Sponsored content (or native advertising) is becoming a smoother and less intrusive way for digital publishers to make revenue without relying on display ads. Major sites like BuzzFeed, Forbes, The Huffington Post and Gawker all offer native advertising. And ethics aside, this model seems to be working. According to AdWeek:

“In the wake of a Pew report that sponsorship advertising was up 40 percent in 2012, Forbes Media is touting the growth of its own revenues—thanks, in part, to its success with native ads.”

But when you consider a medium like print, advertorials are typically frowned upon by readers and the writing staff. Especially in newspapers, advertising and editorial are viewed almost like church and state. Even if you clearly label something as advertising, many print readers get angry.

Is that about to change?

ESPN: The Magazine announced that in its upcoming 15th anniversary issue, it will run an editorial sidebar with the words "Cold Hard Facts presented by Coors Light" on the page, according to AdWeek. Unlike the online native advertising model where the advertiser manages the content, ESPN will have complete control over the sidebars. MillerCoors won’t even get to see the content before publication.

That may sound a tad dicey for an advertiser, but when you consider the fact that ESPN and MillerCoors have a long-standing relationship in broadcast-sponsored content, it’s really not a big risk. If you watch SportsCenter, you’ll often see segments called “Coors Cold Hard Facts." During these segments, the anchor asks a sports analyst six questions, alluding to a six pack of Coors. Again, MillerCoors doesn’t control the content. They’re simply paying to be tied to ESPN and content that they believe will be interesting to their target audience.

So is this case really an advertorial? I don’t think so. It’s an interesting take on sponsored content but because Miller isn’t producing the content I have a hard time labeling it an advertorial. This isn’t purely pay-to-play. It’s pay to be mentioned as a sponsor and be associated with our high-quality content. And that’s OK with me.

Do you place different values on digital, broadcast and print sponsored content?

(image source)

Broadcast media buyers and planners use SQAD data for media cost forecasting, specifically to find out what a CPP should be in the upcoming quarter, by market, by daypart.

Cost per Rating Point (CPP) is a metric used to determine the cost of buying ad space to reach 1% of their target audience. It allows media buyers and planners to compare the costs of advertising on different media outlets to determine the most efficient and cost-effective placements.

Here’s where broadcast planners can find this updated information in Kantar Media SRDS:

SQAD Spot Radio Cost-Per-Point Estimates by MSA

Go to the Radio Media database and on the welcome page, click on the SQAD Spot Radio Cost-per-Point Estimates link.  It will pull up a list of PDFs with SQAD data by metro market. The radio CPP data is only available to subscribers of the Radio database.

TV Households Cost-Per-Point Levels by DMA

Go to the TV & Cable Media database and on the welcome page, click on the DMA Maps and Profiles link. It will pull up a list of PDFs with SQAD data by DMA. This data is only available to subscribers of the TV & Cable database.

If you’re interested in accessing the Radio or TV/Cable databases, let us know.

Broadcast media has changed forever. No longer a passive feed for couch potatoes, TV has become an interactive, on-demand experience.

As Kantar Media's Jeff Boehme and Jon Swallen point out: "The internet may grab all the headlines, but advertising spend on national TV in the United States is still growing faster than  the rest of the market."

This emergent landscape offers plenty of new opportunities, and new metrics are evolving alongside them.

In an article for Kantar Media's Momentum Review, "TV Breaks Out of the Box," Boehme (Chief Research Officer, Kantar Media Audiences North America) and Swallen (Chief Research Officer for Kantar Media Intelligence North America) examine the opportunities for measuring television advertising and creating powerful new experiences for clients.

They write:

Measurement has a growing role in the evolving TV ecosystem. Advertisers are demanding greater accountability for their investments and return path data (RPD) provides second-by-second usage information to help value a campaign based on actual audience to the commercials. Unlike traditional ratings, RPD enables marketers to understand how viewers consume their ads and what factors can ensure the best environment for their success.

If you've ever tried to convince a creative-focused client just how important a strategic and well-thought-out media plan can be, or for that matter tried to explain to your parents what you do for a living, you might want to grab a copy of Millward Brown's latest POV piece: "The Overlooked Power of Media: Enhancing the Memorability of Communications" (that's a PDF link).

