Monday, April 22, 2013

New Media

Media is constantly changing and evolving. It is different and there are jobs that college students are in school for that don't even exist yet. Such as social media jobs that require someone to manage Facebook and Twitter sites for a company.

Changing Times

New media is evolving and changing and will have a great impact on the world. Everything we have talked about in class up to this point and read about, and studied comes down to new media. According to our textbook the definition of new media is the use of digital technology to communicate with a target audience. People that work in the industry are challenged to come up with new media which makes me wonder what will happen in the years to come. 

All of this has happened in the past few years, Web 2.0, mobile apps, smart phone technology and tablets. I wonder what kind of apps we will have this time next year let alone jobs in the industry.

Mobile Media Trends

Trending

Mobile media is overtaking our world, it's more common today than it ever has been in our past. We literally have everything at the touch of a button on our phones now, the latest game scores to the newest Facebook friend request. All of it is at the touch of a button on our phones. In some ways I think mobile media is more common than regular internet in today's world. Especially among the younger generation.

Mobile Apps & Internet

On a website I found while researching mobile media http://www.m-trends.org/ it talks about the latest trends in mobile media as well as upcoming "next big things." It also talks a lot about how mobile apps and internet are globally becoming more and more common. Tablets, and smart phones are used more now for research than regular computers. 

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Hatfields & McCoys Campaign

In 2012, the History channel teamed up with Horizon media to create the mini series Hatfields & McCoys that retold the story of the family feud that became an American legend.

Marketing Challenge

They needed a way to "revamp" and emphasize the importance of the 150 year old family feud so that people would actually want to watch it.

Marketing Plan

Horizon media and the History channel used the UFC superfight of the year Cotto Vs. Mayweather to help recreate the Hatfields & McCoys feud. The superfight aired before the show did so they labeled each corner of the fight with a Hatfield or McCoy sign to make it like a feud. This combined with tv advertising, and online advertising was in their plan.

Results

The first broadcast of the show had 52 million viewers making it the most watched entertainment telecast.

Hatfields & McCoys Campaign

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Future of Magazines and Newspapers





Magazine and newspaper advertising are sources that have been around for a long time and carry a high amount of prestige. They remain popular among different genres of audiences and there are many advantages and disadvantages of both.


Advantages/Disadvantages to Magazines

According to the magazine media sheet we went over in class magazines are very visual and eye appealing because of the color schemes and creativity that goes along with the medium. Personally, I am always drawn to looking at the magazines in a checkout line at a grocery store just because of the catchy headline and color scheme. Some of the negatives that go with magazine advertising is a longer lead time, which doesn't always make it the most current source of information.

Advantages/Disadvantages to Newspaper

According to our newspaper media sheet from class, newspapers are thought of with a lot of prestige in a local market. They don't have much competition locally and have a short amount of lead time (specifically the Amarillo Globe News according to amarillo.com) which makes them very current. The biggest disadvantage is that they are becoming outdated. Subscriptions are decreasing and the content is easier to find online in one "click" as opposed to waiting to read it in the paper. Currently, online or digital copies of newspaper are more likely than an actual subscription to the physical copy. Personally, I am way more likely to read online to find out news and information as opposed to picking up a copy of the paper.

Both magazines and newspaper are measured by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. It connects advertisers, advertising agencies and publishers to discuss challenges and how to best advertise in their mediums. http://www.auditedmedia.com/

Monday, March 4, 2013

Broadcasting

Radio and TV remain one of the most popular forms of advertising. According to Bryce Edwards of KGNC, there's 19 commercial radio stations in Amarillo alone. Approximately 97% of people in Amarillo consume radio weekly and for TV it's about 74% consumption. Radio and TV are one of the biggest advertising mediums not only at a local level but also a national level. It still astonishes me at how high the consumption percentages are but it just goes to prove how crucial the broadcast area is to the media world.

