Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Nielsen Shuts Down Council For Research Excellence + I Got More Business than I Can Handle

 ​


4

 
It was an organization the ratings firm established in 2005 to provide clients with a forum to drive research and improve audience measurement. Some of the committees under the Council included an audio committee, a local measurement committee, and an R.O.I. committee. A Nielsen spokesman told Radio Ink Tuesday it is ending its funding to the Council. Nielsen was pumping over $2 million a year into the organization. Here’s the full Nielsen statement.

“We are grateful for the research the CRE produced and for their contribution to our industry. While we believe in the CRE’s mission and work, after 12 years of commitment Nielsen is ending its relationship as the organization’s sole funder. This decision is not a reflection of the organization or its work. Rather it is based on our desire to bring greater simplicity and focus to our investments in measurement innovation. Over the years, Nielsen has increased industry engagement on the evolution of measurement through the creation of several client advisory groups and is an active participant in a range of industry organizations focused on audience measurement. Nielsen remains committed to an open and transparent dialogue with our clients as we work to advance audience measurement in today’s evolving media landscape.”

“I’ve Already Got More Business Than I Can Handle.”

12
    
(By Paul Weyland) 
“And there is no such thing as a no sale call. A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can’t. Either way, a sale is made. The only question is, who is gonna close? You or him?”
—  Jim Young (Ben Affleck’s character in Boiler Room)
One of the biggest drains of time and energy in broadcast sales is wasting time with elusive decisionmakers who won’t close. Oh, they’ll engage, but ultimately you are never able to close them. And there is a reason they’re not closing. The simple answer is that you have failed to convey value. In other words, you have yet to convince that person, in language that he or she fully understands, that your plan for their success is better than their plan. That’s it.
When your decisionmaker finally realizes that you have nothing substantial to offer him, his job is to close you on why he’s not going to further engage with you. One classic way to get you to leave is to say, “We already have more business than we can handle.”
And there you go. What can you say to that? At that point, what is the use in continuing to try and sell him?
Somewhere along the way I finally figured out that in most cases, the best part about beating your head against the wall is that it feels so good when you stop. I finally wised up and figured out that rather than dealing with trying to break through a brick wall, there might be other, less contentious potential clients out there that I should be calling on.
That’s when I’d thank the client for his time and then go to his nearest competitor and say, “Joe Smith says he has more business than he can handle. You…don’t. Here’s my plan on how we can convert some of his underserved customers from his front door to yours.”
Learning to make better use of your precious time always helps you grow your billing. However, why leave before you’re absolutely convinced that you’re not walking away from budget you didn’t even know was there to begin with? Two cases in point:
Years ago I was having a conversation with one of the best natural media salespeople I’ve ever met, former Clear Channel kingpin John Barger. He related this story: “I owned a few stations in a small market. One of my salespeople convinced me to accompany her as she tried to close a private golf resort. We met the decisionmaker, who said, ‘Mandy, I told you we already have more golf business than we can handle. We don’t have to advertise.’”
“Crap,” John said to himself, before saying to the golf pro, “Well, how else do you make money?” The client stood there and finally said, “We do weddings.” John asked how many weddings they did, and the client said maybe one per month. “How many could you do?” asked John. “One a week,” answered the pro. “Then let’s market that,” said John. And ultimately a nice deal was made.
How else do you make money? Good question.
More recently, a radio GM told me about a successful restaurant in his market called Momma’s that he just couldn’t get on the air. “Paul, I just can’t close him. Every time I try, he tells me he’s already got more business than he can handle.”
I advised him to go back to the client and stroke his ego with a proposal that would make the restaurant a platinum sponsor of every community service the station did from that point on. And to also offer a promotion that would allow listeners to select one area “Momma of the Week,” the winner getting a complimentary meal for their mom plus nine others. The wealthy client, eager to put his name on such great community and family projects, opened his wallet and wound up spending far more per month than the GM had ever asked him for in the past.
So there. When dealing with elusive clients, change your pitch. Again, when your prospect is finally 100 percent convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that your plan is better than theirs, that’s when you’ve got yourself a customer.

