Out of Home is Smart-The OVAB!

Ah, I have a special place in my heart for out-of-home media. In many markets out-of-home has become highly demanded, thus climbing up the food chain. After years of hard work and technology advances the industry is gaining footing and rates are going up as inventory becomes more demanded and available at the same time. Digital billboards, D-EPs, wallscapes, digital signage networks, placed based TV (video), street teams, mobile billboards, posters, movie theater advertising, and sampling are some of the valuable and must have outlets for a brand that wants a well rounded and diverse campaign on a national, regional and local level. As TV ratings decline; newspapers get sold, move online, and lose overall readership, the demand for OOH in some markets is sky rocketing. Companies such as Fairway, Adams Outdoor and Lamar have rasied thier rates to fit the demand, and extra resources they are using (including the purchase of digital billboards and the staff to operate these systems). The article below is about the OVAB tapping into the cable industry and the leveraging of cable's not so long ago past of being a "new channel" and successfully moving through the phases of entering the market. Educating the buying community, while still selling the "media" is a common challenge that was faced by both cable and the internet and now narrowcast out-of-home networks (dgital or video). Narrowcast networks are very similar to cable in terms of targeting, but not in creative (at least not digital signage)-it makes sense that a cable veteran would be an ideal hire for any of these networks, if coupled with other professionals that can work as a team using strengths of each executive to build out the network from deployment to content to sales and operation. It just makes sense. I am a little confused about why the OVAB is not both video and digital (I may be uneducated here?)-I hear very different opinions about engagement and the content on these networks. It may be that measurement of these networks can be weighted based on the content matching the demographic.

MediaBuyerPlanner: The newly formed Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau has tapped a top executive from Comcast's TV ad sales organization as its first president.

Kim Norris, formerly division vice president at Comcast Spotlight, worked closely with the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau during the early years of cable when the new medium was struggling to get on base with Madison Ave, writes MediaPost. Norris plans to follow a similar game plan - which would call for setting standards and developing research that would make disparate out-of-home networks comparable and easy to understand and buy - to establish the OVAB.

Norris's appointment comes a day after Reactrix, a digital out-of-home media company, also named a well-know cable TV sales vet as president. Sue Danaher, most recently one of the top sales executives at MTV Networks, is a veteran of cable's pioneering days at Turner Broadcasting.
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Media Planners, Media Reps, and New Media Outlets

Clients are confused? Not Proctor, Coca-Cola or AT&T. I am confused, and confusion is good for me and helps to get the creative juices and out of the box thinking flowing strong. Critical thinking about the best media channel or outlet for a client, mixing it up, sell your media and present another to your client can equal customer service these days. I am speaking of media reps that are working with national or regional clients on larger buys that have clients whom are interested in the market and whats new-well the media reps are some of the best resources to these clients (or agencies) and when done with savvy and in a professional manner in which the client will appriciate the insight or broker of a deal; a rep can strengthen the relationship and become to source or go to for that client and thier network. This can be tricky and has to be done with awarness and full understanding of the clients needs and resources. So the article below was a "nice" read about media professional on the buying and planning side and for the most parts at agencies. Media is truly a hot topic, even if you are a spot or broadcast buyer. I sometimes wonder about the "handcuffs" or stuggles some of the younger planners may have with corporate policy and having thier ideas approved-this is some of the reason emerging or new channels of media are not catching on as fast as expected......like any other industry there is always the corporate culture and much appreciated, based on years of research and strong relationships. There are also the agencies and direct clients that are full force and have entire departments checking into this Gen X and Y media.

They Have Lasting Relationships
Remember when media planners and buyers were the low-paid, under-appreciated members of the agency team? Well, that was then. Now media is the place to be. With the splintering of advertising media, clients are confused about how to reach their customers in cost-effective ways. Hell, they're confused about how to reach them, period.
Marc Brownstein So enter the media folks. They're placing advertising everywhere -- on all three screens and in places that were never considered advertising vehicles. And they are leading the way with guerilla marketing. I'm jealous that they have the client's trust to handle all of the non-traditional parts of the buy as well.

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Idol Fundraiser Drops in Ratings

As if this is a surprise.

'Idol' fundraiser hits a new season low Averages 9.6 in 18-49s, off 6 percent from last weekBy Toni FitzgeraldApril 25, 2007
“American Idol’s” first-ever “Idol Gives Back” fundraiser is a noble idea and may well raise millions for charity. But it apparently did not hold as much interest as the usual singing competition for “Idol” fans.
The reality singing show fell to its lowest Tuesday rating of the season last night, a 9.6 Nielsen overnight among adults 18-49, as the contestants and a huge array of celebrity guests appealed to viewers to pledge money for numerous American and African charities.
Of course, a season low for “Idol” is still way ahead of every other show on television, and even though it was off 6 percent from last week’s then-season-low 10.2, “Idol” still crushed the competition on a very slow night.

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Kraft Shifts From JWT......and more..

JWT and Kraft. Kraft very well may have invented the grilled cheese sandwich, I am sure they did from the archives I have researched. I had a discussion recently with a retired agency executive, followed by an hour talk about his career and work for JWT. I learned a lot about the history of Kraft advertising and media use, no secrets though-maybe next time.

