What a fitting title "The Collaborators" is for this episode of Mad Men as every character collaborates with someone on some level.  

Let's start with the extremely insensitive Pete. He and a neighbor’s wife have a tryst in his NYC apartment. She is fonder of Pete than he of her and suggests several secret signals to let him know she is thinking about him. He clearly wants none of it. Later that evening when she shows up beaten and bloody at the Campbell home, Pete knows he is busted. He tries to rush her off to a hotel and callously offers to call a cab for her. He’s less than thrilled when Trudy drives her. Women talk and sure enough by the time she returns home, Trudy knows all about the affair. Trudy goes on to prove that she is no shrinking violet. She reads Pete the riot act and throws him out of the house the next morning. Pete can't win at the office either as he and Don don't see eye-to-eye on the Jaguar account.

Unforgettable Herb, the local Jaguar dealership owner who played a key role in SCDP landing the coveted Jaguar account, still thinks he's all that. He makes a pathetic come-on to Joan, saying "I know deep down there's a part of you that's happy to see me." Her quip, "And I know there's a part of you, you haven't seen in years," was one of my favorite lines of the show.

At SCDP, Herb tries to throw his weight around to alter the Jaguar buy from national to more locally-focused. Herb pitches Don and Pete an idea for radio spots, touting his dealership over the national campaign, even though everyone (including Herb) has already signed off on national. Naturally, the men at SCDP will increase the campaign for more money. But that’s not what’s going on here. It would just be a shifting of dollars.

Don is masterful in the meeting with Herb and the British gentlemen representing Jaguar. Herb tries to push the idea of a local focus as that of SCDP. Pete is jovial as he's onboard with Herb's idea. Then Don begins his pitch as only he can. His tone, demeanor and smooth presentation make it sound like going local is the best thing for the client – a witty and effective use of reverse psychology. Anyone can afford a Jaguar. The guy driving a truck should just go down the road and get a new Jag. He says it so earnestly you almost believe he wants this campaign switched. Everyone at that table, with the exception of the two individuals that matter, knows what he is doing and is powerless to stop it. Naturally, Don and the Brits won and the campaign remains national as intended.

Later in the episode, the Heinz folks "Beans" and "Ketchup," make a “non-visit” to SCDP. Ketchup is curious about the increase in sales of beans since that division signed on with SCDP. The Ketchup division’s upstart is happy with his current agency, DDB, but wants to see what Don and his team can develop. As soon as "Ketchup" leaves the room, their client "Beans" stresses that this meeting did not happen. He emphatically insists SCDP forget this meeting as he doesn’t want the Ketchup division to be even more successful than it already is. So Don tells them to back off from Heinz Ketchup even though, "Ketchup is the Coca-Cola of condiments."

Stan relays this humorous story to Peggy on one of their late-night calls. Peggy then tells Ted about it because she thinks it's funny. Surprise! The next morning Ted insists she go after the Heinz Ketchup account since they're shopping around for a new creative agency. I must admit, I was very excited about all of the advertising discussions this episode. I have no doubt there are still some closed door dealings and client loyalty issues going on today.

Speaking of Peggy, she's still navigating her way through the good ol' boys way of doing business. There aren't many women creative directors and she's uncertain how to manage her mostly male team. She doesn't want to seem too bossy or shrew or motherly. Her little pep talk doesn’t incite any excitement among the team because it seems flat and false. The team in turn plays a practical joke on her to not-so-subtly highlight her overly-critical tendencies.

Viewers were also treated to some flashbacks into Don's earlier life this episode. Since his formative years were spent living in a brothel, it's little wonder why he treats women the way he does. To offer Sylvia money (whose husband is a surgeon) is very insulting. Even more disappointing was that she happily took it. Their relationship is interesting and though Sylvia may not realize it yet, she has the upper hand. The restaurant scene between those two was ripe with subtext and undertones. Sylvia later expresses a fear, saying they can't fall in love. But I'm afraid it's too late for Don. Sylvia is his drug of choice and lucky for him she's only a floor away.

Mistress and wife meet in the laundry room and Megan has an emotional breakdown. The two ladies have a heart-to-heart conversation as Megan shares she recently had a miscarriage. She is upset and feels guilty because she wasn't sure she wanted the baby and hadn't even told Don. She finally tells Don and he of course wants what she wants. I'm sure what she really wants is for him to be faithful. Don is a playboy and being faithful isn’t in his nature. So yes, we had collaborations of all sorts this episode.

