If the recent media hype is to be believed, from March 1st 2011 the world of online advertising will change forever. Our advice, however, it to take this slightly over-dramatic statement with a pinch of salt though, as it shouldn’t actually be changing too much at all!
The CAP (Committee of Advertising Practice) is enforcing legislature changes which will mean that any party advertising online will have to take full responsibility for that which they are saying. Any claims, statements or boasts which feature in an online environment now need to be substantiated, or at least be able to be validated. These rules specifically apply to web pages, emails or any other form of advertising in the digital arena for which the advertiser has paid, and thus has control.
The requirements which advertisers are now being encouraged (at least in the initial six months grace period) to follow are in fact nothing new. They are standards by which all offline advertising has had to adhere for years, and are being purely transposed across to online material. The majority of reputable marketers would previously have ensured that all of their marketing material had an element of consistency in any case, so most will already be acting in exactly this way. Those who are scrambling around to make the changes to meet the criteria changes are likely to be those who simply spotted the previous loophole. Unfortunately for them the game is up!
Obviously, best practice dictates that all marketing claims should be honest, factually accurate and verifiable, so most advertisers shouldn’t be making too many changes at all. Those who do have to make changes – you have six months before the CAP turn into a TOB (tonne of bricks)!
Alex Prout, Senior Digital Planner/Buyer
Wednesday 23 February 2011
Wednesday 16 February 2011
Sky Atlantic -More Repeats than an Onion Bhaji
Okay, the Dustin Hoffman promos were awful but fortunately it didn’t detract from the brilliant show opener, Boardwalk Empire.
On the face of it, Sky Atlantic’s attempt to increase subscribers with the lure of first rate US programmes is a really smart move. For advertisers, however, one problem is that, for many viewer, ad breaks will detract from the impact of the shows. One of the appeals of watching MadMen on BBC 4 is that there are no breaks.
But the real issue is the sheer volume of repeats. For a short time you can get away with repeats of really high quality new programmes when the broadcaster wants to give as many viewers as possible the opportunity to get hooked on a series. The problem with Sky Atlantic, however, is that the repeats are mostly based on ancient episodes of ER and less note worthy shows such as Star Trek Voyager which can be viewed elsewhere on satellite channels. Discerning audiences just become frustrated and bored when they have to sort the wheat from the chaff. I don’t believe you can base a channel on one great show. And Sky Atlantic will just be seen as a cynical marketing ploy sooner rather than later unless they change their game plan.
Ian Prager, Planning Partner
On the face of it, Sky Atlantic’s attempt to increase subscribers with the lure of first rate US programmes is a really smart move. For advertisers, however, one problem is that, for many viewer, ad breaks will detract from the impact of the shows. One of the appeals of watching MadMen on BBC 4 is that there are no breaks.
But the real issue is the sheer volume of repeats. For a short time you can get away with repeats of really high quality new programmes when the broadcaster wants to give as many viewers as possible the opportunity to get hooked on a series. The problem with Sky Atlantic, however, is that the repeats are mostly based on ancient episodes of ER and less note worthy shows such as Star Trek Voyager which can be viewed elsewhere on satellite channels. Discerning audiences just become frustrated and bored when they have to sort the wheat from the chaff. I don’t believe you can base a channel on one great show. And Sky Atlantic will just be seen as a cynical marketing ploy sooner rather than later unless they change their game plan.
Ian Prager, Planning Partner
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Hearst pays £559million for Lagadere’s International Magazine Portfolio.
Hearst Corporation has paid £559 million for Lagadere’s Magazine portfolio which includes a licensing agreement for Fashion Magazine ‘Elle’. The offer includes the sale of 102 Hachette Filipachacci titles such as ‘Inside Soap’, ‘Red’ and ‘Psychologies’. The deal also covers titles in 15 countries, including the UK, USA, Russia, The Soviet Union, Italy, Spain, China and Germany.
The most interesting part of this whole partnership though is the licensing of ‘Elle’ magazine. Lagadere has granted a license to Hearst for ‘Elle’ that will apply to magazines and all digital and audiovisual supports. In the UK, Hachette Filipachacci’s titles will be housed alongside those of the Hearst owned National Magazine Company. This will consolidate former fashion competitors ‘Elle’ and ‘Harpers’ Bazaar’ and will be pitched against other premium fashion magazines including Conde Naste’s ‘Vogue’ and will allow Hearst to have the biggest international presence of any consumer magazine publisher.
This co-operation of brands has aroused much discussion and opinion within both the media and the fashion world. Many have been asking how this will affect the brands of ‘Harpers’ Bazaar’ and ‘Elle’ and how will the takeover affect other high fashion and high society magazines like’ Vogue’, ‘Vanity Fair’ or ‘Glamour’. Media insiders, however, suggest that it might not have any effect at all and the competition will remain the same amongst the titles regardless of who the owner is. All the reader cares about is the content of the magazine. Ultimately both of the titles have strong established brands targeting different sections of the same interest market. Nicholas Coleridge, the MD at Conde Nast, speaking to Media Week, is not “anticipating any negative effect”. Both ‘Elle’ and ‘Harpers Bazaar’ are number 2 and 3 in the market and this will remain the same. People will not change allegiance just because the two are now batting for the same economic team. There is no talk of the publishers looking to ‘reinvent’ or change the titles in any way and, chances are that the readers won’t even be aware of a takeover, unless there is a price hike or the content changes.