Being Shifted From JWT
Kraft Foods is again demonstrating its unhappiness with its largest agency partner, JWT, by shifting the creative duties for six brands to other agencies. Kraft spent more than $160 million to advertise the brands in major media last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, a division of Taylor Nelson Sofres that tracks ad spending.
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Out-of-Home Digital is Real, Folks!

Brands have to adapt to the the shift in media consumption or "lose millions in brand equity!" Those are not my words but it is the truth! Newspaper is moving online and the bigger players have already witnessed the purchase of a leading ooh digital network (Captivate). Even smaller broadcasters such as Capital Broadcast (who has always focused on new media channels other than broadcast) see the value in interactive, new media channels, digital out-of-home, and mobile. Billions are in broadcast and maybe at some point some more of those dollars will be pulled to new channels that reach the right consumers. The slow and somewhat silent move to test the waters is happening under our noses. In house testing by some of the worlds leading brands has been happening for years and you would be amazed at exactly what data they have complied. With the predicted expansion and growth of the OOH industry I suggest that one of the top 25 advertisers purchase all of the spots on narrowcast networks across the US-that would be a headline itself! I think it could be done; ad spending in the industry is very small at this time compared to TV dollars, print spending and spending on the remaining media outlets.

Out-of-Home Digital Media Is Now Interactive
by
Monte Zweben, Co-founder & Chairman of SeeSaw Networks
Out-of-home digital media is growing explosivelyThe Outdoor Advertising Association of America forecasts that up to 25% of all billboards will be digital in five years and a 2006 Veronis, Suhler, and Stevenson Communications Industry Report forecasts that out-of-home digital media will grow at a rate of over 20% a year. Additionally, Profitable Channels reports that digital out-of-home networks are growing at a rate of about 10 new networks per month. Their report estimates that about 700 digital out-of-home networks have been launched since 2002 and says that the out-of-home digital media industry segment accounted for $1.2 billion in national ad spending in 2006.

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Bluetooth Nokia Marketing

Bluetooth Marketing Faces Privacy Concerns

Nokia is launching a Bluetooth marketing campaign in the UK to promote its 6680 handset - joining the growing list of big brands like Volvo and EMI that have experimented with Bluetooth marketing - but some lawyers, trade bodies and agencies have expressed concerns that brands running these campaigns are in breach of privacy regulations, New Media Age reports(via Adverblog

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Media Planner Buyer

MINI-Cooper Uses Daktronics Galaxy® and More on Daktronics

MINI Cooper seems to adore outdoor advertising. Who pitched whom here? I am hoping for the sake of my profession that Daktronics pitched MINI with this idea. An opt-in interactive digital billboard which may have received more press than the actual campaign on purpose. A hot idea in a sense, although if I was the driver of a MINI I would would not be so entertained rather want to show it off-I am a big deal to MINI. MINI has a creative manner of how to spend co-op dollars and I was asked did I think this was co-op money; no it is not, unless specific dealerships are involved and it is clearly corporate that has pulled the trigger on this one.......certainly the dealership in the markets may receive less from OOH Pitch who currently does thier co-op advertising-I beleive.

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Apr. 6, 2007-

Daktronics Inc. recently sold four 89-millimeter Galaxy® LED displays for MINI USA’s latest ground-breaking billboard advertising promotion aimed at American MINI Cooper owners. The new campaign, innovatively named, “MINI Motorby,” engages in a new wave of interactive billboard advertising. The unique billboards are visible in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Francisco.

The approximately 5-feet-high by 33-feet-wide interactive digital billboards feature personalized messages directed toward MINI Cooper owners as they drive near the billboard. MINI Cooper owners must go online to the MINI USA website and register for the personalized messages. Prospective participants register in the “MINI Owners Lounge” where they are asked to participate in answering some entertaining questions about themselves.

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Typically I do not include the about section of a press release however this is a company that has a large footprint and I feel that they are a resource for creatives, techies, and other network folks. Take a look at all of thier other projects; a great archive of pictures on thier site can be found here Daktronics Projects .

About MINI Cooper
The MINI Cooper is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 to 2000. When production of the classic Mini ceased in 2000, BMW (the new owner of the brand) announced the successor to the Mini – the New MINI Cooper.” The MINI is the most popular British-made car. There are currently 82 U.S. MINI dealers, which are located primarily in major metros and other selected cities. For more information, visit the company’s U.S. World Wide Web site at: http://www.miniusa.com/.

About Daktronics
Daktronics has strong leadership positions in, and is one of the world’s largest suppliers of, computer-programmable displays, digital billboards, large screen video displays, control systems and electronic scoreboards. The company excels in the control of large display systems, including those that require integration of multiple complex displays showing real-time information, graphics, animation and video. Daktronics designs, manufactures, markets and services display systems for customers around the world, in sport, business and transportation applications. For more information, visit the company’s World Wide Web site at: http://www.daktronics.com/, e-mail the company at sales@daktronics.com, call (605) 697-4300 or toll-free (800) 325-8766 in the United States or write to the company at 331 32nd Ave. P.O. Box 5128 Brookings, S.D. 57006-5128.

For more information contact:

MEDIA RELATIONS:
Julia Angerhofer
Video Marketing
tel (605) 697-4699
e-mail jangerh@daktronics.com
Daktronics Homepage