Reporter's Notebook: 2017's Unanswered Media Questions

The Hollywood Reporter

Illustration by: Thomas Kuhlenbeck

Will Megyn Kelly keep up her momentum? Will Bill O'Reilly return to TV? And more ...

2017 brought more questions than answers. Below, I've highlighted some of the most pressing media industry questions that have yet to be answered as the year comes to a close.
Broadcast Intrigue
Who will replace Matt Lauer on NBC's Today and Charlie Rose on CBS This Morning? Neither network has said a peep about the succession process. On Today, fourth-hour co-host Hoda Kotb has been holding down the fort and helping the early hours of the show to industry-leading ratings. Willie Geist, who hosts the Sunday version of the show, has been floated by insiders as a possible Lauer successor — but, in an interview with his hometown publication, Geist said he hasn't had "a word of conversation with anyone about it." The only consensus seems to be that neither network is likely to hire an outside star to fill the empty roles.
Will NBC's investigation into Lauer's conduct indict any current or former NBC executives?The network is going to interview at least 40 employees as part of the investigation into the circumstances that allowed Lauer's bad behavior to go undetected and unpunished. NBC has said that "current management" never received a complaint about Lauer, and his former producer, Jeff Zucker, said at an industry conference that he never heard "a whisper" about Lauer's "deviant, predatory behavior." One persistent question is whether NBC's investigation will finger upper management. And, if it does, will there be consequences? Many in the industry are skeptical of the "no one knew" argument being made by extremely plugged-in current and former executives.
Will Megyn Kelly keep up her momentum? A few weeks into Megyn Kelly Today, the narrative was that NBC probably made a mistake in giving Kelly a massive contract and an hour of the Today franchise to try to prove out her vision of a new morning show. Now, some three months into her show, that narrative has changed. Ratings are up, and Kelly has been covering the heck out of the industry-dominating story of sexual harassment by powerful people. She's re-ignited her beef with Donald Trump by bringing on four women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. "I feel like I’m in a good place right now and so is the show,” she said in a recent interview. “It’s starting to gel.” Will it continue?
M&A Madness
Who will emerge victorious in the court case stemming from the federal government's lawsuit to stop AT&T's purchase of Time Warner? The trial begins March 19, and AT&T is publicly staying confident that it will win and won't have to sell off a prized asset like CNN to get the deal through. The result of the case could also have ramifications for Disney's purchase of much of 21st Century Fox, which Rupert Murdoch has said he expects to pass governmental muster.
Will Sinclair Broadcasting's purchase of Tribune Media go through? The money is on "yes," right now — with some possible pre-conditions necessary. But things have been awfully quiet recently, as the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission review the agreement. Is that a good sign for the deal or a bad one? 
Cable Talent On The Sidelines
Will Greta Van Susteren come back to television? Van Susteren, who has anchored a show on all three of the major cable networks, was unceremoniously dismissed by MSNBC brass in late June, after less than six months in the 6 p.m. hour. Almost immediately, she made clear on her favorite social media platform — Twitter — that she was interested in getting another television show. "Since I got fired, of course I will entertain any job offers that come my way," she told me on July 6. In October, she told me she had received three television offers, but demurred on a return to the platform. "I don’t know if I want to go back to TV," she said. "It would have to be the perfect job and I am not sure that exists anymore."