Radio and Ratings


Arbitron is the measurement company for radio stations and it is vital because it provides information about the success of each station. It does this through surveys, and charts and various tools in an effort to increase consumption and to help make better advertisements. Radio is a great source for advertisement, it's a cheaper way to promote a product or service however it has one major enemy. The "easy click," or the "channel switch." I am notorious for sitting in my car and only wanting to hear my favorite country songs and as soon as a commercial comes on during my short drive to campus I change the station. That is the one flaw in radio advertising, it is so easy without colorful or visual "leads" to ignore the ad. http://www.arbitron.com/home/content.stm

TV and Ratings


Nielson is the ratings company for TV and follows certain techniques to measure consumer behavior. Once again, this is crucial in order to determine how to advertise to best reach a certain market. TV's biggest ally is the fact that it has the ability to reach a large market of people with colorful, creative and very visual tactics. In today's culture though, factors like DVR had taken some impact away from commercials and advertisements because it's made it easier to skip over the ads. In all honestly though, I believe that TV is one of if not the best advertising mediums and will continue to evolve with the changing times and remain successful. http://www.nielsen.com/us/en.html

Monday, February 25, 2013

OOH and the future

Out-Of-Home media or OOH is a subject we have spent a lot of time discussing lately in class. It mostly included billboards, street furniture, transit and alternatives. According to Brad Tully, president of Choice Media which is located in Amarillo, OOH media is growing at a rate of 8.2% per year which comes in second to Internet which is growing at 11% a year. Additionally, digital advertising is also growing very quickly. The digital aspect of OOH includes primarily digital billboards that can be found in large cities such as LA, and Dallas. Although sadly, Amarillo will not allow digital billboards, formed from the belief that it will be a dangerous distraction for drivers. Personally, I think digital advertising would be a very successful outlet in this area.

Endless Opportunities

I think one of the best things about OOH is that it's very creative and allows room for out of the box thinking and advertising. Especially when it comes to billboards. Choice Media is one of the local businesses in Amarillo that is making large advances in creative advertising. http://www.choicemedia.biz/

These billboards are just a few examples of the endless creative options with OOH advertising. 

With digital advertising there is even more room to be creative and develop unique ads. Another benefit to according to marketing scoop.com, OOH is the fact that it is easier to reach your target market on a 1 on 1 basis and figure out their needs and how to best reach those needs. People can't just turn off the TV or change the radio station it's almost a guaranteed audience.

These reasons and many more are what have helped jump start the excessive growth rate of OOH and the bright future it currently has.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Stairway to Success




The word "analysis" just makes me cringe because it makes me think of math equations or algebra. Which essentially makes me want to be sick. However, media analysis is something that is crucial to the industry and has an art to it. It truly is a stairway to success and unlocks everything in media.

The Process

According to the textbook, there are three crucial "steps" or success tools that make for good media planning and analysis.

1) Matching media with Markets
As Azzaro so clearly states in the textbook, you have to understand your market inside and out in order to come up with a detailed analysis. It is crucial to know the needs, strengths and weaknesses of the company you're coming up with an analysis for. This way, it will send the right and accurate message to your demographic and the market you're trying to reach. After doing some online research, I came across 

2) The Local Market Profile
It's important, as Azzaro so clearly states, to know your market and research their strengths and weaknesses. This way, you can have a better understanding of how to reach your market and how to best reach the demographic. After some online research, I found a media analysis company called Carma that creates custom media analysis on a global level. Which is a bit different then the "local" profile but still gives the same idea. http://www.carma.com/customized-analysis/

3) Research on a Local Level
This is a continuation of the previous step, essentially it is knowing your market inside and out. Eating, sleeping and breathing your market and knowing everything about it. Knowing everything about them will help you know what to fill in on your profile and how to reach your demographic.


Media analysis is an endless road of opportunity that leads to incredible accomplishments. It helps you know your market and how to reach them in the most effective way possible. Once you know their needs and wants you can come up with creative ways to ignite their interests and evoke emotional responses that will increase advertising. Media analysis isn't boring math equations but instead a stairway that leads to success and an open road full of opportunity. 

Monday, February 11, 2013

Media Buying & Opportunity

There is more to media advertising than meets the eye. A large portion of successful media begins with media buys and eventually sales. According to the textbook there are three basic job functions when it comes to buying and selling media.

1) Media Planning (creating a successful plan)
2) Media Buying (buying media that will work for your demographic)
3) Media Sales  (presenting information to media buyers)


Out of Home

I'm going to focus mainly on the buying aspect of media in this blog. We have spent a lot of time in class focusing on the media buying aspect especially out of home advertising. According to president of choice media in Amarillo, TX, Brad Tully OOH media has one of the fastest growing rates each year at 8.2% increase per year. It comes in second to internet which has a growing rate of 11% per year. OOH media is endless in the opportunities it creates, it's allows for a variety of buying options and can be "personally" tailored to meet clients.

