Spots N Dots
The Daily News Of TV Sales
August 12, 2016
VOTER GROUPS DIFFER ON TV, SPORTS FAVS
CLINTON CAMP BETS ON RIO OLYMPICS
Political ideology aside, Republicans and Democrats share a lot of common ground in their entertainment choices, and they also have some very distinct differences, according to new data fromThe NPD Group.According to NPD’s BrandLink, the most popular movie genres, music types and video games are favored equally by both Republicans and Democrats. In addition, men of both parties favor celebrity athletes, showing that sports heroes transcend politics within the male gender. However, entertainment preferences of conservative vs. liberal-leaning women are notably different, with strong opinions held by women who identify as Democrats, introducing a wider variety of celebrities, video games and genres into the Democrats’ top-ranked lists.
In aggregate, Republicans are more avid sports fans than their Democratic counterparts. This affinity translates to strong admiration for athletes and is echoed in the celebrities whom Republicans “like very much,” particularly among Republican men. Eight of the 10 top-ranked celebrities are sports figures from football and golf. The connection to sportscarries through to GOP consumers’ choices of videogames, where two of the top three games played most are based in sports.
In contrast, Democrats’ top ranking lists are more wide-ranging, reflecting a broader set of celebrities and genres. Democratic women’s intensely positive ratings of TV personalities, actors, and musicians infuse a diversity of talent into the mix. Similarly, Democrats’ top ranked video games—an assortment of adventure, racing, role-playing, stealth and simulation genres—are linked to the popularity of these types of titles among female gamers.
But do the Olympic Games transcend politics? The Associated Press says the Hillary Clinton campaign is airing $13.6 million of political ads during the Rio Olympics on the NBCUniversal networks and stations. The split is $8 million on NBC, another $4.5 million on NBC local affiliates and $1.1 million on NBCU cable nets, including Bravo, USA and MSNBC. That’s down from the $18 million or so that the Barack Obama re-election campaign ran four years ago in the London Olympics—a figure matched on the Republican side by Mitt Romney’s campaign. But Democrat Clinton appears to have the Olympics to herself on the presidential campaign front. The AP says the Donald Trump campaign has booked not a single spot in the Olympics broadcasts.
“Consumers who identify as Republican vs. Democrat have different tastes in terms of entertainment; BrandLink data clearly shows that while there is some common ground, there are also very different preferences between these two groups.” said Barbara Zack, NPD vice president. “These data demonstrate that it’s important for anyone seeking a celebrity endorsement—whether that’s a politician, or a brand—to have a nuanced understanding of the fan base that the celebrity will attract.” For instance, she noted, Josh Groban is especially well-liked by conservative Republicans, and that may or may not be where his personal inclinations lie.”
Celebrities who ranked highest with Republicans included Sam Bradford, Jordan Spieth and Roger Staubach. For Democrats, the list included Stephen Colbert, Felicity Huffman and Lisa Lang. But people on both sides of the party line like Leonardo DiCaprio, The Eagles and Adele.
NPD says Democrats exhibit an appetite for more genre variety in music and film as well, compared to their political counterparts. For example, Democrats show a stronger affinity for foreign and independent films than Republicans who are more likely to watch Westerns. In the musical realm, Democrats are much more likely to listen to indie rock, Latin and world music, in contrast to Republican’s more mainstream taste.
ADVERTISER NEWS
Macy’s will close another 100 stores, about 15% of its roster, on top of the 40 closings it had announced previously and CEO Terry Lundgren said “We operate in a fast-changing world…this involves doing things differently and making tough decisions.” Second quarter same-store sales were down 2% which was actually an improvement over the first quarter’s 5.6% decline but was still Macy’s sixth straight quarter of negative comps. The closed stores account for about $1 billion in annual sales……Kohl’s same-store sales were also negative, down 1.8%, although margin improved due to inventory-management initiatives and profit was up slightly. It currently counts 1,150 stores operating, fourteen less than a year ago……“Throughput”—the average number of new vehicles sold by each automotive store—will fall this year for the first time in seven years, according to data from consultant firm Urban Science. The average dealership is now expected to sell 960 vehicles this year compared to 966 in 2015. As of July 1, there were 18,124 dealerships in the country, a very slight gain from 18,087 on the same date last year…...The latest data from the International Sleep Products Association says that the bedding industry reported slow growth in the second quarter with manufacturers selling 0.8% more units than in the quarter a year ago, but due to price increases attaining a 5.5% increase in the value of shipments. Furniture Today comments that one of the most notable findings is that shipments of high-end sleep sets retailing for $2000 and over accounted for 30.4% of the dollars in the quarter, up from 18.5% last year……MillerCoors continues to introduce new products despite the upcoming loss of SABMiller as a joint venture partner. Last week we reported on an extension of its hard soda offerings; now the company is bringing out Easy Tea Co., a carbonated ice tea with 5.0 percent alcohol by volume……There’s another bankruptcy filing in the restaurant business, the second this week. Last CallGuarantor LLC, parent of Fox & Hounds and Champps, filed citing $10-50 million in assets and $100-500 million in liabilities. The company operates 48 Fox & Hound locations and 23 Champps along with nine Bailey’s Sports Grille units. Five other Champps locations are franchised……Shake Shack reported a 4.5% same-store sales increase for the second quarter, but that was down substantially from the 9.9% growth it had recorded a quarter earlier. Earlier expansion helped total revenue grow by 37.2%. The company now expects to add a total of 18 new locations by the end of the year, up from an earlier estimate of 16.
