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Thank You, Football and Christmas! Sincerely, Advertisers
August 25, 2011 | 10:48am
Originally appearing August 25, 2011 in MediaPost
The markets are up, then they drop, then they are back up and it looks like they are about to turn a corner and whoop—they drop again. This roller coaster has a lot of people worried. Advertisers are no exception. Basically, advertising doesn’t like change, it likes a trend.
When a company has uncertainty and just doesn’t know how to message, they simply don’t advertise. The recent weeks are an example of that uncertainty, and companies don’t know what is in store for them, so they don’t advertise.
It isn’t all doom and gloom for advertising and ad agencies.
STRATA Gears Up for The Cable Show
June 10, 2011 | 10:41am
The STRATA team is looking forward to attending the premier event for the cable industry, The Cable Show, on June 14-16. Hosted by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the event should prove to be compelling and will feature Oprah Winfrey in her first visit to the show, who will be interviewed by Paula Zahn about her career and the advent of her latest venture, the cable network OWN. Other notables in attendance will include Dr. Jill Biden and Chicago’s newly inaugurated Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
STRATA’s executives will be soaking in everything the conference has to offer and believe that, despite the challenges of a gradual recovery, the cable and advertising industries have much to feel good about. STRATA’s own system data reflect an industry that is making net gains:
Super Bowl Recap: Welcome Back Advertising Industry
February 16, 2011 | 2:27pm
(Originally printed in iMedia Connection)
As we slowly crawl out of one of the most devastating recessions in recent history, this year’s Super Bowl may have acted as a bellwether for our economic recovery. It signaled that a. consumers have regained some buying power b. automakers are recovering and c. advertising is back.
Automakers have been deathly quiet over the past few years, understandably more concerned with improving their balance sheets than creating entertaining advertisements. But there was a dramatic shift during this year’s Super Bowl, with nine different automotive companies dominating the evening. Chrysler, who almost completely disappeared from advertising in recent years, was seen throughout the night, spending close to 9 million dollars on an ad starring rap artist, Eminem. The advertisements themselves ranged from family fun, like Volkswagen’s adorable Darth Vader commercial, to Chrysler’s Glee advertisement, which succeeded in converting a few more “gleeks”. Overall, advertisements were noisy and filled with special affects, working hard to take advantage of the new economic climate.
World Series Ratings and Revenue Without the Yankees
October 27, 2010 | 11:32am
I was recently asked by a writer for the Hollywood Reporter about advertising for the World Series and how the absence of the Yankees will impact ad sales and viewership. Clearly, the Yankees would have been better for the series in this respect. They are from the biggest market and almost everybody roots for the Yankees or the team playing the Yankees. The Yankees also have a national following like the Cubs and the Braves.
That being said, there is a good story with Texas (who has never been in the World Series, let alone won a playoff series). The state of Texas will be watching, that will be certain. Plus, since the economy is much better in Texas, expect a good showing with local ads and support. An argument could be made that the opposite is true in San Francisco. There are five teams in California and the state’s economy is struggling. This is not as good a situation. So clearly, this series match-up may tend to tip towards Texas as far as the state that may benefit the most.
Under the Lights at Bloomberg TV
July 27, 2010 | 3:58pm
By now whether it was through our website, the Washington Post, YouTube or even live, many of you have watched my interview that was on Bloomberg TV. It was an interesting experience to be a guest on the In Business program. I’ll get more into that in a second. The main reason we were on the program was to talk to about our latest survey (www.gotostrata.com/news). Since we started doing these surveys at the end of 2008, we have noticed some interesting trends. Digital advertising has taken a big leap forward, TV remains tops, and agencies have gone from shedding employees to returning to a hiring process. We use this valuable information in many different ways. One, it helps us get a gauge of what our clients are going through – their struggles and successes. Two…
2009 Ended with a Rush to Advertise
January 05, 2010 | 5:46pm
Quality is quality. And when it comes to advertising everyone showed up in the 4th quarter buying quality media. Most media sellers reported surprisingly strong fourth quarter business. Surprising - because there were virtually no pre-sales.
Advertisers waited until the last minute, risking a sell out. And most of them were able to get their ads placed, this year.
Advertising Feast or Famine this Holiday Season?
December 04, 2009 | 10:37am
HDTV’s are cheap! There are also plenty of jewelry specials to be had. If you watched any television, listened to the radio or read any newspapers so far this holiday season, you have been inundated with advertisements. If you have ventured out shopping, you can tell that the advertising is working because the stores are packed. In a study by BDO Seidman, LLP, 19% of retailers have increased their advertising budgets…
Are We at a "V" or a "W", and Where Does Advertising Fit?
November 02, 2009 | 6:14pm
We are at a point in the recession where everyone is wondering: Are things better? In the economic cycle, are we going to have a “V” recovery or are we partway through a “W”? There are different parts of a recession – we just need to figure out which part we are in right now.
