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It’s True Art. Successfully Matching A Campaign’s Ads To Its Buyers

In theory this should be easy. You plan your creative around who you want to reach with a particular message. You plan everything around the buyer, especially where they’re going to be when they will see, hear, or read your message.

So why is executing so difficult ? Budget, availability, timing, delivery and measurement, they all seem to tax the overall process more and more.

Take the online display ad market, one that Microsoft and Yahoo still dominant over Google. Why ? Well ad exchanges are sort of like stock exchanges for online ads. Web sites put ad space up for auction, and ad agencies, armed with demographic and behavioral data about the people who visit those sites, bid to place ads for their clients' campaigns.

Problem is Google and DoubleClick's ad-placement systems currently use different software, so ad agencies have to cobble together programs to place, monitor, and measure ads. All things that tax the overall ease and cost of executing what should be a simple online process.

Now, supposedly Google is going to release a new weapon this summer in the emerging and fastest-growing kind of display ads battle, performance ads, with an overhauled version of the advertising exchange that it picked up in the $3.2 billion acquisition of DoubleClick last year.

So how does all of this compare to DOOH ? In more ways than one would expect. The digital out-of-home (aka digital signage) industry has more non-compatible format, delivery, pricing structure, availability, and measurement variations than imaginable. But what makes it really ridiculous is the fact that 99% of the “digital” in the digital out-of-home process is manual. You have to call or email someone, to have them look up X, Y and Z. You have to save, burn and mail actual files. You have to do or wait for everything that should be automated and instantaneous.

Alright, time to rap this up.

I don’t know if Google is going to over take Microsoft and Yahoo but I do know that Argo Digital Solutions’ web-based DOOH media planning and buying exchange – rVue is going to answer all of the digital signage industries problems and more.

William E. Elmore III
Marketing Specialist

GroupM Predicts 'Good News' For 2010 Ad Economy, Will Slide Only 1.4%

By Joe Mandese, Media Post, June 24, 2009

In its first attempt to forecast advertising growth in 2010, WPP's GroupM unit says, "the news is good," with the rate of the global ad recession easing, but nonetheless still contracting. GroupM, the world's largest buyer of media, estimates worldwide ad spending will decline 1.4% in 2010, following a decline of 5.5% this year.

"If our forecasts are right," GroupM Futures Director Adam Smith writes in the new report, released early this morning, "ad investment in 2010 will struggle to match 2004 in real terms."

Smith indicated the long-term outlook is especially hard to predict, noting that "few clients have decided what to spend in the fourth quarter of 2009, never mind 2010," but that GroupM nonetheless is betting that "some sort of recovery is at hand."

While that bet may be wrong, Smith said the assumption, which is based on a consensus of data from WPP agencies operating in 70 countries worldwide, is "near universal."

That said, the picture is still fuzzy, and the parts that are clear - mainly the outlook for traditional media - clearly are not looking too optimistic.

"Anyone looking for the bottom of the market may care to note ad investment in traditional media (excluding digital) is likely to fall 10% in the developed world this year," he writes, adding, "Many advertisers using these media will have encountered stronger media owners willing to sacrifice revenue rather than taking it in at even a moderate discount."

On the other hand, he says, there are "weaker media owners who will take business at almost any price," and that the result is pushing "media pricing past survival point.

"This destroys excess media inventory and forces media owners to merge," Smith points out. "When advertising demand recovers, it is likely to meet stronger vendors offering less inventory. Such conditions spell a risk of media price inflation. Advertisers can provide for this by diversifying."

While the outlook for digital media appears more stable, Smith declares it is "not recession-proof either," though he still sees digital's share of the global advertising market expanding to 15% by 2010, up from more than 10% in 2007.

He says the digital media expansion is being driven primarily by paid search and online video advertising.

The other major media to expand market share during the downturn are TV and out-of-home media, while newspapers "continue to shed a point of share a year."

