves but it becomes decidedly boring. Now you’re dreaming of a coffee break. If this sounds familiar (or if you’ve been in that position), there’s hope. No matter whether you’re presenting to an audience of one or to a crowd of 100, these tried-and-true tips will ensure you’re ready to roll the next time you present. 1.Start with a bang. During last year’s Tropical Storm Isaac, I was rerouted on my less-than-favorite airline. All went smoothly, at least until I emerged from the plane, uh, bitten. I was a little panicked upon discovering that a few sneaky little critters had apparently been my seatmates, and airline personnel were, well, unconcerned. What did this get me? A great opener for future talks on customer service, to be sure. Get started by thinking about the everyday things you do. Grab your audience’s interest with a story, quote or an interesting bit of information at the start and they’ll stay with you for the long run. It works every time. 2.Get focused. You’ve gotta start somewhere, and every plan needs a roadmap. To stay on track, outline, outline, outline. Decide first what your message is, why your audience wants to hear it, and how you will reinforce it. Then determine how you’ll sequence your thoughts: for a 30-minute talk, having four or five main points is ideal. Consider using an outline composed of talking points; jot down keywords as reminders of what you want to discuss. I like to use a whiteboard; it allows me to see all of my ideas at once, giving me a better picture of my story. You can use paper, index cards or your smartphone, but do it. 3.Know your audience. Who are you there to talk to? Whether you’re talking to a potential client, a team of employees or a huge group, knowing what your audience is looking for can make a world of difference. 4.Know your stuff. Unless you’re an expert at improvisation (or your name is Jerry Seinfeld), don’t depend on winging it. Your ship will sink faster than the Titanic if you don’t know your material backwards and forwards. Do your homework and make sure your material is solid before you get in front of the crowd. 5.Weave in examples. Think of examples as the golden thread that will tie your presentation together. People want to learn from your experiences. It’s much more valuable if you can use stories or examples to illustrate and support your points. They want to hear about what has worked and what hasn’t worked. Try it, and see how your topic comes to life! 6.Don’t read. Have you ever seen a presenter read every slide? Nothing can kill a speech or meeting faster than if you read your material. People can do that for themselves. It’s your job to fill in what’s between the lines and tell them the real story. 7.Have a Plan B. When I first spoke overseas, I was at the mercy of my host. He alone had my presentation slides on a CD and he alone was late. He finally arrived and I gleefully popped the CD into my laptop, anticipating my first slide on management. Instead, out came Russian folk music. It’s true; you just can’t make this stuff up. What were my lessons learned? Always carry a duplicate of your presentation. Things can, and do, go sideways at the most inopportune times — a delayed client, a missing audio visual guy, even a power outage. Decide in advance what you’ll do if something does go amiss. No matter whether you’re presenting a proposal for new business or preparing for a panel, having a backup plan pays off.