In the world at large, the Vietnam War is definitely heating up. Did you notice any time there was a TV or radio in the background the news was about the war? It'll also be interesting to watch how that major event is woven into the storyline. 

Until next week!

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.

For years, many businesses focused their marketing and advertising efforts at a national level. But with the rise of social media, search and mobile, the game has changed. It’s clear that the key to cost-effectively reaching your best prospects is to laser-target campaigns and go local. In fact, an updated BIA/Kelsey forecast expects advertising revenue for all local media to reach $147.1 billion by 2016, at a 2.1% annual growth rate.

On the surface it may seem difficult to adapt a national marketing plan for a local market, but the creative itself doesn't necessarily need to change too much. It's all about determining how to best make it resonate for that audience and more importantly, where to place it so it reaches your target audience. Many marketers use SRDS.com to get the data they need to make informed decisions about local advertising opportunities. Here's why:

1. Any Media Type: Access detailed information on every available media property that accepts advertising, including websites, newspapers, radio stations, TV & cable stations, magazines and out-of-home opportunities.
2. Every Market: Conduct a DMA drilldown with comprehensive local media data for all 210 DMAs across the U.S.
3. Background Check: Research new markets with consumer demographic data.
4. Due Diligence: Even if you work with an outside agency, guarantee that they are selecting the right ad opportunities for your brand in markets you may be unfamiliar with.
5. Actionable Data: Listings include all the data points you need to compile a plan, including rates, contact info, audience metrics and much more.
6. Smart Spending: Small businesses, retailers and restaurants all use SRDS.com to find innovative and affordable ad placements that go beyond the budget-breaking TV buy.
7. Ask Around: Don’t miss out on this unique service. Marketers from Kohls, Dr Pepper, Crate & Barrel, Shoe Carnival and possibly your direct competitors already rely on SRDS.

See SRDS in action and let us know how we can help with your local marketing needs.

Online advertisers and publishers have been using behaviorally targeted ads to track, reach and serve ads to their target online demographic. It’s about time that digital radio got into the game.

According to an article by PaidContent, marketers will soon be able to target online radio listeners based on their Internet browsing habits. Currently, you can only track this user base by zip code and gender.

This important development is the result of a deal between radio service provider Triton Digital and data provider eXelate. Marketers and advertisers shouldn’t disregard this agreement. It will have a big impact on advertising plans and results—and not just for sites like Pandora but for traditional radio station sites as well.

For example, if I’m looking at an exercise website, the next time I’m listening to my Classic Rock Pandora station, I may hear an ad from a local fitness center.  Or if I’m searching for a good Mexican restaurant in my area, a targeted audio ad might come up for Chipotle.

Mike Agovino, Triton Digital COO, told PaidContent that radio ads represent a $17 billion industry but one that depends on archaic metrics and that offers little accountability to ad buyers. He believes that letting brands sell to listeners based on their Internet browsing behavior will drive automated ad buying and grow the value of the radio ad market.

Marketers/Advertisers: Will you be more willing to advertise on digital radio now that you can target your ads? 

"Out with the old, in with the new." 

"New year, new you."

We hear these clichés often this time of year. I have been trying to come up with a saying to summarize what’s ahead for media planning in 2013 and, quite frankly, am stumped. The best I can think of is this: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

I think media planning in 2013 will consist of innovations and opportunities mixed with the everyday challenges we’re all accustomed to. Needless to say, it’s going to be an interesting ride. Here are some recommendations:

1. In 2013, media planners must focus on the best way to embrace and use the latest and greatest "big thing," namely online videos, mobile messaging and content marketing. Those will be the game changers of the year. Media planners and marketers that can execute on those three will be primed for success.
2. Media planners must work with the rest of the advertising department along with team members in marketing, PR and communications to determine who will be responsible for each of the three buckets listed above. Accountability and execution are key.
3. Media planners must develop metrics to track results and improve. Metrics should guide you as you revise and update your plans.