The North American advertising marketplace will lag the global economy, Smith predicts, with ad spending declining 6.1% in 2010. That's an even more pronounced decline than 2009, which saw North American ad spending drop only 4.2%. In 2008, the beginning of the ad recession, North American ad spending fell only 2.0%.

Source: GroupM's "This Year, Next Year" worldwide report.

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Created to fill the need for unity in the industry and to help the advertisers realize the potential of using DOOH, our software platform, rVue is well-positioned to take advantage of the projected double digit growth for OOH.

In addition, our network partners are well-positioned to benefit from considerable exposure of their advertising inventory.

Theresa Fletcher
Chief Revenue Officer

 

Hercules Networks’ ACMs Now Available to Major Advertising Agencies through rVue, Addressable Advertising Exchange for Digital Out-of-Home

Automated Charging Machines Offer Convenience and a Captive Audience

New York (June 24, 2009) – Hercules Networks, which offers Automated Charging Machines (ACM’s) for cell phones, PDAs and mp3s in theme parks, malls and bars in top DMAs throughout the country has recently enrolled its expansive digital signage network into rVue, Argo Digital Solutions’ addressable advertising exchange for digital out-of-home (DOOH).

ACM’s offer convenience to those on-the go, as well as a highly targeted advertising medium for the major advertisers trying to reach them where they make purchasing decisions. Projecting a growth of more than double its number of screens by 2009, Hercules’ CEO Paul King’s initial attraction to Argo’s rVue exchange was it’s simplicity and automated ‘pay-per-click’ approach to DOOH, reminiscent of Google and eBay’s models for the Internet.

“It’s an incredible challenge to engage an audience for any length of time through advertising, but ACM’s can do just that by providing a 10 minute captive audience while customers wait for their phone, PDA or Ipod to charge,” said Paul King, CEO of Hercules Networks. “The partnership with rVue will dramatically increase our ability to offer a simple and integrated out-of-home solution to advertisers and media planners.”

Last month, Argo launched an enhanced, next generation version of rVue, which connects digital out-of-home networks with a growing list of advertising agencies and media planners looking to reach targeted consumers while they are on-the-go and near the time of purchase. This development has generated a second quarter, six figure digital media buy through the platform by a leading provider and innovator of eye care services, with an anticipated result of more than 9 million impressions. rVue’s automated approach is unique to the industry, has reduced the average time it takes to create a media plan in DOOH and allows advertisers and outlets to control the process.

“This is truly a pioneering and long-awaited technology that has come alive thanks to Hercules Networks,” notes Jason Kates, CEO of Argo Digital Solutions. “We now have the ability to give our advertisers the opportunity to utilize customized brand content and cutting-edge technology to drive sales with access to a more captive audience than ever before.  ACMs are a huge step in the development of DOOH.”

NY-based Hercules Networks produces and distributes Automated Charging Machines (or ACM’s) that charge consumers cell phones while they are on-the-go. A rapid, 10-minute charge gives the consumer a quick boost of juice, and gives advertisers a 10-minute captive audience. ACM’s can charge up to 18 devices simultaneously by providing the most common charging tips on every ACM. The company recently installed charging stations at the Boston Celtics Stadium through a partnership with ATT, and is also negotiating to put ACM’s in Las Vegas casinos. Visit www.herculesnetworks.com for more information.

Argo Digital Solutions, Inc. is the leading digital media and technology company that provides innovative solutions that moves the analog to digital. Through rVue, Argo’s addressable advertising exchange with an Internet based, ‘pay-per-click’ approach, high-traffic venues can access HD video content, create play lists, dramatically enhance the shopping experience and monetize their network. Advertising agencies can reach their target audience at or near the time of purchase. The technology is platform-agnostic and can work independently or layer on most current industry applications. From its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Argo has served the nation’s most respected and recognizable brands including AutoNation, Blockbuster and Subway with innovative technology solutions that drive ROI. Learn more at www.argodigitalsolutions.com and www.rVue.com.