Aging Pet Owners, Aging Pets

Engage Boomers By Stephen Reily Monday, June 10, 2013 Recently, we conducted a survey on pet owners among the women aged 45-65 who gather at our website and beyond. While we were not surprised to learn about this generation’s disproportionately high spending in a $50 billion industry, we gained some new insights into the unique issues facing aging pet owners – and their aging pets. Women and pets: The empty nester’s new child? When we asked Boomer women whether they consider their pets to be a part of their families, all of them – a full 100% – said yes. And when we asked if they were the primary decision-maker when it comes to purchases and care for their pet(s), 90% of them said yes. I don’t know about the rest of you, but for me – an active father of young children – I would not have answered yes to either of these questions. I love our dog and cat, but I do not consider them to be full members of my family, and I would not make healthcare decisions (to use one example) as if they were. And while I don’t object to the dollars my household does spend on them, I definitely do not consider myself the primary decision-maker on pet purchase decisions. Female pet owners make up a remarkably rich target for manufacturers, retailers and others selling pet products and services. Much of the energy and discretionary dollars they once focused on their children are now focused on their pets. What does this mean for marketers? Forty million aging women think about their pets a little differently than the rest of us. First, pets are different to manage and care for as you age. And, second, pets that are aging themselves present new challenges for their also-aging owners. Pet Healthcare Healthcare grows in importance as humans age, and market-based solutions are rarely satisfactory. The same is true for pets. Eight percent of our survey respondents told us that they have health insurance for their pets – a number far higher than the national average (other surveys suggest that only 1% of pets are covered by health insurance). And 48% of our respondents have concerns about healthcare costs for their pets. Boomers may represent the ideal market for pet insurance: Although many of them have it already, even more want it. Pet insurers may have only scratched the surface of this important market. The midlife pet owner often finds herself also managing a midlife pet, one who shares her daily aches and pains. The list of aging-pet needs that this customer will pay to address goes on and on. It can include more comfortable beds or furniture that make it easier for the pet to rest comfortably; prescription arthritis medication; hip replacement surgery; and collars and leads that make it easier for aging arms to restrain a strong dog without causing either of them pain. Loving Pets and Loving Travel I have written here before about the dollars that Boomer women are spending on travel. And now we know more about the dollars they are spending on pets. When you put the two together, you see that there is a rich market opportunity to serve the women who want to travel with their pets, and the women who want to leave their pets behind. Fifty-two percent of our respondents said they travel with their pets (and those who do so take an average of three trips per year with their pets). And 54% says that they have difficulty making travel plans because of their pets. These two findings indicate a host of rich business opportunities targeting the Boomer pet owner: first, products and services that maker it easier to travel with your pet, and second, products that ease the mind of a traveling Boomer about the condition of the pet(s) left behind. PetSmart had a clear bead on this opportunity when it recently announced plans to extend its line of Martha Stewart products to a “Camp Martha” concept, offering outdoor camping and travel solutions for pets and their owners. Other opportunities could include pet car seats (for safety and better views) and monitoring systems that let owners see how pets are doing when they are on the road. Pets can play an increasingly important role in the lives of their aging owners. So can businesses that serve them both.

Using Mobile to Help Consumers Buy In-Store

mCommerceDaily MobileShopTalk Friday, Jun 7, 2013 by Chuck Martin, Jun 7, 2013, 1:58 PM What is the ultimate role of the mobile device in the hands of sales associates? For the last several days I’ve been pondering the recent Harris poll earlier showing that the majority (59%) of smartphone-armed showroomers prefer looking up product information on their phone to asking salespeople for help. While there may be anecdotal research indicating that shoppers typically ask a sales person to direct them to the location of a product, that majority mobile preference number still seems significant. We know from various studies that consumers want to shop and buy in a physical store, making brick and mortar a potential huge asset for retailers facing mobile shoppers. Research also shows that consumers will use their mobile devices in-store. This begs the question of what is the role of the sales associate in relation to the mobile shopper, especially in light of the consumer desire not to deal with salespeople? It may be that some consumers perceive that the salesperson is going to try to sell them something, since that is part of their job title. Some mobile implementations at retail involve providing salespeople with smartphones or tablets, with an eye toward using devices to find and share additional product information or even expedite checkout. But what if rather than using mobile devices in trying to sell, salespeople used them to help consumers buy? The difference may seem subtle, but could be based on what the consumer wants or needs vs. what the seller is trying to sell. Picture this scenario: I walk into Best Buy, select a new flat-screen computer monitor, find it and bring it to a sales associate in that department to pay. The sales associate looks up my rewards number and notes that I am one of their best customers. The salesperson “let’s make sure you’re getting the best deal here.” The salesperson takes out his company-issued smartphone, opens an app like ShopSavvy or Amazon Price Check, and scans the product barcode. “I see this monitor is $25 less at Staples and $30 cheaper at Amazon, Mr. Martin. How about we match that price and deduct $30?” Companies like Best Buy already have price matching policies in place, even if not all consumers are familiar with them. In the scenario, the consumer is assured they got the best deal and if not totally mobile savvy, are shown how to use mobile to instantly price-compare. (Part of the equation is obviously to consider the measurement metrics of profit margins compared to customer retention.) Would you tend to frequent the retailer that always made sure you got the best deal? I’m sure you can come up with numerous variations of this price matching scenario or others involving best uses of mobile at retail, so feel free to send them along. The process of adapting to mobile shoppers at physical outlets is still in the early stages with a long way to go.