What about Bill O'Reilly? The former cable news kingpin has said in the past that he's received offers to return to television. In September, he told us that he hadn't decided and was "waiting to see very specific details of the projects that people have pitched to us." What's happened since then? Not much. O'Reilly continues to host a daily digital news show that's sometimes filmed at Newsmax's New York office. In early November, Politico floated the possibility of O'Reilly joining Newsmax, a story that conveniently dropped right after Sinclair's CEO said he has "no interest" in hiring O'Reilly. When I asked recently about the Newsmax possibility, CEO Chris Ruddy said he didn't know and told me to ask O'Reilly's people — so it sounds like it's not going to happen. A source with knowledge of the situation said that O'Reilly has been presented with a number of opportunities but is not yet ready to commit. O'Reilly also has his hands full right now with a defamation lawsuit from three women who have settled sexual misconduct allegations against him. 
Trump vs. The Press
Will Fox News hosts get tougher on Donald Trump? The line between Fox News' news anchors — think Bret Baier and Shepard Smith — and the network's opinion hosts — led by Sean Hannity — has never been clearer. The industry takes for granted that opinion hosts like Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham will go easy on the president and give his administration a pass. But that's not always the case. An early November Carlson interview of Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin struck me as surprisingly tough, and Ingraham didn't go easy on Vice President Mike Pence in an exclusive interview aired on Dec. 20. "Why is the public not with this bill?" she asked Pence of the tax reform bill that's polled tepidly. She also pressed Pence on Trump's low approval ratings. Neil Cavuto has recently made waves by saying — on air and in interviews — that he's not interested in interviewing the president. So will Fox's opinion hosts get tougher on Trump and his cabinet? And will the White House ever grant Fox's news people the Trump interview they desperately want? Baier told me in early September that his staff was scheduling an interview, but that hasn't happened. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders hasn't gotten back to me on that question.
Will Trump give another interview to a national television outlet that's not part of the Fox News family? As president, Trump has never been interviewed by CNN or MSNBC. His last big, non-Fox television interview was with NBC's Lester Holt in May. What would have to happen for Trump to decide to sit for a more combative interview?
Other Questions
When is PBS going to pick a new co-anchor on flagship news program PBS NewsHour? It's been more than a year since Judy Woodruff's partner, Gwen Ifill, passed away, and her seat is still empty. The show has tried out a series of co-anchors, including two NPR employees, Audie Cornish and Steve Inskeep. A fan favorite is NewsHour weekend anchor Hari Sreenivasan, but it doesn't look like he will get the weekday job. A source close to the show told me that the seat was offered to an NPR personality or two who turned it down. Recently, Woodruff has been solo-anchoring, and it seems possible the show will make that arrangement permanent. The show is not commenting, and would like me to be patient.
How will Conde Nast adjust to a magazine industry landscape now dominated by Meredith Corp. and Hearst? Everyone I've talked to in magazine media has said that Meredith's acquisition of Time Inc. and Hearst's purchase of Rodale leaves Conde in a distant third place. "Conde is now a very small competitor," one longtime magazine exec said. It's a weird place for such a storied company to be, and if recent reports are to be believed, more cost-cutting is in store for the publisher of tony magazines like The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, which recently replaced the legendary editor Graydon Carter with a respected but lesser-known new editor, Radhika Jones. Industry-watchers also have three big questions for Time Inc.'s future owner, Meredith: How many Time Inc. employees will get the boot? Which, if any, Time Inc. magazines will be shuttered as part of the sale? And, finally, will backers Charles and David Koch be the hidden hand that moves news titles like Time and Fortune?