Even though the year will undoubtedly be filled with challenges, I recommend that you not overlook the basics. Here are three important considerations to keep in mind:

1. Focus on your audience. You could have the best campaign in the world, but if you're not getting the message to the right demographic and targeted consumer your client will not be happy.
2. Keep in mind the current picture of the consumer you need to reach and create your plan according to his/her media consumption habits. Want to reach seniors? Don't underestimate the number of seniors utilizing their laptops, tablets and cell phones. Integration is the key because these same seniors still rely on their printed newspaper, radio and tvs for news and information. Want to reach males ages 18-35? You might want to consider in-game messaging in the plan. 
3. Don’t overlook the power of the message. Creative content is necessary to get and keep attention in this era of efficiency. 

In short, while you can’t forget about digital components, audience, message and channel will continue to be the essentials of media planning. Sounds like everything old is new again.

Total advertising expenditures in the third quarter of 2012 surged by 7.1% reaching $34.5 billion, according to data released by Kantar Media. Political ads and the Summer Olympics led the market, with TV being the medium of choice.

Network TV expenditures increased 29.9% in the quarter. Other gains in the industry include radio (4.2%), free-standing inserts (17.3%) and outdoor advertising (4.9%). Click here for more details or check out this nifty infographic.

Here at Kantar Media SRDS, it’s no secret that we love media. You could even say that we're obsessed. Since 1919, our very existence has revolved around the media and advertising industry, spanning print, radio, TV and of course digital.

To help spread some holiday (and media!) cheer this season, we polled our employees, asking them to send in links to their all-time favorite holiday commercials. They responded and we’ve got well over a dozen ads to share with you. Some are classics, others are newbies, many are hilarious, others are sentimental, and most importantly, they’re all memorable.

View our full YouTube playlist here, or pick and choose from the list below.

1. 1993 Coca-Cola Polar Bear Commercial
2. M&Ms (he is real!)
3. Hershey’s Kisses Play a Song
4. Campbell’s Snowman
5. Budweiser Clydesdale Snowball Fight
6. Norelco Christmas 1986
7. GameStop 2010
8. Budweiser Clydesdale Kiss
9. Folger's Coffee Peter Comes Home For Christmas
10. Kay: Baby's First Christmas
11. Santa Chevy TV ad - St. Nick's Beard
12. Crazy Target Lady Montage
13. eBay Holiday Pony
14. Gap Holiday Dance Ad
15. Chevy Santa Casual Friday
16. T-Mobile Home for the Holidays Surprise
17. Coca-Cola Polar Bears 2012
18. Mercedes Benz 2012

Did we miss any? Share your favorite holiday commercials in the comments section or tweet us @SRDS!

(image source)

For years, mega-sized advertising agencies beat out their smaller counterparts 9 times out of 10 because they could access large-scale media buys for a better price. But Matt Murphy, Founder and Executive Director of fusion92, believes that this trend may be slowing, as hyper-local advertising allows “mid-sized and smaller firms with broad regional knowledge and full-service advertising capabilities that include digital expertise” to gain a clear advantage.

Hyper-local advertising targets individuals at the neighborhood or ZIP code level and delivers timely, relevant ads that often have a local component in the creative or messaging. Consumers are inundated daily with ads on every media channel, with most being ignored because they don’t have any relevance to the user. But hyper-local advertisers can create smarter, more targeted approaches that vary by location.

Agencies already use SRDS.com to reach targeted markets by DMA. They have access to media planning data for local websites, print magazines, newspapers, radio, TV and out of home.

But just because these agencies are tailoring their campaigns for local markets doesn’t mean they are ditching large national campaigns. On the contrary, it’s more about using data and technology to customize a large campaign so that it is better matches the targeted audience.

It makes sense that a message incorporating something about your neighborhood (a free appetizer at the Chili’s down your street, for example) has a greater chance of resonating. And not just for you, for everyone in your ZIP code. For users in Chicago, Chicago Bulls imagery or a sound clip from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra might make strike a personal (and memorable) note.

Another reason agencies should consider hyper-local advertising is that it’s cost-effective. Digital technology such as Foursquare encourages users to share location information, making it easy for advertisers to reach their target markets, both through traditional methods and digital channels. According to Murphy:

“Advertisers can segment target audiences to ZIP-code levels, build customizable creative for local components of national campaigns and use digital and traditional advertising channels to distribute hyper-local ads and generate market share gains across multiple regions.”

The ad industry is only going to get more competitive, but if smaller agencies can take the bull by the horns and become more agile, then they have a big opportunity. Plus, the technology and data is already there, so why not use it? 

Local is indeed becoming more social and mobile, meaning more dollars pushed toward digital media channels rather than traditional newspapers and radio.