A bit basic for an experienced media pro, it is nonetheless a good introduction to the idea that different media strategies can be effective for different groups. I particularly liked author James Galpin's assertion that the right media choices deliver "not only messages, but memorability."

That's one to hang on the computer monitor.

Galpin makes a case for options beyond broadcast media, reminding us that "TV can be less cost-efficient than more targeted media like cinema, magazines, and online." Good ammunition if a small local client comes to you wanting to buy space during the Super Bowl.

Quoting the paper at length:

Therefore, advertisers need to go beyond the question of just how much to spend. All GRPs are not created equal; smart media decisions can significantly enhance memorability and enable marketers to get the most out of their communications investments.

How about you: what's your go-to explanation for the importance of media planning?

(via @Millward_Brown)

The new multimedia planning platform at next.srds.com was designed to make finding, considering and understanding your media options faster and easier. So, how much of its capabilities are you using? 

Here are 8 quick tips that will help you get the most from the new system.

1. Search across all media or any combination of media you license with the open search
2. Use open search to search for a specific media property by name...just remember to click "Title Only" from the dropdown menu (Did you know that Title Only search also works with broadcast station call letters?)
3. Search over 23,000 websites that accept adveritsing in the Digital Media database
4. Check out all of the advertising opportunities under the Marketing/Advertising Opportunities tab on a Digital Media listing
5. The Action Icons in a media brand's listing link to Video Media Kits, Tablet App Media Kits, Regular Media Kits, Audit statements, social media presence and more
6. The Brand Portfolio tab in a detailed listing shows you the entire landscape of media options related to a specific media brand
7. The display of listings that "SRDS Users Also Viewed" are a great way to discover new media options
8. The Grid View lets you look at single media-type results in a quick view format?

I'd love to show you these and many more tips for using SRDS online. If you or your team would like to set-up a WebEx review of our platform, email me or call 800.851.7737.

Last week, our friends at Kelly Scott Madison released their latest annual analysis on the current media and advertising landscape and upcoming industry trends, titled the "2012 State of Media Report."

According to KSM:

the industry is currently in the midst of a revolution due to unprecedented rates of consumer technology adoption, platform convergence and increased access to analytics. Not only has the introduction and true embracement of cutting-edge gear, such as tablets and continuously-evolving mobile devices changed the very way consumers absorb media, but now more than ever trends are showing that users increasingly expect to interact with all content providers through multiple online and offline formats.

Elizabeth Kalmbach, KSM’s vice president of strategy, notes that the mass adoption of digital media has forced all media to produce and deliver content across all formats, or risk losing audience share:

What’s incredible is we’re seeing media that used to be highly segmented now depending upon one another for survival. Cable, radio, broadcast, print and digital formats all find themselves in the same position; they need each other’s content to function and hopefully remain profitable. It’s a fragile ecosystem, and if one source dies all will be affected.

The full 55-page report is available for download from the KSM website, and includes the following key findings:

• Faster Technology Adoption: It took tablets less than two years to reach the 40 million unit mark; that same level of adoption took seven years for smartphones.
• Market Clutter: Less than 4 percent of videos on YouTube exceed the 100,000 viewer mark. Now more than ever, advertisers have to find the most appropriate delivery method and make strong marketing decisions in order to avoid having their messages lost in the clutter.
• Privacy Issues: As the industry continues to battle consumer misconceptions and fears over privacy issues, education and self-regulatory practices will be key to maintaining order. Regulators will continue to face outcry from advertisers that are unsure of how costly proposed standards will benefit all those involved.
• Data Overload: The digital media industry is "drowning in data" and will only overcome this issue by successfully understanding how their key target groups are currently consuming media, thus allowing them to separate insignificant performance metrics from those that matter most.
• Wireless Spectrum shortage: Better known as wireless signals, spectrum is a finite resource and licensed to companies by the government. Its availability over the coming years will become a large issue as smartphones and tablets are essentially rendered useless without it. Cable, broadcast and mobile providers will fight to maintain a hold on spectrum, and whoever wins will literally own the market.