A recent study by Nielsen suggests that place-based video screens have the potential to deliver more impressions than primetime network television. Research showed that a spot running on the top ten out-of-home video networks (screens positioned in gas stations, gyms, grocery stores, doctor’s offices, restaurants, bars and movie theatres) delivers more impressions than a spot running in every one of the top 20 programs on network primetime.

Buying a large showing of impressions on out-of-home video is challenging because it requires dealing directly with a large number of smaller vendors. However, companies like SeeSaw Networks are now making it easier for advertisers to make placements over a wide array of networks. This is similar to online ad networks where advertisers can buy multiple websites through a single source.

Read the rest of this entry »

It was recently announced that CBS will be sharing its broadcasting rights of the NCAA Tournament with Turner Broadcasting. The 14-year deal, which will begin in 2011, is estimated at $10.8 billion. Both CBS and Turner Broadcasting networks (TBS, TNT & truTV) will be airing the first and second-round games, while CBS will have exclusive coverage of the finals through 2015.

The tournament may go from 65 teams to 68 next year, pending NCAA approval. Should the number of teams competing in the tournament increase, CBS will have the opportunity to cover additional games that were previously not available. However, they will be sharing coverage of the games, which was not part of their prior agreement. The slam dunk for CBS: March Madness’ lower performing Round 1 and 2 games won’t be eating up as much of its better performing regular inventory next March!

Read the rest of this entry »

Image via Wikipedia

There has been much debate recently about the fate and future success of the Conan O’Brien Show. After the news of TBS beating out FOX network to land Conan, comes speculation of how well the show will perform in its new home at the 11 o’clock hour.

Capitalizing on their already successful prime-time, TBS has begun to re-vamp their late-night line-up since signing the high-profile deal with O’Brien. Typically, known for running repeats of network comedy shows, such as The Office, Family Guy and Seinfeld, TBS is shifting focus to late-night with hopes that Conan will be their golden gem. With the high viewership of Family Guy leading into Conan followed by the George Lopez Show which already has a strong young Hispanic following; The O’Brien show is being set-up for success.

Read the rest of this entry »

As many of you have probably noticed, Google took another unique approach to its homepage logo today.  In the past, we’ve seen logo celebrations ranging from children’s artwork to Dr. Seuss scenes.  Today, however, marked a new level of interest and engagement for users of the google.com search page.  Instead of a traditional celebratory static gif, today’s searchers have been greeted with a fully interactive and completely enjoyable version of everyone’s true favorite video game – Pac-Man.  The simple game has been posted to recognize Pac-Man’s 30th birthday.

So why would Google make the effort to implement such a different concept on perhaps the most recognizable page on the web today?  It may seem like just a quirky addition that some developer at Google threw together in 12 minutes (in reality it probably took him or her 7), but this “cute” little game has had a big impact for Google in a very short time.  By providing users with an engagement aspect besides search, they are providing a utility that extends beyond the page’s normal offerings.  In this case, that utility is entertainment.

Read the rest of this entry »

This year’s Super Bowl sparked a debate in the advertising community. Two commercials with similar creative concepts were run back-to-back. This led to confusion among consumers, left advertisers wondering if they deserved make-goods, and the industry asking if this could have been prevented.

Careerbuilder’s ‘Casual Friday’ ran first, followed by Docker’s ‘Men Without Pants’ spot; both used similar visuals. CBS who aired this year’s Super Bowl felt the heat from both advertisers. They were looking for make-good spots because of the mishap. Eventually CBS gave Dockers make-goods which consisted of three 30-second spots in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships.

Read the rest of this entry »

Our warmest congratulations go out to our resident strategy ambassador, Peter Infante for placing on the ARF Great Minds Awards as a “Certificate of Recognition Winner” in the “Rising Star” award category.

The ARF Great Mind Awards recognize and celebrate individuals who contribute to the excellence and advancement of advertising research. Established in 2006, the ARF Great Mind Awards honor research innovation, rising research stars, outstanding ARF member contributions and lifetime achievement within the industry.  The Rising Star Award in particular recognizes those who have made an exceptional contribution over the past year and suggests continued growth and future greatness.

Peter has elevated our customers advertising campaigns via his use of industry, audience and media consumption data.  Furthermore, he has successfully incorporated client sales figures to accurately gauge overall impact and cost prediction models to net our clients greater overall return on advertising investment.

Peter has a unique ability to pull research from various sources in to actionable, reliable and cost savings strategies for our client base.  In his current role, Peter will be working with all client teams to elevate their approach to research, strategy development and sales impact – upping our service provision and achieving greater results for our client base.

Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last few days, there has been a great deal of talk surrounding Facebook’s immanent “check-in” to the geolocation space.  Sources close to Facebook have admitted that users will soon have the ability to tag their location within their status updates.  So, is this feature a direct threat to location-based applications like Foursquare and Gowalla?  Probably.  But… maybe not.

It appears that Facebook will be launching its location service in the form of a custom application for McDonalds.  What’s interesting about the discussion surrounding the McDonalds example is the speculation of how Facebook will monetize this feature – especially since it is launching with one of the world’s largest advertisers.  Initial signs point to Facebook not making money from the actual application or functionality, but from an associated media buy.  A lot of the impact Foursquare and Gowalla will feel from this move will be determined by just how “local” Facebook decides to go.  If Facebook allows every mom and pop under the sun with a Facebook page to create a “Place” for their business, Foursquare and Gowalla could be in trouble.  After all, a majority of the locations in those apps are user created and not part of huge national/multinational chains.  If, however, Facebook decides to keep the locations to major partner chains as an incentive for media buys, the current location players may be ok.

Read the rest of this entry »

For some B2B companies, including social media in the overall marketing mix makes a lot of sense, as many business professionals are already using social media.  Using this tactic as part of the marketing mix is like any other aspect – you must first determine objectives, strategy, and key performance indicators.  However, there are some unique aspects to social media that you need to keep in mind:

1.  Build up your presence with content. Content is king! Create content for your customers that they can use – whether it be a whitepaper they can pass on to their colleagues, a graph they can use in a presentation, or a quick fact they can retweet. Give them something of value and they will share your brand name and content. You should be using existing material and repurposing it for your needs.

Read the rest of this entry »

On Friday 4/23 American Express OPEN, the small business division of American Express, in partnership with Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) released the third ranking of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Led Companies in North America.  It was my very distinct honor and privilege to accept the award on behalf of Butler/Till as the 11^th ranked firm on the list.

The awards ceremony took place during the final evening of the WPO Annual Conference at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale FL.  Presenting the award is Nancy Hood, Vice President at American Express Open (left) and Marsha Firestone, Ph.D, president and founder of the WPO.

Over 400 firms applied for the award, and all eligible companies were ranked according to a sales growth formula that combines percentage and absolute growth.  To be qualified for the ranking businesses are required to be privately held, women-owned/led companies in the US or Canada and have reached revenues of at least $2 million in 2009.

This is the second time Butler/Till has been recognized with this award – placing at #39 in the second ranking of this list which was done in 2008.

The ad industry has collectively developed a privacy icon to be included in most online ads that target consumers by using demographic and behavioral data. The icon, a lower case letter “i” surrounded by a circle, offers consumers the opportunity to opt out of having their user information collected.

Read the rest of this entry »