An updated BIA/Kelsey forecast expects advertising revenue for all local media to reach $147.1 billion by 2016, at a 2.1% annual growth rate. While that may only be a modest increase, projections for local online, digital and interactive advertising revenue show more growth with an expected annual growth rate of 12.4% between 2011 and 2016. See chart: 

Within local media, the firm projects search advertising to control a little more than half of total online ad revenues (51%). The forecast also predicts that local search will grow faster than the overall search market, from $5.7 billion in 2011 to $10.2 billion in 2016.

Similarly, BIA/Kelsey projects that the local display market will outpace the overall display market, growing from $2.4 billion in 2011 to $5.1 billion in 2016.

Matt Booth, chief strategy officer and program director, Interactive Local Media, BIA/Kelsey said:

“Overall, we remain very bullish on interactive spending, and especially on new mobile monetization methods like point-of-sale offerings that are showing performance improvements. In fact, we expect mobile growth to offset some of the slowing in core search and display in the outer years of the forecast.”

Media Planners: How do you help clients best integrate their local and digital budgets?

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the Millennial generation (Americans age 18 to 29) consumes media differently than Baby Boomers and Generation X.

In the last decade, there has been a shift among this generation toward digital media, like Internet news and digital radio. This forced advertisers and marketers looking to reach this demographic to add digital to their marketing mix.

Scarborough, a local market consumer insights company, released a study to uncover the unique ways Millennials engage with the media along with their general attitudes and demographics. Addressing the importance of the study, Deirdre McFarland, Scarborough Vice President of Marketing and Communications, said:

“It is essential to realize that Millennials have a natural orientation toward social media especially since they are a demographic who came of age during a time of rapid technological advancement. By understanding that Millennials still consume news, but that ease of access in engaging with the medium is critical, marketers and advertisers can craft a more intuitive marketing mix to appeal to this young audience.”

Download the full study here or simply check out our top takeaways from the study below. At the least, you’ll be armed with a few key nuggets that may help you craft effective campaigns in 2013.

1. Millennials feel hyper-connected to both their local neighborhoods as well as to the world at large.
2. They are proud of their ethnic heritages. About 62% of Millennials say that their cultural/ethnic heritage is an important part of who they are.
3. Millennials spend just over 82 minutes a day on social networking activities.
4. Millennials are the first generation for whom mobile phones have always been a part of life.
5. They want the news to come to them. Millennials are 53% more likely than all U.S. adults to feel that social media sites are very important for finding info about news and current events.
6. Digital media is a part of how they consume television. Millennials are 86% more likely to have listened to radio online and nearly twice as likely to have watched or downloaded TV programs online.

How are you reaching Millennials? Maybe through social media ads or messages specifically targeted based on their attitudes?

Last week, NextMedia Group announced the sale of NextMedia Outdoor, its outdoor advertising business, to Lamar Advertising Co. for $145 million.

Baton Rouge-based Lamar is the nation's largest outdoor advertising company, offering ads on bulletins, posters, digital billboards, buses, benches, transit shelters and highway logo signs.

The deal will allow NextMedia to focus solely on its radio operations, said NextMedia CEO Jim Donahoe. The company currently operates 33 stations across eight markets in the U.S. The sale also eliminated NextMedia’s debt.

SRDS covers changes like this in the Out-of-Home market continually. Our users rely on the SRDS database to find traditional outdoor options as well as targeted space like sampling, in-flight, in-store, in all 210 DMAs. The SRDS out-of-home database will reflect these changes after it uploads at the end of the week.

What’s the most interesting out-of-home placement you’ve bought?

Newspapers, radio stations and magazines are still adapting and rethinking their business models in response to the digital revolution of the last decade. For most, there still isn’t a clear-cut answer as to how to fit into this new digital world, satisfy their audience and make money.

But digital audio is really making things work, according to Rockie Thomas. Thomas penned an opinion column over at iMedia Connection last month. She discusses digital audio advertising and says that we’re “finally seeing the perfect ad storm forming.”

Yes!

If you listen to Pandora or any digital radio, then you know that you’re not just listening to music, you’re also listening to ads.  According to the article:

 “Research from comScore finds 27% of mobile subscribers have listened to music on their mobile devices.  We no longer need to clutter up the mobile screen with companion banners, pure digital audio advertising is clean and effective. Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman summed up the synergy on audio and mobile best when he said, ‘There’s probably no product category that fits mobile on a content basis better than radio because the screen’s very little, it goes dark as soon as you turn your head, but it continues to give me audio so I think we’re tailor made for it.’”

