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ARF: The future is now, but measurement is yesterday
The media world is changing rapidly but media measurement is not keeping pace. That’s the consensus of users of syndicated audience research data in the U.S. who were surveyed earlier this year by the New York-based Advertising Research Foundation (ARF, arfsite.org.) The organization issued the results in a report called Accountability of Audience Measurement: A Survey of Industry Concerns Regarding Media Measurement Services.
The survey looked at online, print, radio and television and posed as its key question: ‘What are the top three issues or concerns that you have about your current measurement service(s) which reflect things they are not doing – or doing inadequately?’
For each of the four media, the top three issues were:
ß The lack of adaptability of the current measurement tools to meet changing media and planning needs.
ß Sample quality.
ß Sample size and sample representativeness.
Respondents also commented about difficulties in integrating data from the various measurement data.
Other online measurement issues included the opinion that online metrics fall short of a currency because they lack demographically defined audiences and the ability to reliably accumulate those over standard time periods.
Print measurement drew comments about the limitation of the current survey methods, that not enough magazines are measured and the number of measures for each magazine is inadequate. In addition, agency researchers and planners want to reduce the time required to get product and brand definitions updated in the syndicated surveys.
Radio diaries were said to be relics of the past and a flawed, outdated methodology. Respondents believe that the PPM would offer greater consistency and comparability across time and media.
Television measurement received the most comments, primarily that the ratings provider (Nielsen Media Research in the U.S.) needs to resolve problems more promptly and be much faster to address the pace of change in TV technology. Respondents felt that out-of-home TV viewing was not measured adequately and that there was a need for commercial ratings instead of program segment ratings.
The ARF will be exploring the audience measurement further with a forum Sept. 29 during Advertising Week in New York.
BBM Commercial Tracking
Please open the attached link to view BBM’s Commercial Television Tracking Service GRPS by week and month for Vancouver covering the broadcast months of July 04 to July 2005 inclusive. GRPS are based on commercial minute ratings for Adults 25-54.
Vancouver
U.S. automakers get cozy with content
Brand integration’s most ardent converts seem to be the automakers, who are on a mission to place product everywhere, from magazines to IM. Chrysler’s doing it theatrically. The upcoming feature Cry Wolf, to be released later this month by Rogue Pictures, is a film by this year’s Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival winner Jeff Wadlow. According to the Chrysler film Web site (http://www.chrysler.com/film/home_flash.html), small bit parts in the film are owned by auto brands PT ‘Crazy’ Cruiser and ‘Killah’ Crossfire. To promo the film, the automaker, along with partner AOL, have created a mobile trivia game to be played on Instant Messenger (IM) called ‘IM on the Hunt.’
Seems AOL’s been test-driving other auto brands. Chevy has signed on as a major sponsor in AOL’s new online reality show The Biz. The Web-based reality show pits contestants against each other for a chance to run a record label. So far, more than 9,000 entries have been received. The site, at http://www.thebiz.com/, goes live next week.
All this makes good business sense according to findings from NYC-based research firm Simmons. The company just announced the release of its Spring 2005 National Consumer Studies and the hot topic is product placement. Findings show that 51% don’t mind brand name products in TV shows, while 46% say they don’t mind brand names in movies. The study also shows that 20% remember brand names used by characters in films. http://www.smrb.com/products.html
TELETOON inks new series
TELETOON has announced new series development deals, spanning the gamut of their audience from kids to young adults.
Foolish Girl, from Toronto-based CCI Entertainment, follows the misadventures of a neurotic, guy-needing, and angst-ridden 17-year-old girl. The darkly humoured content skews female. Road Hogs, from Montreal-based producers Cité-Amérique, is designed for the older ‘Detour’ crowd and brings the time-honoured road movie format to animated TV when two teens set out for the summer hoping to meet as many girls as possible. However the net wants to attract both males and females with this series.
Jimmy Two-Shoes, from Toronto-based Breakthrough Entertainment, is aimed at kids 10-12 and features an ever-optimistic Jimmy who, even if sent to hell instead of heaven upon his death, retains his cheery demeanour. The net is thinking after-school line-up. Iggy Arbuckle Nature Freak, from Toronto-based Blueprint Entertainment, targets six- to nine-year-olds with the adventures of a ‘nature freak’ pig and his sidekick Jiggers, a daredevil beaver.
