Gary Dahl. Advertising for Dummies
Подождите немного. Документ загружается.
Remember: Consistency is the key. You can run ads one week a month, if
that’s what you can afford — as long as you stick with it.
In addition to frequency, you want to analyze your ad’s effectiveness in terms
of reach, the number of people who are exposed to your messages over the
course of your radio schedule. Reach, when revealed to you by a station, is
usually shown as a percentage, not a number. For example, if your schedule
shows a reach of 5 percent men between 25 and 34 years of age, then that
value is the percentage of all the men ages 25 to 34 within your market whom
you are reaching with your schedule.
Taking Advantage of Seasonal
Incentives to Reduce Your Costs
From October through December of each year, radio stations enjoy multi-
millions of dollars in additional revenue from political, automotive, and retail
holiday season advertising. Between politicians attempting to get elected, car
dealers trying to clear inventory, and every retail store in the known universe
hoping to get a piece of the holiday shopping pie, broadcast sales reps can
just sit in their cubicles and answer the phone. As a matter of fact, most sta-
tions become so saturated with advertising that they’re literally sold out —
meaning you can’t get a new commercial on the air even if you want to. This
feeding frenzy also results in sky-high advertising rates for the final quarter of
each year.
212
Part III: Buying the Different Media
Convincing customers within the 72-hour window
Why do you suppose so many car dealer ads
are on the radio (or any other advertising
medium, for that matter)? It’s because car deal-
ers understand and endorse the concept of fre-
quency, because of what they call the
72-hour
window.
What is a 72-hour window? Car deal-
ers know that when a person, any person, finally
decides to buy a new car, he buys that new car
within 72 hours of making the decision to do so.
Remember how hard it was as a child (or maybe
still) to wait for your birthday? Well, we’re all still
kids at heart, and we want instant gratification.
It’s because of the 72-hour window that car
dealers need a continual radio presence.
For example, Bob finally decides to buy a new
car. Prior to making that buying decision, every
dime that every car dealer spent on advertising
was wasted on Bob, because Bob wasn’t in the
market for a new car, and he ignored all those
car ads. And after Bob has purchased his new
car, every dime that every dealer spends on
advertising once again is wasted on Bob. But,
while Bob’s 72-hour buying window is open,
every dealer needs to be on the air in case Bob
tunes in and happens to hear one of their com-
mercials. That’s why you hear so much car
advertising on the radio. All those car dealers
are waiting for Bob to make up his mind.
20_045833 ch14.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 212
But, at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, the worm turns. And that’s
the time when smart advertisers negotiate some very attractive deals with
stations. Broadcasters know that first-quarter ad dollars are harder to come
by. The competition gets fierce, and stations have to work harder for their
money. It’s first-quarter incentive time — the mother lode for businesses
looking to save money on ads.
Nearly all radio and TV stations offer first-quarter incentive packages. These
packages take many forms, but usually involve the following:
Free commercials. (Buy one spot, get two spots free!)
Promotions. (Buy a January schedule at full price, get February and
March schedules for half price!)
All-expense-paid trips to destinations around the world. (Spend a cer-
tain amount over the three-month period and fly off to Europe, Mexico,
or Hawaii!)
The variations on the incentives are endless, but the bottom line is simple:
During the first quarter, you can get a lot more bang for your buck. And
people don’t quit listening to radio on the first day of January, so taking
advantage of what the stations have to offer makes sense.
Stretch your budget to the max during this new-year bonanza. If you’re
paying $150 per spot but getting another spot for free, you’re actually paying
only $75 per spot — which means you’re getting twice the impressions for
half the usual price. And, don’t forget: Radio is a frequency medium. It takes
three or four of your commercials heard by the same person to make an
impression, so the more spots you can run the better.
If, after your first quarter ad schedule has run and been paid for, you get to
board a plane for a week or more of free rest and relaxation at some exotic
resort or European capitol . . . well, you deserve it for being so darned smart!
Advertising agencies as well as its clients can earn free trips via first-quarter
incentives. My staff, our clients, and I have traveled all-expenses-paid (air,
luxury hotels, and most meals) to London, Paris, Hong Kong, Africa, Hawaii,
Mexico, and New Zealand. We’ve even cruised down the Danube River
through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary — all in return for buying
first-quarter radio or television-broadcast packages. Hey, you’re probably
going to spend the money anyway. Why not get something extra in return?