The Illegal Marketing Practices You May Be Using

 

By Rachelle Milbank
June 22, 2009

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS:
- Utah and Michigan both have do-not-contact programs that extend to email and mobile
- Proactively research state laws to ensure you comply
- The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection offers helpful resources for marketers and brands
- Next in Media Planning & Buying
- It's no surprise that most companies are changing their marketing approaches from big and bold to short and tweet.

Today, millions of people live their lives in a digital world. Social interaction, conversation, education, and work are all experienced through one's fingertips. Companies are given the opportunity to maximize their marketing outreach, putting their products and services directly in front of their customers. As beneficial as it is for companies to have total access to their target audience, customers might feel overwhelmed by the hundreds of advertisements they see through their screens. It's no surprise that laws are created as modern marketing trends evolve. From paper to mobile web browsers, federal and state governments have made efforts so that those who want to be marketed to have the access, while those who don't can block it.

Over 10 years ago, Florida and Hawaii passed state do-not-call laws that became federal laws, which, as we all know, allowed people to choose whether or not they wanted to be called by solicitors. Soon after the national do-not-call registry was passed, states like Utah and Michigan asked themselves what the next big advertising portal for marketers would be.

Utah and Michigan's do-not-contact programs

Both states decided there should be a way for residents to not only have the option to restrict their home phone numbers from marketers, but somehow restrict all of the other communication pathways. With this idea, both states passed laws that allowed residents to register emails, mobile phone numbers (SMS), instant messenger IDs, and fax numbers, which would then prevent them from receiving adult-oriented advertisements for products or services like alcohol, gambling, tobacco, pornography, etc.

Utah's and Michigan's do-not-contact programs, otherwise known as the Child Protection Registries, are the only programs of this type used by any states. As of today, the programs protect more than 360,000 addresses and mobile phone numbers. They have grown more than 300 percent in the past year, and as of May 2009, registration numbers have already surpassed the total number of registrations in 2008. There are civil and criminal penalties filed against companies that market to a registered address in either Utah or Michigan, with the laws directly affecting the marketing practices of certain industries. Also, individuals may take a private right of action against companies or service providers that send out messages to registered addresses. There have been cases investigated and actions taken against those who have marketed to registered addresses. The Utah Department of Commerce has filed civil complaints against five companies for sending adult-oriented solicitations to registered addresses within the state. The Michigan attorney general's office has filed criminal charges against two entities.

How can a marketer find out about such laws?

Marketing laws such as those in Utah and Michigan often go unnoticed by the companies that are affected by them. So how do companies and marketers find out about such laws? In most cases, states will release information or try to reach out to the entities that are affected by the laws. But companies and marketers should not rely solely on the outreach efforts by the states -- they need to take action and do a little research for themselves. Having a legal team or someone within the company research marketing practices is often the safest bet. Individual states may have several regulations and laws that fly under the radar, and it is not until companies violate them that they learn of their existence.

Marketers can also research consumer protection laws or marketing laws through the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection, which offers resources such as the division of marketing practices and advertising practices. If companies are interested in marketing to an individual state, a great way to learn about the state's marketing and advertising laws is to reach out to the state division that handles consumer protection issues. What's next? More and more marketers are finding that the digital world provides the most cost-effective and easiest approach to reaching customers. Whether it is the laws in Utah and Michigan or other state and federal marketing regulations, companies should pay serious attention to where, how, and to whom they are sending their messages.

Rachelle Milbank is the community and corporate communications leader for Unspam Technologies. 

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As marketers in a digital world, it is our responsibility to understand the laws that govern marketing and advertising, particularly 'addressable" media.  We need to be strategic and targeted in our outreach, otherwise we will be ignored, or possibly face legal action.  Which is worse?

S.E. Promish

Google Opens Up Digital-Education Portal to Agencies

 

by Rupal Parekh, June 22, 2009

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Google has spent a lot of time in the past few years trying to quell fears it's out to disintermediate advertising agencies. Now it's undertaking a major effort trying to educate them on all things digital.