Fashion aside, the biggest effect this acquisition will have is on Nat Mags & Hachette Filipacchi themselves; with a broader portfolio of well established titles this will mean the trading of advertising space will become easier. It will make the flow of conversation, planning and buying a lot swifter with one less buying point. The opportunities of cross selling will be vast for all the magazines and will no doubt only make the brands stronger and more integrated with time. However the main issue (in the short term) is the same with the advertiser as it is with the reader. Advertisers base their planning choices on the quality of the magazine and the relevancy of the readership, if this was to change then reconsiderations will be made, however until any evidence of any changes surface the high glossy, consumer magazine world will probably just continue to sashay along as usual!
The most interesting part of this whole partnership though is the licensing of ‘Elle’ magazine. Lagadere has granted a license to Hearst for ‘Elle’ that will apply to magazines and all digital and audiovisual supports. In the UK, Hachette Filipachacci’s titles will be housed alongside those of the Hearst owned National Magazine Company. This will consolidate former fashion competitors ‘Elle’ and ‘Harpers’ Bazaar’ and will be pitched against other premium fashion magazines including Conde Naste’s ‘Vogue’ and will allow Hearst to have the biggest international presence of any consumer magazine publisher.
This co-operation of brands has aroused much discussion and opinion within both the media and the fashion world. Many have been asking how this will affect the brands of ‘Harpers’ Bazaar’ and ‘Elle’ and how will the takeover affect other high fashion and high society magazines like’ Vogue’, ‘Vanity Fair’ or ‘Glamour’. Media insiders, however, suggest that it might not have any effect at all and the competition will remain the same amongst the titles regardless of who the owner is. All the reader cares about is the content of the magazine. Ultimately both of the titles have strong established brands targeting different sections of the same interest market. Nicholas Coleridge, the MD at Conde Nast, speaking to Media Week, is not “anticipating any negative effect”. Both ‘Elle’ and ‘Harpers Bazaar’ are number 2 and 3 in the market and this will remain the same. People will not change allegiance just because the two are now batting for the same economic team. There is no talk of the publishers looking to ‘reinvent’ or change the titles in any way and, chances are that the readers won’t even be aware of a takeover, unless there is a price hike or the content changes.
Fashion aside, the biggest effect this acquisition will have is on Nat Mags & Hachette Filipacchi themselves; with a broader portfolio of well established titles this will mean the trading of advertising space will become easier. It will make the flow of conversation, planning and buying a lot swifter with one less buying point. The opportunities of cross selling will be vast for all the magazines and will no doubt only make the brands stronger and more integrated with time. However the main issue (in the short term) is the same with the advertiser as it is with the reader. Advertisers base their planning choices on the quality of the magazine and the relevancy of the readership, if this was to change then reconsiderations will be made, however until any evidence of any changes surface the high glossy, consumer magazine world will probably just continue to sashay along as usual!
Wednesday 2 February 2011
Online Video 2011and Beyond …
Video content, including TV, dominates most people’s total media consumption time accounting for 40% of all media and communications used. According to PWC Media Research it is by far the largest media market on the planet.
In the past decade we have seen amazing growth of the online video sector illustrated by YouTube’s success. The site is growing by 13% year on year and is now reaching 17.5 m monthly unique users. Video search on YouTube accounts for 25% of all Google search queries in the US. In fact, if it were a standalone site, YouTube would be the second largest search engine after Google!
The importance of online video can no longer be ignored by advertisers and media owners, especially as it can allow them to reach a much younger audience and attract very high attention levels (second only to gaming). What is more, video offers lower rates and better targeting. The market saw substantial adoption in 2010 and some brands, such as Old Spice or Tipp-Ex, have really understood the value of video.
But it’s evident that advertisers have just got started. With scalability, optimisation, interactivity, personalisation, mobility and more features still on the horizon, this year’s journey in video will be even more impressive. Shishir Mehrotra, Director of Product Management at Google, predicts that “fragmentation will produce new opportunities for content producers, interactivity will allow for great advertisers to compete for attention with content, and convergence of video sources will ultimately lead to a better experience for viewers”.
Online video is about to go through its largest transition yet so watch out for some great video content in 2011!
Anna Zolkiewicz
Junior Analyst
In the past decade we have seen amazing growth of the online video sector illustrated by YouTube’s success. The site is growing by 13% year on year and is now reaching 17.5 m monthly unique users. Video search on YouTube accounts for 25% of all Google search queries in the US. In fact, if it were a standalone site, YouTube would be the second largest search engine after Google!
The importance of online video can no longer be ignored by advertisers and media owners, especially as it can allow them to reach a much younger audience and attract very high attention levels (second only to gaming). What is more, video offers lower rates and better targeting. The market saw substantial adoption in 2010 and some brands, such as Old Spice or Tipp-Ex, have really understood the value of video.
But it’s evident that advertisers have just got started. With scalability, optimisation, interactivity, personalisation, mobility and more features still on the horizon, this year’s journey in video will be even more impressive. Shishir Mehrotra, Director of Product Management at Google, predicts that “fragmentation will produce new opportunities for content producers, interactivity will allow for great advertisers to compete for attention with content, and convergence of video sources will ultimately lead to a better experience for viewers”.
Online video is about to go through its largest transition yet so watch out for some great video content in 2011!
Anna Zolkiewicz
Junior Analyst
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