If a client incentive package is offered to you, and if you can afford to commit
to an extended contract, grab it. Stretch your budget while taking advantage
of some great deals and wonderful trips. You deserve it.
213
Chapter 14: Purchasing Ad Time on the Radio
20_045833 ch14.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 213
214
Part III: Buying the Different Media
20_045833 ch14.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 214
Chapter 15
Getting Your Ads on Television
In This Chapter
Paying attention to the programs you advertise in and the audience you reach
Using stations’ media kits to evaluate your TV advertising options
Negotiating 101: Knowing your TV marketing terms
Working out the details with the sales rep to get a contract you can both agree on
Figuring out whether cable advertising is worth your time and money
T
V advertising still takes the lion’s share of advertising. According to
Advertising Age’s survey of U.S. ad spending in 2004, companies spent
about 25 percent of their budgets on TV. Keep in mind, though, that number
breaks down into 17.5 percent for broadcast (network and local) TV and 8.2
percent for cable TV. And the largest companies in the United States typically
spent much of this money, because they’re trying to reach the largest possi-
ble market. Nevertheless, many small businesses are also interested in adver-
tising on TV: You just need to find the best network to advertise on!
And that’s not as easy as it sounds: Buying an advertising schedule on televi-
sion is an increasingly confusing proposition. Where can you find the most
viewers? Where should you spend your money? The television audience has
fragmented because of the hundreds of choices available with broadcast,
cable, and satellite-dish technologies. The major networks’ share of total
viewing audience has been shrinking for a long time, and few see any reason
to expect the erosion to reverse. No single network, station, or program
seems to dominate anymore — people simply have too many viewing
choices. Viewers can choose among the big four networks (ABC, CBS, NBC,
and FOX), independent stations, and the numerous channels offered by cable
and satellite systems. The Internet, DVDs, VCRs, and on-demand systems like
TiVo are also vying for viewers’ attention and siphoning them away from TV.
21_045833 ch15.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 215
Consumers now have such a mind-boggling variety of choices that reaching
audiences in large numbers is nearly impossible (unless you have unlimited
funds, and even then you have no guarantee). As a matter of fact, it’s not only
difficult to reach viewers in large numbers, it’s getting more challenging to
find them in large numbers. The uncertainty of where to locate substantial
numbers of television viewers has even professional media buyers confused.
Fortunately, millions and millions of people watch TV every day and every
night — even if they’re not all watching the same programs! In fact, according
to A.C. Neilsen Co. (which tracks TV viewing patterns), the average American
still spends at least 4 hours a day watching TV, and the TV is on for an aver-
age of 6 hours and 47 minutes each day in a U.S. household. And even though
some viewers tune out the commercials (either literally or electronically), TV
advertising can still offer you opportunities to reach consumers like no other
ad medium. You just have to find the right place for your commercial, where
you’re most likely to reach the customers you want to attract.
If you think that advertising on TV can benefit your business (and if your ad
bucks are burning a hole in your pocket), you need to find a reasonable share
of the total television-viewing audience (especially in the demographic group
you’re after), combined with affordable advertising rates somewhere in your
local television market. In this chapter, I help you do exactly that.
Buying the Programming,
Not the Station
Virtually every TV station offers at least a few programs that deliver to your
target audience. Unlike radio, in which each station delivers pretty much the
same type of listener throughout the day (see Chapter 8), television demo-
graphics vary widely from program to program. Think about your own TV-
viewing habits, and you can see what I mean. The same station that airs
college football all day on weekends also airs a three-hour block of soap
operas during the day on weekdays — and those who watch the former
probably don’t watch the latter.
Don’t get locked into thinking of television in terms of stations. Think instead
in terms of programs and types of audience. If you have several stations in
your market, you may find that the best way to reach your target audience is
to buy one or two programs on each station.
216
Part III: Buying the Different Media
21_045833 ch15.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 216
Depending on the size of your media market, you may likely find that if a
show won a Golden Globe or Emmy Award, you probably can’t afford it.
Commercials on the top-rated sitcoms and dramas can be very expensive,
even on a local level. But don’t despair: You can find some affordable time
slots in and around well-watched programming — affordable enough to give
you a presence in your local market even though your ad budget may not be
quite as large as that of General Motors or Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
If, on the other hand, you’re situated in a smaller advertising market, you
may indeed find that prime-time programming fits neatly within your budget
parameters. The smaller the market, the cheaper the spots.