Sun TV rolls out fall slate
The former Toronto1 has rebranded as Sun TV and has unveiled its slate of shows for fall. They’re a combination of local shows and U.S. pick-ups.
Original programming includes Inside Jam (weekdays at 7 p.m.), an hour of entertainment news coverage focused on Toronto. The Grill Room (weekdays at 10:30 p.m.) offers roundtable sports talk with stars, writers and critics. Street Eats looks at the ethnic food specialties Toronto and the GTA have to offer Saturdays at 1 p.m. Intimate Yoga (weekdays at 6 a.m.) combines yoga with life coaching while Echo (Saturdays at 1:30 p.m.) profiles the achievements of successful South Asian, Asian and black Torontonians.
U.S. pick-ups include 24 (Sundays and 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.); Charmed (Fridays at 9 p.m.); George Lopez (Wednesdays at 8 p.m.); Freddie (Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.); Girlfriends (weekdays at 6 p.m. with new episodes airing Fridays at 10 p.m.); The Jerry Springer Show (weekdays at midnight); Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Wednesdays at 9 p.m.) and a new reality series Cold Turkey (Sundays at 10 p.m.), which tricks 10 unsuspecting chain smokers into giving up the cigs for 24 days.
Kenny vs. Spenny reveals airdate on Showcase
The erstwhile CBC reality/comedy series, Kenny vs. Spenny will be coming to Showcase this fall. The action revolves around the relationship and rivalry between two men who really just need to get a life. Fifteen new eps will air Sundays at 9:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 16. Target aud is males 18-34.
Showcase chauffeurs in premium fall TV lineup
From pushing boundaries to chauffeuring people home, the new Showcase campaign has it all. The lofty effort, called ‘Showcase at 10,’ drives home three messages: Showcase pushes boundaries; Showcase has premium, risqué shows; and, the shows are on nightly at 10 p.m. Most notably, Showcase is branding a fleet of five black Chrysler 300s, to be used as makeshift taxis to rush people home – for free – in time to catch Showcase’s 10 p.m. lineup. The cars will be equipped with TVs running promo reels for the fall lineup, which includes premium cable shows picked up from HBO and Showtime like Rescue Me, Weeds and The L Word.
‘The main objective is to get people to make an appointment at 10 p.m.,’ explains director of marketing Muriel Solomon. ‘We’re hoping people will talk about the fleet…and that radio stations will pick up on it.’
Toronto 1 now Sun TV as part of $110 million convergence and consolidation
Eight months after being bought by Quebecor Media, Toronto 1 has been rebranded Sun TV. The new identity was unveiled yesterday as Quebecor outlined a $110 million investment in its Ontario Sun Media properties. The plan involves a convergence of the styles and formats of the Toronto Sun and 24 hours newspapers, Sun TV, and Canoe.ca as well as the physical move of Sun TV to join the others in the Toronto newspaper’s King St. location.
The convergence of the media properties is being described by Quebecor as a cross-pollination resulting in a format that will provide a strong sense of community on-air, online, and in the newspaper. The company expects the plan will make the company more competitive, enable it to offer higher-quality content, increase advertising sales and boost the power of its events and promotions. These changes are being positioned as a rejuvenation of Sun Media that will also see the Toronto Sun return to its roots as a community-focused newspaper. To that end, the paper is expected to announce a number of high-profile hires in the near future.
Teletoon and Hubba Bubba let kids choose programs
For the third year in a row, Teletoon is again partnering with bubble gum company Hubba Bubba in a co-promo called the Hubba Bubba Power Hour. From September 2 to October 16, kids can log on to teletoon.com and vote for Hubba or Bubba’s block of never-before-seen cartoon episodes of shows Duck Dodgers and What’s New, Scooby Doo?. The winning programming block — each of the two blocks is branded with a new flavour of Hubba Bubba Tape — will air every Saturday morning beginning at 8 a.m. for four consecutive Saturdays. Kids can also win a branded prize pack.
Unlike past co-promos that were strictly online initiatives, this year’s promotion adds an on-air element that lets kids do the programming. ‘This year, we’ve kicked it up a notch [by allowing] kids to have a say on what we air on Teletoon at the same time as they are interacting with Hubba and Bubba,’ says Melissa Liard, publicist for the net. ‘[This] adds another element of interactivity to our website.’ Toronto-based ad agency OMD played matchmaker.