Enter AgencyLand. It may sound like an amusement park, but it's actually an online educational portal Google is developing for ad shops, one that likely will help the search giant deeper entrench itself in an ad-agency community that's often been wary of it.

The AgencyLand platform, now in beta with select agencies, houses a ton of Google-centric content created for agency staff. Naturally, much of it is focused on digital topics. There are webinars, a searchable library with more than 200 marketing case studies and short, on-demand video segments featuring Google leaders such as Chief Economist Hal Varian. It also aggregates Google's array of ad tools, such as a media-planning tool that connects advertisers and publishers and a website optimizer, which helps measure user behavior on web pages.

Google maintains it has altruistic intentions of bettering everyone's digital knowhow, but the program surely doubles as a marketing effort. Given that Google offers advertisers the chance to essentially help themselves create highly measurable and relevant, if unflashy, ads, agencies have been wary that Google could one day get between them and clients. Many shops -- perhaps realizing the search giant simply cannot be ignored -- have opted to work with Google rather than against it. Most publicly, French holding company Publicis Groupe has publicly touted partnerships with Google to work on digital ad technology. But there have also been moments of friction, such as when Martin Sorrell, chief of holding company WPP, took to calling Google a "frenemy" (which he later amended to "froe").

So could AgencyLand just be the latest PR flourish in a Google-Madison Ave. history that's seen plenty of them? That depends on where you sit. "We're not going to deal with an agency that doesn't know Google," said one digital expert at a blue-chip marketer. "It's a barrier to entry."

Getting schooled
Asked whether Google's intention is to use AgencyLand for marketing purposes, Spencer Spinnell, director-agency development and strategy, said: "Our objective is really that it's an educational tool. ... I think it's good for digital media at large."

While there are some reasons for skepticism, Google, which needs agency buy-in for a host of reasons, has big ambitions for AgencyLand. Earlier this year it asked 10 shops across different holding companies, including Ogilvy, Initiative, Starcom and Carat, to serve as its guinea pigs while it works out the kinks. It's in the process of rolling the platform out to a second batch of shops for testing (DraftFCB, Martin Agency, DDB, Digitas, Group M, BBDO, 360i and Razorfish) and estimates it will make AgencyLand widely available to agencies late this year or early next.

Usage of the portal is free. The search giant said it had received requests from the agency community for training that would help employees stay ahead of the digital curve. The timing of the platform's release is ideal, Google said, because it enables agencies to continue boosting their digital chops even at a time when most are cash-strapped.

"In a down economy, training is one of the first things to get cut" Mr. Spinnell said. He said he believes AgencyLand offers a way for agencies to "take their knowledge workers and make them smarter."

The biggest piece of feedback from agency users so far has been a recommendation to make the training sessions shorter and more digestible. Google went back to the drawing board and created a series of 15-minute graphical seminars with voice-over instructions. "The idea is that a planner or creative can [complete segments] while eating lunch at their desk," Mr. Spinnell said.

Certification
AgencyLand is tailored to each agency, co-branded with each company's logo, and dotted with pictures of agency heads and customized content. Agency management tracks individual employees' progress, and quizzes are offered at the end of each course.

The user interface as it stands now is Google-esque -- simple, tons of white space, no bells and whistles -- and the content is very Google-centric. Courses suggested for TV media buyers and planners, for example, are "How YouTube complements Television Advertising" and "Getting the Most Out of Google TV." For search specialists, "Google Maps and Ads" and "AdWords on the Go: Mobile Activation." Google is working toward embedding a certification program.

"There's no question the content is largely skewed to our platforms, today, but that's because we are in early stages," Mr. Spinnell said. "AgencyLand ... will expand and include the agency's own training materials and competitive materials."

"Google really has turned around; they really want to help agencies," said Amy Auerbach, senior VP-director of digital at Interpublic Group of Cos.' Initiative, New York. "One of the challenges that agencies face on a daily basis is training staff. Some agencies have established programs and some do not, and that was something that we in the digital space were kind of clamoring for."