By doing just a bit of research, you may also find that cable stations and
independent stations (those stations not affiliated with major networks),
offer a good variety of programming with both loyal audiences and reason-
able spot costs. For example:
Your local network-affiliate TV stations have affordable early-morning
talk shows and morning news programs with good ratings and loyal
viewers.
Daytime soaps and talk shows, especially if your target demographic is
women, are a great buy.
The early-evening local news and early fringe can bring you a good
return on a modest investment. For example, my agency runs commer-
cials on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune on the San Francisco ABC-TV
affiliate for very reasonable prices as part of a larger buy.
You’re buying the programs and the audience, not the stations. So, be sure
your target market is clearly defined before you contact the TV stations in
your market.
Comparing TV Stations:
Request Media Kits
Contact the TV stations in your area and request a media kit. This kit is basi-
cally a brochure package with general information on the station, such as the
following:
Coverage area
Programming strengths
217
Chapter 15: Getting Your Ads on Television
21_045833 ch15.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 217
Special programming they’re known for
History in the market
Other sales-type information
Be sure the media kit includes a program listing, usually called a program
grid. This listing can give you an idea what types of programs the station airs
throughout the day. When you’ve reviewed this information, and given your-
self a brief overview of the station and its programming, you’re better pre-
pared to have a serious meeting with the station sales rep.
When you’re thinking about buying ads on TV, talk to more than one station,
if you have that option. Not only will you have a basis for comparison, but
you’re also more likely to encounter a sales rep you really like. And working
with a sales rep you like is important, because station sales reps can be your
greatest source of information. (Be sure to check out the section in this chap-
ter, “Working with a Sales Rep.”)
When you’re evaluating TV stations, don’t assume you’re comparing apples
to apples. Television stations have a wide variety of ways to present their
audience figures. The two most-common numbers you may see are:
Household ratings: How many individual households with TV sets are
tuned into a particular station
Demographic ratings: How many people within certain demographic
groups are tuned into the station
Stations sometimes use household ratings because they look so much
larger — households usually consist of multiple individuals in a variety of
different demographic groups all lumped together. However, if your target
demographic is women between the ages of 25 and 54, what difference does it
make to you how many households you’re reaching? You just want to be sure
you’re reaching the women in your target demographic. Whenever possible,
be sure you’re looking at the ratings for your target demographic, and if the
proposal isn’t clear, ask.
Ready to Negotiate? Better Know
Your TV Marketing Terms First!
When you’re considering buying or are already buying TV advertising, you
should know that TV stations and their reps use a lot of technical jargon
(yes — you can go ahead and roll your eyes). And if you’re working with
218
Part III: Buying the Different Media
21_045833 ch15.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 218
more than one station, and the stations become more competitive with one
another, they begin bombarding you with more and more detailed ratings
information. This research data they share with you is designed to show their
stations in the best possible light, while making the competing stations look
inferior. So you need to have a basic understanding of what stations are pre-
senting to you and where these numbers come from.
In the following sections, you can master the ad lingo — from sweeps to
shares — to get the TV advertising your business really needs.
Understanding timing and sweeps
Unlike radio, which is measured almost continuously, TV audiences are mea-
sured primarily four times per year. The four ratings periods are February,
May, July, and November. These periods of measurement are called sweeps,
with May and November being the most important.
The top-ten national markets (New York City; Los Angeles; Chicago;
Philadelphia; San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose area; Boston; Dallas/Fort
Worth area; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; and Atlanta, in that order) are also
measured in January and October as well. Selected top markets are also
metered, which means that audiences are measured on a daily basis via
reports called overnights. (The overnights let you know whether the latest
reality show beat out that high-rated sitcom last night.)
However, in most markets, television has to live and die by the basic four
measurement periods (the sweeps), during which networks air their best pro-
gramming and local stations promote themselves most heavily. That’s why
you rarely see reruns during the sweeps periods. Sweeps months are when
the TV stations pull out all the stops, bringing you all-new episodes of your
favorite shows.
Measuring ratings and market shares
A.C. Nielsen is the company responsible for collecting TV-ratings data in
nearly every market across the country. It does so through diaries — books
that members of randomly selected households complete, listing which
shows they watched and when.