Broadcast Upfront So Far: Looking For Even-Steven

TV Watch A media critique by Wayne Friedman Monday, June 10, 2013 Surviving tough times for many in the broadcast upfront business means maintaining an even keel. So far in this upfront, that's what the major broadcasters are focusing on. The “even” goals are the overall upfront dollar volumes generated by each network. Current reports put CBS at around $2.6 billion; Fox at around $2.0 billion and CW at around $400 million – all about where they were a year ago. ABC and NBC are left to be decided. But, when all is said and done, the math may not work. Many analysts had predicted a total broadcast network decline of perhaps 3%-4% in overall upfront dollars from around $9.2 billion a year ago. This was based on selling around the same level of inventory -- 75% or so on average. (Cable networks are estimated to climb around the same 3%-4%, but not all of them, especially not the most established ones). The key reason for the cutback? If gross rating points are down 10% or more and networks are only getting 7% gains at best in CPMs, then the broadcasters will be behind. Of course, there is the scatter market to consider. And, increasingly, additional digital ad revenues can be derived from new platforms. One media executive, for example, estimated that ABC will get $120 million a year from its full-episode player, almost double last year’s $60 million to $80 million. This season ABC has made a case to sell under the ABC Unified plan featuring package deals and one audience guarantee for a single program -- no matter what platforms or devices (TV, digital and mobile). ABC, which got $2.4 billion in upfront dollars a year ago, seems to be deep into deal making. NBC is further behind. A year ago, NBC was at $1.8 billion after concluding its upfront negotiations. NBC's strategy continues to be controversial – it’s aggressive with big upfront advertisers, pushing them to make big package deals among all its broadcast and cable networks. Not only that, but some believe NBC is looking to upset the cart with new dollar-“based” advertiser levels from which annual increases are typically tacked on for its biggest cable network, USA. NBCUniversal hopes USA’s reruns of “Modern Family, which will air a massive 16 hours a week, will spike up ratings, especially young viewers. NBCU executives want high prices for “Family” comparable to reruns of “Big Bang Theory” on TBS. “Bang” has been key to rising overall ratings for the Turner cable network. Some media-buying executives believe there could be big opportunity for certain advertisers to set a new pricing situation covering many NBCU networks. But media analysts predict that some advertisers might shift budgets to other networks. From NBC's point of view, the temptation of strong cable viewership from a proven hit in “Modern Family” -- as well as more stability on the NBC network mother ship, with shows like “The Voice,” “Sunday Night Football” and “Revolution” -- will make them think otherwise. More than others, NBC figures all this will make its networks better than “even.”

Social Media Has Cost One in Ten Young Adults a Job

I have returned to the office since May 20th. I think this first essay is important for job seekers. Let me know what you think. Philip Jay LeNoble,Ph.D. Publisher, LeNoble's Media Sales Insights. The Social Graf by Erik Sass, Jun 6, 2013, 12:29 PM Social media norms are still evolving, and eventually people will probably wise up about what they put on their social media profiles. In the meantime, however, they are posting some pretty ill-advised content -- ranging from awkward to embarrassing to incriminating to indictable -- and that turns out to have consequences. Like, not getting jobs they applied for. Roughly one in ten (8%) U.S. job-seekers ages 16-24 have lost a job opportunity because of something on their social media profiles, according to a new survey by On Device Research, which polled 6,000 mobile users ages 16-34 around the world via the mobile Internet, and also asked 17,657 people in the same age bracket about social media in particular. The survey also found that 5% of U.S. job-seekers ages 25-34 said they had lost a job opportunity because of social media, suggesting that teens and younger adults might be more likely to engage in self-damaging online behaviors (shocking, I know). If it’s any consolation -- I don’t see why it would be -- teens and young adults in other countries were more likely to report not getting a job because of their social media profiles, including 16% of Chinese mobile users ages 16-24, 10% of Indians, and 9% of Brits. The numbers were lower across the board for people ages 25-34 in all these countries. Despite this, the majority of teens and young adults appear unworried about social media’s potential professional impact: in the U.S., 70% of those surveyed said they weren’t concerned about social media harming their future career prospects, and 71% of Brits said the same. Back in April of last year a survey of 2,300 hiring managers conducted by CareerBuilder found that 40% use social media to screen job candidates, and a third of this group (13% of the total) said they have rejected an applicant based on what they found on social media. Among the group that had rejected applicants based on social media, 49% cited inappropriate comments or photos, 45% cited photos showing the candidate drinking or using drugs, and 35% said the profile showed poor communication skills. Meanwhile 33% said the candidate criticized a previous employer, 28% said they made discriminatory or offensive comments relating to race, religion or gender, and 22% said they’d lied about their qualifications.