Another down year ahead?

Broadcast Industry News - Television , Cable, On-demand - TVNewsCheck.com

Forecasters see 2018 sales falling below 17 million

It looks like 2018 will be the first time in four years that U.S. new-vehicle sales fall short of 17 million, though the tax reform bill that President Donald Trump signed into law last week could give the industry a boost as automakers adjust to life on the downside of the cycle.
For 2017, light-vehicle sales are on pace to come in around 17.2 million, about 2 percent less than the record set last year. That would represent the industry's first annual decline since 2009, officially ending its longest growth streak in a century.
How much further sales slide in the year ahead will depend, in part, on how aggressively automakers discount their vehicles to keep inventories manageable and showrooms busy. So far, many have been content to let volumes recede because transaction prices have more than compensated when it comes to a more important metric: profits.
But continued declines soon will start to make the companies take harder looks at the need to slow production and tempt them to beat competitors' deals.
"That period of growth that we had grown accustomed to is obviously over, and the industry is starting to rightsize," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds. "We could see a fight for market share. They're looking to keep their share, and if one company starts increasing their incentives, generally others follow."
Edmunds forecasts U.S. sales of 16.8 million in 2018. Cox Automotive last week said it projects the market to be 16.7 million, 100,000 more than it thought before the tax-reform bill was approved. Cox raised its used-vehicle forecast by 200,000 units, to 39.5 million, as a result of the changes in tax policy.
"The additional spending power that most households will have due to tax reform should result in a continued 'move up' in what consumers purchase," Jonathan Smoke, Cox Automotive's chief economist, said in a statement. "We've already seen preferences shift to crossovers away from sedans, which has corresponded with ever-increasing transaction prices in the new-vehicle market. Now with more take-home pay, more households will be able to consider more expensive vehicles such as trucks, SUVs and luxury vehicles. At a minimum, increased take-home pay will help mitigate the impact of higher interest rates on the monthly payment most households can afford."
The Edmunds and Cox forecasts mirror a projection from Toyota this month that 2018 would be in the "mid- to upper 16 million" range. The National Automobile Dealers Association projects sales of 16.7 million, which it said would still mark a great year for the industry.
Scarpelli: Sees a stable market
"Every dealer in America, myself included, would be thrilled with a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of above 16 million," said NADA Chairman Mark Scarpelli. "We are looking at a stable market where demand — particularly for light trucks, SUVs and crossovers — continues to be very healthy."
Dealerships are expected to have a record number of consumers turning in cars and trucks at the end of their lease in 2018, analysts said. But that flood of vehicles onto the used side of dealership lots could push down residual values, which in turn would mean less attractive lease deals and could encourage some shoppers to buy used instead of new.
Amid the market's overall decline, sales are expected to grow in 2018 for hybrids and plug-in vehicles. They accounted for about 3 percent of sales in 2017 and could reach 4.4 percent next year, Edmunds said. One reason for that is the Tesla Model 3, which went into production around midyear but is being built in much smaller numbers than the company had promised by now. If Model 3 output reaches full strength by May, Edmunds said, plug-in cars would likely outsell traditional hybrids such as the Toyota Prius by the end of 2018.
 

Earning And Maintaining Loyalty From Gen Z

 

This Spring, Think Experiences

COMMENTARY

In today’s consumer marketing landscape, strategies and tactics are changing. To make an impression on consumers—including the coveted millennial demographic—marketers are steadily embracing immersive experience-based marketing. There’s good reason for this accelerating trend away from product-based initiatives. Marketers who monitor social media understand the tremendous value of experiential marketing.
In addition to millennials, a cross-section of generations now share information and images about their experiences—from travel to dining to art exhibits to concerts to parties and events—online. They are defining their own “brand,” i.e. their own lifestyles and social statuses, by their activities, rather than by their material possessions. Young adults, especially, are now more interested in spending money on enriching experiences instead of products.
And brands are adapting to this cultural shift accordingly. Rather than focus on product pushing, it is wise for brands to develop their consumer experiences, both in and out of stores. The smart marketing approach is to create relevant, memorable experiences through the lens of the brand’s product or service.
There are several opportunities to consider in the experience-based marketing realm. First, there is the complimentary consumer experience—something customers don’t pay for, yet an experience that reinforces a positive impression of the brand in their minds. This is essentially a “bonus” offer for a product, and we’ve seen it especially in the global travel industry.  For example, hospitality chains are working towards a millennial-enticing environment with cooler décor, live music, 24-hour cafes, yoga classes, free Wi-Fi and smartphones used as room keys. 
Second, brands are now offering a new kind of launch experience – one where consumers play a part in the launch itself. Unlike traditional tactics, in these new launches, sales are directly tied to the experience itself. A great example is what Alexander Wang x Adidas created this past summer – a grassroots experience where posters were hung around NYC with the product shots and codes to text via a chatbox in order to purchase the new collection. Fashionistas felt the intensity and excitement as they took to the streets, mobile device in-hand, to make their purchases – then have the clothing delivered right to their homes by bike messenger!
In recent months, two brands have executed exemplary experiential marketing projects.
In November, esteemed cognac brand Hennessy held “Le Grand Voyage,” a series of intimate events in Brooklyn. Cognac fans were led through a multi-media event that featured a series of art installations, explaining the history of Hennessy. Of course, Hennessy was served throughout. Not only were attendees reminded of how much they enjoy Hennessy, but they also walked away with knowledge of the brand’s whole backstory and the process of producing fine cognac.
Perhaps the most stunningly-executed recent experience-based marketing campaign was designed by the team at luxury handbag and luggage design house Louis Vuitton. “Volez, Voguez, Voyagez – Louis Vuitton” is a much buzzed-about exhibition taking place at New York City’s American Stock Exchange Building through the first week of 2018. Billed as “the unexpected journey at the heart of Louis Vuitton,” it is a retrospective detailing the history of the French trunk maker. The story of the brand is told through portraits of its founders and the various designers that have helmed the House of Louis Vuitton from 1854 to the present day.
The exhibition also features objects and documents from the company’s heritage archives. To give the experience an interactive element, event producers created an app which allows exhibit-goers to bring portraits to life with augmented reality. To the hordes of fans flocking to see it, the exhibit reinforces Louis Vuitton’s place in high fashion history and positions its products as museum-worthy pieces of art.
These are companies at the forefront of the experience-based marketing trend. In addition to crafting strong messaging and traditional advertising campaigns, brands would be well-advised to start crafting experiences like these recent examples to keep consumers fully engaged and brand loyal.