NETWORK NEWS
Designated Survivor, the newABCdrama withKiefer Sutherland,is getting lots of love from the media buying community. A report inMediaLifeMagazinequoted one media buyer saying “ABCis strengthening the 10 PM hour”.Designated Survivorwill replaceNashville in the Wednesday prime line up……Jimmy Kimmel Liveon ABC will get a visit from Democratic Presidential nomineeHillary Clintonon August 22nd. This will be Clinton’s first late night appearance since accepting the nomination...... ScreamQueensseason two premieres September 20that 9 PM (ET)onFOX. Fans of the seriesare looking forward to seeingJohnStamosplaying Dr. Brock Holt andTaylorLautneras Dr. Cassidy Cascade.Scream Queensalso starsJamie Lee CurtisandEmma Roberts……Published reports inVarietyandDeadlinesay that actorThomas Gibsonhas been suspended from work onCriminal Minds. Allegedly,Gibsonkicked a producer during filming in Los Angeles.Gibsonsaid in a statement that “there were creative differences on the set and a disagreement.” Gibson has been on the cast ofthe CBS dramasinceitsinception in 2005...... Benedict SamuelofThe Walking Deadwillbe added to the cast ofGothamfor season three. Samuel will play theMad Hatterappearing first in episodethreeand will be a series regular going forward.The new seasonofGothambegins on Monday, September 19that 8 PM (ET)onFOX.
WEDNESDAY RATINGS
Day fiveof theRioOlympicsviewing repeatedthe same patternas theLondongames in 2012 forNBC. According to a report inDeadline Hollywood,Nielsenratings were down by 24% from the previous night that featured women’s gymnastics.Wednesday night’s 18-49 rating came in at 7.6 with 26.12 million 2+ viewers. That represents a 21% drop from Day 5 viewership fromLondonfour years ago.NBCdid find a bright spot. The peacockreported that live streaming minutes of the Rio Olympics topped 1 billion for the first time on Wednesday. Indicating a shift of viewerstodigital toviewOlympic content. NBC again easily topped the audience totals for all other nets combined.The Nielsen overnights put CBS, with Big Brother, at 0.9 18-49 and an audience of 3.74 million. The next four nets were all at 0.6 18-49, with ABC at 2.00 million; FOX 1.78 million; Univision 1.67 million; and Telemundo 1.59 million. The CW brought up the rear at 0.4 18-49 and 1.26 million.
MARKETERS SPEND FOR OLYMPIC ADS
Advertising expenditure for new creatives appearing on national television skyrocketed last week, according to Kantar Media. You can probably guess the reason—the start of the Olympics. After falling for three weeks in a row, Kantar says spend finally increased a notable 179%, reaching an estimated $221 million. 43% of this was attributed to advertising during the Olympics. And it was McDonald’s that took the top spot with $9.5 million of expenditures.
T-Mobile debuted seven new creatives for the week, including five promoting its “Free for All” campaign. This campaign was centered around an offer of free Samsung Galaxy phones, using different creative messages to target distinct audiences. A :30 spot that had $5.4 million of expenditures was the single creative with the most spend for the week of any advertiser. The messaging in this spot was geared towards families, offering four free Samsung Galaxy phones for just $30 per line plus unlimited streaming among other features. This creative accounted for 41% of T-Mobile’s total spend for the week and 59% of its new creative spend for the week. Another spot from the campaign showed small business owners giving testimonials about how much T-Mobile’s services have helped their businesses. This creative also promoted free Samsung Galaxy phones for everyone in a business when it makes the switch from another carrier.
Though none of T-Mobile’s creatives had an Olympic theme, the advertiser spent more in Olympic broadcasts ($2.6 million) than any other program, reflecting the high cost of ad time. The remainder of its media spend was spread broadly across more than 40 TV networks, Kantar reported.