The Buy

The textbook states how crucial the actual media buy itself is. The whole point of the buy is to target specific media that will effectively carry out the media plan. The textbook goes on to say that it's very important to have good skills in analysis and negotiation when making the buy. This way it's easier to find better prices for the client's money. Media buying seems to be an art in and of itself and is crucial to the industry. OOH seems to be one of the areas where media buying is definitely excelling. Choice Media is one of the local Amarillo companies that is making huge strides in making buys and taking on clients and advertising in creative ways. OOH gives the opportunity for more creativity and unique ads for clients. Choice Media specializes in billboards, directories and banners in the Texas area. They are a perfect example of a company making smart local media buys for clients. http://www.choicemedia.biz/


Creative billboard advertising

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Make it or Break it

Media lives and dies by its audience.

Media is all connected and influences each other. But audiences make it or break it
Audiences "make or break it" for media. In all forms.

Culture's Influence

 Without an audience media wouldn't exist or have the impact that it does in daily life. I'll be completely honest, I really wasn't sure what media measurements were prior to researching it and I never thought about how crucial ratings are to media's existence. I think the biggest challenge today for media is adapting to how consumers view or utilize the content. For example, it's much more common in today's culture to watch TV from a mobile phone or the internet than from an actual television screen. That changes ratings and how ratings are measured. For the purpose of this blog I'm going to focus mainly on television measurements.

Television (Nielson Media Research)

Network television viewings are managed by the Nielson Media Research measurement service. They use a people meter; a meter that is attached to about 5,000 homes across the country, every time someone tunes into a program it's measured and tells the network. This whole idea of being "measured" is crazy. It's like a whole new world I never knew existed! According to the Strategic Media Decisions textbook 2nd edition, the findings from the meters are used to project program ratings, audience size and characteristics for network shows. According to the textbook there has been some controversy with Nielson and their practices, evidence has shown that their ratings measure programs and not commercials. The whole point is for advertising commercials to be seen and truthfully how many people really sit and watch commercials? (unless it's Super Bowl Sunday!) The textbook also states that advertisers spent between $60 and $70 billion on television ads alone. Quite a bit of money for commercials! Personally, I know I am not one to watch commercials, I change the channel as soon as an ad shows up. 

Problems?

The textbook mentions some issues that Nielson has with their measurements and the impact of them. Truthfully, I think there are some good points that get brought up. (all of these points come from the textbook which was published in 2008 so these issues are pulled from that year)

1) In 2008, Nielson was making some changes in how they used their meters, every change that is made in how viewings are measured has a great impact. It can increase ratings or decrease them. This begs the question, can a measurement company "play" or "tweak" the viewings to their benefit so they can spend more money on advertising? How reliable are the ratings? 

2) In some cases, it's programs that are rated not commercials. The commercials is what is advertised not the actual network show. People (like myself) are more than capable of tuning into their program and as soon as a commercial comes on they change the channel. But because of how Nielson measures the ratings the meters count when a remote clicks into a channel even if it's when the program is on. Not the commercial. This leads to another question, are advertisers really utilizing their money wisely on where they place ads?

I don't have answers to these questions but they're very thought provoking about how reliable the measurements truly are. I just thought it was interesting and definitely made me think beyond just retaining information! I also think it can help us get more creative in how we advertise and where commercials are placed! 

Changing Times

I think it's interesting to also consider the changing times that we live in now as it relates to media. According to a study on Nielson's website they show this image which states that only 50% of viewers actually view programs from a television. 30% use a computer or a mobile device, 9% use mobile and 11% watch TV and use mobile. Half only watch TV from their homes. I think that definitely influences ratings because there's more to measure than just homes. In my mind, media is the best industry because it constantly evolves to match the changing times.

Nielson's website has this information on their website, the top 10 television shows (prime time) each week. A great resource for advertisers and knowing where ads fit! http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/top10s/television.html

Audiences make or break media. The industry is a puzzle of constantly evolving and adapting to ever changing viewing audiences and achieving success.


Saturday, January 26, 2013

The "Big" Stage

Ravens' Quarterback Joe Flacco

49ers Quarterback Colin Kapernick 

49ers 

Vs.