BBM media snapshot: Canadians and power boating
* 900,000 Canadians (3%) regularly enjoy power boating (when in season). 51% of regular power boating users are middle age adults (35-54 years old).
* Regular power boaters are more likely to be men (60%) than women (40%).
* The average personal yearly income of regular power boaters is $39,500 (1.3 times greater than the national average).
* They are highly involved in all the water sports. Regular power boaters go fishing 2 times more often than the national average; go water skiing 5 times more; canoeing 2 times more; and jet ski riding 4 times more than the national average.
* Consumer shows are also of interest to power boaters. Last year, regular power boaters attended boat shows 6.8 times more than the national average; sportsman/outdoors shows 4.6 times more; RV shows 3.8 times more; cottage shows 5 times more; and motorcycle show 3 times more than the national average.
* Power boaters are 2.2 times more likely to drive a pickup truck; 2 times more likely to drive a sports utility vehicle; and 1.4 times more likely to drive a minivan compared to the national average.
* Regular power boaters drive their vehicles 20,800 km per year on average while Canadian adults (18+) drive their vehicles an average of 16,000 km per year.
* TV (88%), radio (84%), the Internet (59%), and daily newspapers (49%) are top four media as of yesterday’s exposure for power boaters.
* The top radio formats listened to by regular power boaters (weekly reach) are: adult contemporary, classic mainstream rock (1.5 times more than the national average) news talk, and hot adult contemporary (1.4 times more than the national average).
Source: BBM RTS Canada Fall ’04 / Spring ’04, individuals 12+
The preceding information is from BBM RTS, a syndicated consumer-media survey of over 60,000 Canadians, conducted twice a year by BBM Canada. For more information contact Craig Dorning of BBM Canada: cdorning@bbm.ca.
Global to air Entertainment Tonight Canada
Just in time for the Toronto International Film Festival, CanWest announced the launch of a new celeb magazine show Entertainment Tonight Canada (ET Canada) this morning. The net’s Cheryl Hickey will host the half-hour program, which will air daily at 7 p.m. beginning Monday, Sept. 12 on Global Ontario and Quebec. MuchMusic grad Rick Campanelli, Rosey Edeh, formerly of CTV’s E-Talk, Kim D’eon of the CBC’s The Hour fame and Roz Weston from Toronto 1’s A-List have also signed on as reporters.
ET Canada will be produced in partnership with its sister show in the U.S., and according to a release, the show will have Canuck and American production teams working in tandem daily. Branding for the new show will remain almost identical to the original with similar graphics and the rights to use the ET theme song. Under the ET brand, the Canuck version will have access to archives containing 24 years of exclusive history and info. The difference? ET Canada‘s segments will retain a Canadian perspective, emphasizing Canadian talent and (hopefully) boosting the image of Canada as Hollywood North.
Discovery rides shotgun with new series
Could this be the end for road rage? Specialty net Discovery is launching a new series entitled Canada’s Worst Driver, an eight-part hour-long series that looks at eight participants, all nominated by a friend, colleague or family member, and their habits behind the wheel. The show puts the group through the Driver’s Rehabilitation Centre as a panel of experts consisting of a racecar driver, a behavioural psychologist, an automotive journalist and the director of training at the Young Drivers of Canada, evaluates their progress. The show is modeled after Britain’s Worst Driver, a hit series across the pond. Canada’s Worst Driver settles into its regular time slot on Monday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m.
History TV to air series about Things that Move
Specialty net History is getting ready to air new half-hour series Things that Move, a 20-parter that examines everything mobile – from bicycle to Zamboni and everything in between. Things that Move, slated to air beginning October 3, will be hosted by Jeff Douglas, a.k.a. ‘Joe Canadian,’ the man who made the Molson ‘I Am Canadian’ rant famous.
National Geographic to air Megacities
National Geographic channel is showing mega-series Megacities on Sunday, Sept. 18. Eight hour-long episodes will air back-to-back beginning at 12 p.m. with repeats beginning at 8 p.m. The series goes in-depth to examine the cities’ ‘vital organs’ such as power grids, transportation systems and water supply. Megacities will look at the urban centers of Las Vegas, Mexico City, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Sao Paulo, Mumbai and New York.