P&G CUTTING TARGETED FACEBOOK ADS
We’ve reported several times in the past that consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms had found it particularly difficult to produce decent ROI from digital advertising, even as they increased digital budgets at the expense of traditional media. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that Procter & Gamble—the world’s largest advertiser—is moving away from Facebook ads targeting specific consumers, “concluding that the practice has limited effectiveness.”
“We targeted too much, and we went too narrow,” P&G chief marketing officer Marc Pritchard told the WSJ. The CPG giant had initially been gung-ho on being able to deliver ads directly to smaller subsets of shoppers, but the more narrowly focused the targeting, the higher the CPM charged by Facebook. Now P&G is looking both at precision and reach in ad budgeting.
As previously reported, P&G has been ramping up ad spending on traditional media as well as digital. The company will still advertise on Facebook, but will seek to employ more expensive targeting only where it makes sense.
OWNERSHIP RULES REMAIN IN PLACE
The FCC voted quietly to approve the long overdue review of its broadcast ownership limits—approving Chairman Tom Wheeler’s recommendation to leave virtually all of the restrictions in place, even some that the courts or the FCC itself had previously found to be outdated. While the FCC was quiet about its action, the Commission’s critics were not.
“NAB strongly disagrees with the FCC’s decision to cling to long-outdated media ownership rules that no longer serve their purpose. For an agency that claims to be forward-thinking and focused on the future, when it comes to broadcasting, the FCC still applies analog regulation in the digital age,” said NAB EVP Dennis Wharton. He called the failure to remove crossownership restrictions the “most egregious,” charging that the FCC is hastening the decline of the U.S. newspaper industry.
“This decision is deeply disturbing,” said David Chavern, CEO of the Newspaper Association of America. “Newspapers continue to be the only industry barred by regulation from investment by owners of local broadcast companies, many who are equally committed to local journalism as the local newspaper. The rule is outdated and does not reflect the current state of media, and yet it remains.”
THIS AND THAT
Uber is getting into delivering packages as well as people—and people who sign up don’t even have to have a car. Bicycle delivery people are being sought as well as those who want do use their cars to deliver parcels and restaurant meals……Clorox jumped into the Rio Olympics controversy over competition swimming pools turning green. In a Tweet that drew widespread attention, Clorox displayed a bottle of bleach at pool side and asked “Shouldn’t pools be blue?”……A paper published by British security experts says the keyless systems of tens of missions of vehicles sold by Volkswagen AGare subject to hacking using relatively cheap technical devices. VW insists that its current models are not subject to such attacks……
DONE DEALS
The Board of Directors of Meredith Corporationhas electedTom Hartyas President and COO. Meredith Chairman and CEOSteve Lacy will now focus more on long-term strategy, business expansion and acquisition activities. Jon Werther, formerly president of Meredith Digital,succeeds Harty as National Media Group president, while Paul Karpowicz continues as Local Media Group president……Bill White returns to Lockwood Broadcast Group as GM of WCWG (CW) Greensboro, NC. He was previously GM of WQCW (CW) Charleston-Huntington, WV, a former Lockwood property now owned by Gray Television.
AVAILS
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WTVG 13abc is seeking a dynamic Account Executive.Candidates must have a consultant sales approach and will be responsible for developing advertising relationships and customized marketing solutions across television and digital platforms for potential clients.WTVG 13abc offers an excellent career opportunity to be a part of a broadcast company leveraging the latest technologies and delivering news products to our viewers through multiple platforms. College degree preferred. Send cover letter/resume to: . Drug free company. Pre-employment drug screening and background check required.
Are you an experienced AE who can manage and grow an established key account list? Then THIS is the opportunity you are looking for in a top 25 market! WAXN TV-64. part of Cox Media Group's top-rated duopoly in fast-growing Charlotte, NC has an immediate opening on our team for a skilled account executive/negotiator. Successful candidates will be able to dissect RFP's, identify key revenue opportunities, and deliver winning solutions to a key account list.Please call or email Mark Afshar, LSM at 704.371.3120 or email:. EOE.
WLWC TV/CW28, Providence is looking for an experienced Account Executive. Responsibilities will include developing new direct business through contact with local and regional advertising agencies and direct local clients. Servicing existing billing accounts. Developing incremental and new business revenues, both on-air and online. Applicant must have at least 2 years successful media sales background, along with a BA or BS degree. Strong computer and clear communications skills are a must. Qualified candidates may send their resume and cover letter to: . No calls please. EOE
This year, for the first time ever, marijuana plants will compete in the Oregon State Fair. The winner will be whichever marijuana grower remembers to show up.
--Conan O’Brien
Michael Keaton said in a recent interview that it's very unlikely they'll be doing a Beetlejuice sequel. Then he said, ‘Unless you ask me two more times.’
--Jimmy Fallon
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SPOTS N DOTS
The Daily News Of TV Sales
August 12, 2016
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