Here are 6 perks of buying digital audio ads:

1. Digital audio is very popular. According to the post, “Recent research from Alan Burns and Associates show 25% of those surveyed stream music on a smartphone daily; weekly usage grows to almost 40%.”
2. People constantly consume it. Think about all the things you do in your day while listening to music. “This ‘constant’ consumption helps increase ad effectiveness.  Recent research from TargetSpot and Parks Associates show both ad recall and response have increased 11% since 2011 to 58% with digital audio advertising,” says Thomas.
3. There are now ways to track audio ads, so you have the metrics your executives crave.
4. People use digital audio on their phones and tablets, but the ads don’t need to be on the screen. Audio ads are effective enough.
5. Some people already use digital audio in their car and in the next couple years more and more cars will have smartphone integration, which is a plus for mainstream advertisers.  
6. Thomas says that digital audio buys are similar to video and graphic in that they are CPM-based with listen-through rates metrics and post engagement tracking. Adding digital audio ads won’t require learning a new language.

SRDS.com includes over a dozen online radio and streaming music sites that accept advertising. You can find them either in the music classification of the Consumer Media database, or in our Radio Digital database in the national section.

Have you had any experience with digital audio advertising?

In only two days, ad:tech will take place in New York City. If you haven’t heard, ad:tech is one of the best digital marketing events around and it’s worldwide.

Our Kantar Media SRDS team will be there at Booth 1803 along with team members from Kantar Media Intelligence, Audiences and Compete. We’d love to see you, so if you’re at the show stop by to introduc yourself.

We love media and all things digital, so the ad:tech conference program looks full of excellent topics. Here are some of the sessions we’re most excited about:

1. Follow the Money: Investors Place Their Bets on the Future of Advertising - Will the digital advertising bubble pop? Depending on who you ask, we’re already seeing it happen. This session will include a discussion about the future of advertising from the perspective of the people that fund it. They’ll talk about the new products, services and technologies that they’re backing – the startups they think will change the ad business moving forward – as well as how the financial performance of industry darlings post-IPO has shifted their thinking.
2. Cross-Platform Media Strategy: Advanced Reach & Targeting - There are real challenges when it comes to buying different types of media and integrating them into a single plan – but when it’s done right, a cross-platform campaign can be one of the most effective tools in digital marketer’s toolbox. The session will include examples of how to bundle search and social with TV, radio and print for maximum reach and engagement, and they’ll also explain how to measure the effectiveness of each disparate medium.
3. Mobile Marketing: Best Practices for Cracking Today’s Most Intimate Channel - According to a recent study by Ericsson ConsumerLab, more than 1/3 of smartphone users get online before even getting out of bed. So how do marketers engage these mobile consumers on a meaningful level? Senior marketers will bring you up to speed on mobile, relate it to other topics like search and social, and explore ways to take advantage of today’s technologies to extend the platform and engage consumers.
4. New Marketing Platforms: Wearable Devices, Advanced TV & More! - Google and Apple are both working on wearable devices, nearly 40 percent of American households have at least one TV connected to the internet, and location-aware mobile apps can track shoppers and send precision-targeted ads when they’re within a certain radius of a store. The “future” of advertising is now. In this session, you’ll get a first look at the cutting-edge platforms marketers have begun adding to the mix – some at scale – as well as glimpses into the products and services coming down the pike in the next 12 months.
5. Publishers and Tablets: New Strategies for Monetizing and Creating Content - Is the love affair between publishers and tablets fading? No, but is because a more mature relationship. We’ve lost the breathless headlines about new tablet apps, and feverish pushes to buy tablet-specific ads. Now the focus is on creating sustainable tablet revenue streams, including figuring out subscription models that entice print subscribers, as well as developing unique tablet content in a cost-effective manner. This session will present some of the newest strategies for creating and monetizing tablet content and audiences.

[Note: be sure to check out the SRDS Tablet Media Library to see some of the best apps from business, consumer and newspaper publishers.]