219
Chapter 15: Getting Your Ads on Television
21_045833 ch15.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 219
Nielsen also uses meters, which are electronic devices attached to a ran-
domly selected number of televisions across the country. Meters measure
whether the TV is on or off and keep track of which stations people in the
home view. Meters are only capable of providing household information on
what programs the occupants watch, because the meters have no way to
determine which household member is actually watching. Nielsen collects
the specific demographic information through the diaries (still, believe it or
not!). Some televisions are even equipped with people meters, electronic gad-
gets activated by individuals in the household when they’re watching televi-
sion and deactivated when they turn the darn thing off.
In any given market, the total number of persons or households with access
to television is referred to as the universe. Nielsen describes the viewing
levels as HUT (short for homes using television) and PUT (short for persons
using television). So, if someone were to say, “Television rates drop in the
summer because of the decrease in HUT,” it would mean that, in the summer,
fewer homes are using TV, and people are watching TV for fewer hours
each day.
When stations present their numbers to you, the data is most likely in one of
two forms: ratings or shares. In the following sections, I describe both of
these terms.
Shares
A share is a station’s percentage of the television audience at a specific time.
For example, if a station shows you an 8 share for men 25 to 54, for its 11:00
p.m. newscast, you know that of all the men between the ages 25 and 54 who
are watching television at 11:00 p.m., 8 percent of them are watching that
particular station’s news.
Ratings
Rating is a station’s percentage of the overall universe, whether they’re
watching TV at that precise time or not. For example, if a station says its
11:00 p.m. news program delivers a 2 rating for men 25 to 54, then of all the
men between the ages of 25 and 54 in the survey universe, 2 percent watch
the 11:00 p.m. news on that station.
Ratings for individual stations can be expressed either as a percentage (2 per-
cent of all men ages 25 to 54) or as a real number (7,500 men ages 25 to 54),
but share is always a percentage. Because rating relates to the entire TV-
viewing universe, and because share relates to the HUTs or PUTs, the share
percentage is always larger. So if you compare one station’s share to another
station’s ratings, you’re comparing apples to rutabagas, and can’t get an
accurate picture. As much as possible, you want to be sure you’re comparing
the same measurement on each station.
220
Part III: Buying the Different Media
21_045833 ch15.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 220
Sourcing: Taking shares and ratings one step further
To get even more technical, stations source (or survey) their audience infor-
mation in one of three ways. Here is a brief outline of each:
Actual: This number is exactly as Nielsen research reports it. If a station
gives you a February Actual, then the number came from the most-
recent February rating book.
Projection: This number is adjusted based on a standard mathematical
formula, which is the same at every station. A projection is the HUT or
PUT level from the time of year you’re planning to advertise multiplied
by the share percentage from the most recent book. Professional media
buyers and stations often use this number, called a PJ (short for projec-
tion), and they consider PJ a good measurement because it utilizes the
most-recent information but adjusts the data to the time of the year to
account for seasonal variances in the viewing audience.
Estimates: Estimates can literally be anything. If a station has a new pro-
gram, moves a program to a different time, is running a special, or just
feels it was shortchanged in the rating book, it uses an estimate. A sta-
tion presents an estimate as a number, footnoted with a lengthy ratio-
nale for why the station thinks the program will deliver that rating
number.
Unless estimates are all that’s available, I don’t recommend using these num-
bers in your research of stations. If an estimate is all you have, let the station
know that you will hold it to that estimated number. If the program falls short
in the next rating book, the station will need to air additional commercials for
you to make up the difference.
You may be wondering, “What would be a good rating? Can’t you give me a
guideline?” Unfortunately, because ratings and shares are percentages tied
to population and market competition, no guidelines work across the board.
In a market with lots of competition and a large population, ratings are
smaller than in a smaller market with fewer viewing choices. As you get
more comfortable comparing stations and programs using the information
provided in this chapter, you can soon get a feel for what constitutes good
ratings in your market.
Working with a Sales Rep
After you’ve looked through the media kits the stations in your area pro-
vided, and after you have some idea of the kinds of programs you want
to advertise on, arrange to meet with a sales rep from each station. This
221
Chapter 15: Getting Your Ads on Television
21_045833 ch15.qxp 11/22/06 3:45 PM Page 221