Initiative has historically offered a mix of training programs that are informal, such as its "lunch and learn" sessions, where experts give presentations, or more formal, such as a mandatory, nationwide digital training session the shop held earlier this year. "The good thing about AgencyLand is that it's a technology platform, so it was very turnkey for us," Ms. Auerbach said.

Internal affairs
Still, agency leaders are quick to note that Google's agency training program doesn't trump internal ones, and should be used only in tandem with existing training programs.

Last fall, WPP-owned Group M introduced its first major online training program, dubbed Mspace -- a play on the name and style of News Corp.'s MySpace. More than half of the agency's staff -- some 1,700 staffers -- has already gone through the program, and "75% of those people have been people outside of digital," said John Montgomery, chief operating officer-North America at Group M Interaction.

Group M, one of AgencyLand's select test agencies, is in the midst of assembling teams that will work on the platform in beta and report back to the search giant.

"Even something like Mspace has to be used as an adjunct to a formal digital training program, for digital and for nondigital people," Mr. Montgomery said. "If it was their only training I would be worried, and the same would be true about AgencyLand."

Microsoft is launching its own agency-targeted training program this summer, called Digital Academy. It's not an online training tool like Google's but rather in-person educational sessions, expected to push the three-screen approach (web, TV and mobile) that Microsoft evangelizes.

Contributing: Abbey Klaassen

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Agencyland by Google....
A need, necessary evil or some combination of both?

Google is at it again. In its never-ending addition of tools, tricks and tips, it has created Agencyland, a new online educational portal Google is developing for ad shops, one that likely will help the search giant deeper entrench itself in an ad-agency community. Don’t get me wrong. We believe in much of what Google does and are huge supporters of empowering ad agencies and users – especially on all things digital. But I’d like to hear your thoughts.... Read on and let us know your thoughts on Agencyland and if you believe Google is acting as a friend or frenemy to agencies.

D. Rahicki

Mobile Device Testing Requirements Exploding

Thought your new phone was super sophisticated, sleek and user friendly. You’re lucky, because as phones become more complex their testing and certification regimens have dramatically increased.

In fact a recent certification project for a wireless operator required 1700 separate tests and about 2400 when the device had a dedicated operating system and richer apps.

And that’s just the beginning, device testing, already an increasing burden in 3G, will become an even bigger problem in 4G as the functionality and features of those mobile broadband devices multiply.

Read the full article from Telephony Online here.

W. Elmore

One of the few bright spots: Cinema Ads

 

Ad spending kept growing in 2008 as so much else slowed

It was a down year for nearly every form of advertising, with everything from magazines to outdoor taking a hit in 2008.

A notable exception was cinema advertising, which recorded its sixth straight year of growth, up 5.8 percent over 2007, from $539.9 million to $571.4 million, according to the Cinema Advertising Council.

Spending on the medium has increased by 208 percent since 2002, the first year it was measured.

In 2008 the bulk of the money, just over 90 percent, was spent on on-screen advertising versus advertising elsewhere in the theater. That's down slightly from 92 percent the previous year.

National or regional advertisers accounted for 77 percent of sales.

Driving that growth is improved technology, which now enables advertisers to swap out and update creative digitally at the flip of a switch across hundreds of theaters.

That's made cinema advertising that much more attractive to marketers, especially national brands.

While the media economy overall fell 2.8 to 4 percent during 2008, depending on whose figures you believe, cinema advertising still pulled in new advertisers.

“We started digitizing seven years ago, and that made it easier for advertisers who had never explored cinema before to start using it,” says Dave Kupiec, president and chairman of the CAC.

Under the old technology, creative had to be distributed to individual theaters in the form of film. On-screen advertising was sold in four-week chunks, which essentially precluded marketers who wanted to advertise a limited-time promotion, like a weekend sale.