Ravens





Football's Biggest Stage

February might mean the hope of spring for some people, or basketball season beginning in full swing, but for people like me, it means the Super Bowl and all the hype that comes with it. As a true football fanatic, everything about the sport's biggest game excites me. The ads, the players, teams, coaches and fans. The game has evolved into a part of America's culture. The Super Bowl is where dreams are captured or lost, it's where football players compete for sport's immortality. I love everything about it. This weekend on Feb 3rd, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens will get the chance to play on football's biggest stage and become a part of one of the biggest media events of our culture. It truly has become more than a game. It's a time for ordinary men to chase greatness, and for dreams to come true. It's also when media is shown at its finest through commercials, sports commentaries, coverage and advertising. It's greatness.

The Commercials & Hype

The Super Bowl is by far more than just a game. Not only do sports teams get to compete for glory but media takes on a whole new competitive edge. The hype is unmatched. The commercials themselves are their own form of a "super bowl" it's like the media is competing in its own game to win the public's attention. It's gotten increasingly more and more expensive (almost outrageously in my opinion, but of course that's what keeps the industry in business) as the years have gone by. According to a website called "Business Insider" in the sports page section, 1995 was the first year the a 30 second super bowl commercial slot cost $1 million! Since then it's increased to $3 million last year! This picture breaks down the costs from year to year for a 30 second slot.
Super Bowl Ad costs throughout the years.

Okay, so now that there's this breakdown chart of what the Super Bowl ads cost. Here lies the question. Why? What's the point? Well, the Huffington Post states that last year's game was one of the highest rated with 111.3 million tuning in for the major sporting event. The four quarters of football clearly have become one of the best advertising outlets for media today. With that many viewers how can media not get their message across? It's really a perfect sales pitch if you ask me. Personally, I am WAY more likely to pay attention to commercials when it's during my favorite game of the year cheering on some men in football uniforms!

Media's Big Stage    

The Super Bowl is immortal. It idolizes the players who play the game, the coaches who teach it and the commercials that help make the game complete. Media doesn't only use their ads as a way to capture the game but the coverage and commentators. I think in a lot of ways the Super Bowl demands attention and the audiences are way more likely to pay attention during those ads then any other day. It's the biggest stage for football, sports and media. It's immortalizes those involved. One of our biggest days in America. I mean every Super Bowl Sunday, my phone is turned off and I am locked in for the duration of that game. It's like time stops. Maybe that makes me  a crazy sports fan or maybe I'm just one of the millions who get caught up in all the "hype." 


I don't think any Super Bowl blog post would be complete without some commercials. Without further ado here is the top ten Super Bowl commercials from 2011 on superbowlcommercials.com. I have to say endless entertainment! It's not all about football on Super Bowl day! http://www.superbowl-commercials.org/2873.html

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Through the Years

    Media is a crucial part of our culture, especially social media. It's become our way of communicating and truthfully it's become one of the most persuasive and influential aspects of our society. We thrive off of staying "in the know" and having information at a moment's notice.

   Media and our culture wasn't always this way, we used to be elated over talking on the telephone or listening to a radio broadcast. A textbook called Strategic Media Decisions explains major changes that media has experienced through the years. It's changed, it is more accessible and it's a social outlet as well as an information source. We survive off of media. Through the years it's evolved from creating the printing press to Facebook, and Twitter taking over. In a lot of ways, media has become more and more influential.

   I will be the first to admit I love media and social media specifically. I love having access to information in the blink of an eye and I love the "popularity" social media gives you. However, I do think that media has more of an influence now than it ever did years ago. Today, advertisements, daily news, and television have become major ways of influencing homes and decisions. A yahoo article called "media influence in our society," talks about how our culture is so accustomed to technology, and media and the way it is a major aspect of our society. It's ironic how something like the printing press opened the door for mass media becoming en-grained in our everyday lives. We can't even turn on the tv or listen to the radio without media having some impact on thought or action.

  I love media. I love that it impacts our culture, however sometimes it's interesting to take a look back through the years and see how media has developed into a major aspect of our culture.

This youtube video really captures where media started and what it has evolved to throughout the years and paints a picture of how much of an influence it has over our society. We thrive off of media and our culture has been built around it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm5Zgkwnp_g