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Newspaper Next 2.0 is a research project sponsored by the American Press Institute.  They have released a broad vision for the revitalization and re-purposing of newspapers.  Read the report at www.newspapernext.org.  This report urges newspapers to go beyond the original premise that newspapers needed to add products for niche markets.   This report  encourages newspapers to aim higher and to actually rethink their view of themselves as “newspaper companies”.   The report advises newspapers to consider themselves a “local information and connection utility”.  This bold vision goes beyond adding products for niche markets, and challenges newspapers to broaden their offerings rather than narrowing them.    They ask newspapers to go beyond just providing news and information, to go to becoming the first choice for customers and non-customers to learn whatever it takes to live here.  To do that, newspapers must access a broad base of communication tools, such as social networking, databases, “knowledge repositories”, localized wikipedias and more.   The goal is for newspapers to become the premise that the newspaper is the source “to help me connect with anyone who lives here, in the most effective way possible.”  As newspapers step up to the challenge,  we will be able to gauge their success.  In two words: advertising revenue. 

What do you think?  Will newspapers revision themselves?  Personally, I think it is a bold challenge and will be boldly met.  Newspapers are filled with smart people, people with energy and devoted to the premise of communicating and connecting with their readers.   This vision is smart and I, for one, think newspapers are up to the challenge.

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It started with shows like Survivor, Big Brother and the Amazing Race.  Not just the reality TV business, but the lines between the TV season and the land of re-runs are getting, well, a bit dirty.

But now the recently settled writer’s strike may help further blur the line.  The NY Times is reporting that the giant ad agency holding companies are looking for a year-round television season.  The rationale is that September is full of hyped shows that usually don’t make it to Christmas.

The other system that the agencies would like to change (and the networks almost certainly would not) is called the “upfront“– a May period in which the advertisers pre-sell their new shows.  According to the article, the media buyers still want to buy ahead of time, but they don’t want to have to make all their bets during the same month.

A lot is changing in advertising and in television broadcasting.  In an era when college football is now on virtually every night of the week, all those weeks when there is “nothing on” represent lost opportunities.  You can safely bet that those opportunities won’t stay lost for long.

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With the influx of non-traditional media companies, publications, and awards over the last few years, it’s hard to believe that non-traditional mediums even existed before the turn of the century.  But one of outdoor’s best has been in the Detroit Market for over 40 years.  Placed alongside one of Detroit’s major arteries, I-94, the infamous UNIROYAL tire stands 80 feet high and weighs 12 tons – the largest tire model ever built.  But the tire didn’t initially just “roll” into The Motor City.  It was originally built as a Ferris wheel for the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair where it held up to 96 passengers in 24 barrel-shaped gondolas.  Subsequently, it was moved to Michigan and since then has had several renovations and modifications including a giant nail placed in its tread to promote UNIROYAL’s NailGard® self-sealing passenger tire.  It’s truly one of the best outdoor icons in the World and reminds us that imagination can be timeless.

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With more and more traditional and non-traditional marketing opportunities available to companies these days to build their brand, it’s no wonder the death of the 30 second spot continues to be a topic of much conversation.  And one example of the untruth to that discussion is coffee juggernaut Starbucks’ recent launch of their first national TV campaign earlier this month.  

Starbucks, a company who has mastered the art of non-traditional marketing with a storefront on almost every corner, and has traditionally turned up their nose at TV advertising, is suddenly embracing the idea of mass media advertising through TV.  Yes, they’ve run spots before for their packaged product Doubleshot (the “Gene, Gene, Gene” spot is still one of my favorites), but with increased competition in the retail coffee biz, and more importantly slower sales and decreasing share price, Starbucks believes it needs to reach out to a broader audience.    

“As a national leader, we have an opportunity to make sure our voice is heard in the all-important media of TV. This is the beginning of a new opportunity for us,” Chairman Howard Schultz said at the announcement of the campaign. “We are up for the defense, and we will get on the offense.”

So in an effort to get people in the doors and sales and share value moving upward again, Starbucks decided that their plan of attack in the coffee wars would be through a new warm, fuzzy, animated TV holiday campaign that uses the tagline “Pass the Cheer.” 

But on top of all the competition with other coffee chains and independents, Starbucks also has to defend against the deep pockets of McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts who are spending considerable budget on marketing their coffee drinks.

Will the “new” tactic work?  Only time will tell who’ll win this over-caffinated battle, but it’s nice to see recognition of the power TV advertising is to the importance to a brand. 

Let us know what you think.  