It was also cost-prohibitive, with a short spot running up to $300,000 to produce.

“Digital changed that. They can swap an ad out any time in the flight," Kupiec says. “And there are no film costs. Say someone sends in a two-minute videotape. We can put it up via satellite and send it to 18,000 movie screens.”

Kupiec says cinema advertising saw some of its biggest growth in the retail area this year because of that technology, with advertisers such as Kohl’s and Sears coming in for the first time in recent years.

Off-screen advertising, of the sort you see in movie theater lobbies, also saw some growth due to new interactive technologies, such as posters that send messages to passersby’s cell phones.

“The thing that’s getting attention is mobile applications, what to do with cell phones with touch screens, and 3D screens,” Kupiec says. “It’s technology that becomes new and exciting, captivating media. We find we’re getting a lot of requests for that sort of thing.”

Automotive remained one of the top ad categories in 2008, with Asian automakers spending especially heavily. Other top categories included television, consumer packaged goods, credit cards, fashion and movie studios.

Still, whether the ad spending growth will continue into what’s been a dismal start to the year for all media remains to be seen.

“The reality of this economy is that no matter how good cinema is, the number of contracts we’re writing is still increasing, but the amount we’re writing per contract is down versus prior years,” Kupiec says. “We know the economy is in the dumper for a year or so. That doesn’t mean we’ve lost momentum, it just means we’ve lost some money.”

CAC members account for 82 percent of the nearly 39,000 U.S. movie screens.

By Toni Fitzgerald  Jun 16, 2009 - Media Life

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Cinema ads and mobile apps are a huge growth sector, even in today's economy.  What does that tell you about the future?

S.E. Promish

Visser, LevelVision Woo Colleges, Advertisers

Summer break may be nearly upon us, but U.S. digital-signage specialists are continuing to see college campuses as a market ripe for development.

Recently-formed Visser Digital Media is now looking to the college sector as well as retail, while longer-established LevelVision has joined the rVue advertising aggregation system to better exploit its network of screens in nearly 300 campus bookstores.

Visser is marketing its CampusVision specifically as a means of providing emergency broadcasting, a focus of many in the digital-signage sector who sell to institutions. However, college administrators are also expected to use the system – managed locally or via a Visser-run Web tool – for more routine messaging.

The company will provide all equipment, installation and maintenance for a network of LCD screens, either for a payment of $149 per month per screen or, in the case of larger universities, on an advertising-funded basis.

LevelVision, meanwhile, is hoping to increase its share of digital out-of-home spend for its screens in the floors and at the counters of college bookstores (as pictured) by signing up to rVue, the aggregation service offered by Argo Digital Solutions. Formerly RMS Networks.

LevelVision, like many of the media owners selling airtime through rVue, runs its network with BroadSign technology.

by SCREENS.tv staff

Motion Capture Tech That Integrates Adaptive AI

With the Electronic Entertainment Expo(E3) coming to a close this week in Los Angeles, the announcement of Microsoft's Project Natal for the Xbox 360 has brought about not only excitement for what potential barriers interactive entertainment can break, but it also opens an entirely new way of approaching digital out of home advertising.

The device that needs no controller but direct user interaction through the use of motion capture, and lets gamers control onscreen action with full-body movements and voice commands. Thought this unveiling is at a primitive state, it is certainly a milestone.

Project Natal is also pushing the envelope for user interaction by introducing a virtual child named Milo.  Consisting of complex artifical intelligence that can recognize your face, voice, emotions and interact with you on a deep level.  Taking this form of digital aesthetic and applying it to real world situations, such as, library's, museums, automotive dealerships, hotel lobbys, retail stores, malls,  theme parks, train stations, etc. I could go on and on where else  this could apply(I'm sure you could think of a few too) and help people find the information they need and get to where they need to go.

xbox360.ign.com

What's quite interesting is that this idea was introduced before by the same man who helped unveil it at E3.. Steven Spielberg.

N. Sears