Monday, December 25, 2017

We wish each of you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year filled with exciting opportunities and an abundance of economic growth in the brave new world of media dynamics ahead!

Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D. Author and publisher of LeNoble's Media Sales Insights.....

. "There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed."

-- Ray Goforth

Ray Goforth is an innovative digital strategy expert who is focused on identifying emerging technology, behavior, and business trends. Her expertise is using this data to synthesize applicable strategy for companies. Ray currently works at Spredfast where she works with enterprise organizations to maximize strategies within the ever-changing digital landscape.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Despite Wishful Thinking…Digital Revenue Continues To Explode + Tax Plan Good for Advertisers



1

So much for those who think advertisers are moving away from digital due to fraud and poor results. The Interactive Advertising Bureau announced on Wednesday that digital advertising revenues in the United States for the first half of 2017 surged to an all-time high of $40.1 billion. That’s a 23 percent increase over the first six months of 2016 ($32.7 billion). Ten years ago, the first half total was under $10 billion. So where did all that money go in 2017? Let’s dig in…
Mobile captured 54 percent of total digital ad revenues—maintaining its status as the Web’s leading ad format. Advertisers spent $21.7 billion on mobile during the first six months of 2017, a 40 percent increase from $15.5 billion in half-year 2016 and far surpassing the $8.2 billion reported just two years ago in HY 2015.
Digital audio advertising, including mobile and desktop, generated $603 million in HY 2017, a 42% increase over HY 2016’s revenue of $425 million.
NOTE: BIA projects that radio will take in about $886 million in digital revenue in all of 2017.
Social Media advertising, including mobile and desktop, brought in revenues of $ $9.5 billion in HY 2017, a 37% increase over the $7 billion in 2016.
The IAB says that of the roughly 9 million small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S., 75 percent or more have spent money on advertising. Of these, 80 percent have used self-service platforms and 15 percent have used programmatic advertising.

Tax Plan Good for Advertisers
Advertisers will continue to deduct advertising expenses from their taxes as a result of tax reform legislation passed by Congress this week. Both broadcasters and advertisers were worried that expense would be dropped and were fighting to keep it alive. NAB CEO Gordon Smith said, “TV and radio stations salute leaders of Congress for recognizing the importance of advertising as a principal driver of commerce by preserving the full and immediate deductibility of advertising expenses. Advertising is an undeniable stimulus for robust growth that has helped America lead the world in the creation of high-paying jobs.”