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Many media departments are distant from their agency counterparts - floors away, buildings away, cities away, states away, and sometimes countries away.  Which can create monetary efficiencies mainly based on centralization of processes, but if not orchestrated well could lead to severe leaks in the strategic process altogether.  If a media team is not connected to the look, feel, tone of a message, the result could be a media buy with the opposite look, feel, and tone.  Standard demographics just do not contain enough information to pull off the optimal campaign – there is too much market fragmentation and therefore, too much room for error.  Additionally, with media (including consumer generated media) sending their own messages, planners and buyers need to be careful that the advertiser message is consistent with the content message.  With the technology available today, this isn’t a remote possibility but rather an economical necessity.  Not doing so could negatively impact goals and/or lead to an irreversible, embarrassing situation. 

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It’s fall. A glorious time for changing leaves and television media buying. Heroes is back on. Chuck is taking off. It gets dark really early, so you curl up with the warm glow of the LCD flat screen and absorb billions of dollars worth of advertising messages.

But there’s a writers strike. And advertisers are evaluating their options. With the writer’s strike in its second week, production has ceased on most prime time shooting, including Desperate Housewives, the Office and 24 (which is probably good since Kiefer is in the slammer anyway). So far, only the talk shows have been sent to reruns, but that will have to change if the strike continues for too long.

The big losers in this won’t be the advertisers, but the stations. If ratings plunge, the media buyers won’t lose because they have guarantees of viewership in their buys.

But if the strike continues and media buyers pull their budgets, where will all the $$ flow? Good question. What do you think?

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I’ve often wondered how my keen sense of humor and stellar creative capabilities in my youth led me into the ad agency world of media versus the land of creative.   Perhaps it was all of the advanced math and statistics courses that skewed my path.  I’m not disappointed; the media world is fascinating and currently evolving at a rapid pace.  I’m proud to be a part of it.  Yet, my biggest challenge over the years hasn’t been buying, planning, or strategizing media but overcoming the “Redheaded Stepchild” (no offense to redheaded stepchildren, I happen to know a few and they are superior individuals) label pasted on agency media departments.  Maybe it wasn’t the late nights trying to get the answer to the very last story problem that led me down this road, but rather having the skills and desire necessary to change what I see as “redheaded stepchildren” into a more fitting label such as “first-born, blonde bombshells”.  We all know that essentially all departments that make up an ad agency are needed for client success, but think about these things the next time you question the importance of an agency’s media department (or pass up a redheaded stepchild):

Media Spending:  With billions of dollars spent on advertising media each year and media usually the majority of a client’s budget, it is in an agency’s best interest to place this responsibility in the hands of well-trained professionals.   The different tools needed to develop media direction based on client needs, build strong partnerships, and leverage valuable dollars aren’t easy to come by in just one individual.  Great media folks have these in skills their tool kit and they are essential to determining implementing the optimal media direction for their clients.  With so many dollars at stake, it just shouldn’t be any other way.

Creativity: Product placement, aqua advertising, wallscapes, projection advertising, and parking lot stripes – just a few examples of the creative output found in agency meeting departments.  Though sometimes the ideas stem from media and other times creative, the optimal scenario takes place when creative and media departments collaborate to determine the optimal solution for a client. 

Emerging Media and Ever-changing Media Landscape: Who plans and buys those ads that expand or peel back on web sites?  Or the text links found on search engines?  Or the rich media that floats across your web page?  Why redheaded media stepchildren around the globe do.  Media strategists aren’t constrained by just a few choices in media (television, radio, newspaper); the digital world has changed the media landscape into one that into accounts and makes room for the still growing media consumption on the Internet. 

In closing, the next time you find yourself saying, “What a great ad” during a commercial break, consider that you wouldn’t have seen it if it weren’t for the media professional who made certain that it was viewed by the right person, at the right time, and for the right price.  

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This year’s media party was a real treat! The Detroit ad community is filled with intelligent, unique, and valuable players. Events like this bring us media folks together and help keep the momentum going. It’s not often that an advertising agency holds a party for media sales reps, but if we don’t show mutual respect and appreciation for one another, we really don’t have true partnerships that result in strong campaigns for our clients. Judging from the photos, it appears that everyone had a Spooktastic time. Looking forward to next year!

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I think I watched about 1 hour of TV over the last 3 months. There was nothing on. I’ve got stuff to do. I didn’t really miss it.

But then Monday: Wham! TV was back, and it wasn’t playing around. How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, the new weird show Chuck. Tuesday with Two and Half Men. All of sudden TV was back. And I watched some Monday and <<gasp>> even a bit more on Tuesday. (Completely coincidentally, I just overheard Chris in my office say to Erin: “Isn’t tomorrow the Office premiere? Boom. Done. I’m there.”)

There’s been lots written about fragmentation of TV channels, the proliferation of DVRs like Tivo, the rise of alternative entertainment choices (online, gaming, etc.) and much of it is true. But let’s remember that TV can still be an event that brings people together.

These events are advertising opportunities, and they are getting more valuable. Think season premieres, season finales, award shows, big sporting events… We’ve bought the Oscars for clients and been very happy with it. TV has problems, but to reach the world quickly, there are still opportunities.

What do you think? Leave a quick comment.

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