6. Next-Gen Ad Attribution: Make the Most of Effective Accountable Measurement - Click-through rates, post clicks, impressions, tracking mechanisms and site analytics all serve their purpose, but don’t always accurately account for the various influences along the purchasing path. Today’s marketers must analyze how various channels interact to determine where attribution makes sense. Much has been said about different ad attribution models. What is the best way to measure and should marketers restrict themselves to these pre-determined models? Leading brand and technology experts will share insight into today’s ad attribution and where marketers should look next.

Sensing a pattern here? All of these sessions involve some aspect of digital advertising or online marketing, two topics that we’re always trying stay at the forefront of.

What sessions look the most intriguing to you?

Click here to see the full ad:tech NY schedule.

Yesterday, two members of our marketing team were in for a real treat. We headed to downtown Chicago to hear leading author, speaker and strategist Joe Pulizzi talk about his bread and butter – content marketing. The event was hosted by the Business Marketing Association’s Chicago chapter and they did a fantastic job – with photos being posted as they were taken and a live storyboard (pictured above).

The storyboard was created by Ink Factory during the seminar. Ink Factory does live storyboarding, as well as graphic illustrative videos. Pretty neat!

The room was packed full of marketing professionals, including B-to-B marketers and advertisers, educators, students, publishers, creatives, web developers, trade show experts and agency folks.

Joe’s main message throughout his presentation was that as marketers, we need to provide our clients and customers with the content they want and, more importantly, need.

Specifically: what are our customers’ pain points? And how can we solve those problems with content?

It’s a fascinating idea, and Joe dove into some case studies of companies that have literally become their own media companies.

His top example of great content marketing was Red Bull. “Red Bull is a media company that happens to sell energy drinks,” he said. Did you know that Red Bull has a magazine, a radio station and other media channels? Check out the SRDS Red Bull video media kit here!

So the challenge *or* opportunity that we have as marketers is producing enough engaging content for our clients and customers.

Joe didn’t shy away from the fact that this is tough to do, but he did emphasize that it’s critical to success.

Here are some snippets from his seminar that every marketer should be doing–or at the very least, thinking about:

1. Watch “Content 2020″ from Coca-Cola! The video is what Joe calls, Coke’s “Jerry McGuire” mission statement on moving the organization from creative excellence to content excellence.
2. Every company NEEDS a content marketing mission statement. Instead of getting fixated on channels such as Facebook or Pinterest, you first need to focus on the underlying content strategy. So, the why must come before the what. It may seem obvious, but many marketers don’t have a fundamental strategy behind the content they develop. The mission statement should address your core audience target, what will be delivered to the audience and the outcome for the audience.
3. You can’t just have “so-so” content. It needs to be the best content to reach your very specific audience. Your goal should be to become the leading informational provider for your niche, customers and prospects can get their information from anywhere, so our goal should be that their info comes from us.
4. Leverage other employees in content creation. They have stories too, especially your partners in sales or training. They are the ones in constant contact with clients and prospects, so they may have a better sense of the kind of content your audience is looking for.
5. Build an influencer hit list. Who are the people that your clients are going to for advice or whose blogs are they reading? Once you have that list, follow those users on Twitter, read their blogs, share their content, comment on their posts, and then maybe even invite them to do a guest post on your blog. Having an eye and ear on what your audience is already reading can be extremely helpful for your own content development process.

We had a blast hearing Joe speak, and hope these key facts help all of you marketers out there as you start your 2013 plans. To find out more about Joe’s views, check out the Content Marketing Institute.

How have you seen companies using content marketing successfully?

Gain an understanding of the marketing trends driving one of the highest spending sectors in the media landscape. Over the past dozen years, financial services companies have pursued new innovations and aggressive marketing campaigns to combat a recession and historical financial crisis. Confronted with increased competition, federal regulation, and turbulent market conditions, these marketers have adapted their strategies and messaging to echo the realities faced by millions of Americans today.

Topics covered will include:

• Ad spend breakdown by advertiser, category, and media (Syndicated, Network, Cable & Spot TV; Newspapers; Magazines: Radio: Outdoor) 
• Overview of financial services marketing by category, including insurance, consumer banking, credit card, and investment & retirement products
• Best practices for television advertising, digital marketing, and creative messaging

Presenters: 

• Richard Fielding - Chief Client Officer, Kantar Media North America
• Julie Liesse - Reporter, Advertising Age

Financial Services: Navigating Rough Seas

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • 12:00 - 1:00PM ET

Register today!

New research from the Media Behavior Institute bolsters what many of us have long suspected: that we—the media and advertising pros who claim to best understand consumer behavior—are rather different than the consumers we often represent. As reported in MediaPost:

While the data is based on a small sample, the findings are striking, because the media pros reporting were so dramatically different than average consumers, especially when it came to their use of Internet-connected computers and mobile devices.

Amazingly, the media pros spent 53% of their waking day interacting with email, vs. 20% for the general population, and they spent 28% accessing the Internet vs. 15% for average consumers.

Their use of mobile apps and social networks were similarly distorted, which may go a long way toward explaining Madison Avenue’s obsession with those media platforms.

Ninety-two percent of the media pros utilized mobile apps, and they used them for 11% of their waking day, on average. Only 25% of consumers utilize mobile apps, and use them for 6% of their waking time on average.

Exactly half of the media pros used a social network and accessed it for 19% of their waking time vs. 19% of consumers who used it for 7% of their waking time.

Also notable was the finding that, "When it comes to 'traditional media,' consumers utilize all forms—especially radio—more than industry pros with the exception of print."

The research was presented by the Media Behavior Institute during MPG’s Collaborative Alliance session during Advertising Week.

(Note: Kevin Moeller, Executive Director of Research & Analytics for the Media Behavior Institute is a speaker at the fall 2012 Chicago and New York Media Mixology events.)

As consumers, we're probably over the political ads, especially those of us living in swing states. And working in the media business, the political ads are certainly squeezing out and driving up the cost of our client campaigns. It's happening in TV, radio, and even online, including online videos. Online video advertising company Mixpo says demand for online video ad space will outstrip supply by 20 percent or more in 11 swing states.

But it's the last crunch before the election; there's not a lot we can do.

On a more positive note, we're seeing some advertisers using the election in their creative and social media campaigns. 7-Eleven has promoted red/blue coffee cup selection for the past 4 presidential campaigns. A FedEx Office spot shows two candidates agreeing to a "clean" campaign while one is actually picking up snarky signs about the other. Boston Market is taking what might be a safer approach asking website visitors to vote between 2 meal choices, but using right-wing/left-wing language that might be inflammatory.

We've all used borrowed interest before, either for ourselves or for clients. In this heated environment, is the benefit of relevance worth causing annoyance with our audiences? Let us know if you're seeing it work, or (perhaps more interestingly) failing spectacularly.

Newspaper ads continue to be at the heart of local market media plans. SRDS has two services that compliment your current newspaper planning solutions and may make your local market planning a little easier: Circulation 2013 and our Digital Media database.

Which market to choose?

Use SRDS Circulation 2013 (available October 2012) to find the best markets for newspaper advertising. This annual print resource shows you which newspapers have the best reach in your target markets.

• Over 1,300 dailies, 169 newspaper groups, 25 consumer magazines and 4 national supplements — make comparisons easily so you can make the best decisions. Now includes free dailies!
• Listings organized by metro, state and television viewing areas — research quickly using convenient organization to find your best options fast

Ready to move local ads online?

Find and compare all local media websites within a DMA(s) with the SRDS Digital database. You’ll find everything from newspaper, TV, radio websites as well as local online-only ad opportunities.

The SRDS Digital Media database gives you access to planning data on almost 23,000 national consumer, b-to-b and local websites, including:

• 11,300+ local sites in all 210 DMAs, including 1,400+ local online-only sites
• 4,800+ consumer sites in 80+ standard industry categories
• 5,100+ b-to-b sites in 190+ standard industry categories
• 130+ online networks

Ready to get started? Give us a call at 800.851.7737!

I talk to SRDS users every day, and receive lots of questions about everything related to SRDS. One question I heard late last week while demoing the new SRDS planning platform had to do with digital listings,

I was talking about how, when the new site launched, we added thousands of e "ad-supported" website listings to the Newspaper, Radio and TV/Cable databases just as we had done a couple years ago with Business and Consumer. I must have said "ad-supported websites" a few more times, and the user stopped me to ask: "What do you mean by ad-supported?"

I felt a bit like a cartoon character coming to a screetching halt. "Huh?" The answer is sort-of "SRDS 101," but it bears repeating.

A big benefit of SRDS data is that all of our listings are for media properties that accept advertising—so you know from the get-go that you aren't going to have to filter out irrelevant results like you would from a blind Google search.

It's one major step in the "finding" part of the media-planning process that you don't have to worry about if you use SRDS.

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.