May 5, 2010 by Peter Koeppel.

Hulu.com’s three-year-old platform for watching online media has turned into one of the most successful attempts to bring TV to the web – even if its advertising platform has often struggled to keep up with demand as viewers surged from 580 million to 1.01 billion in the short span of time between September and December of 2009.

Looks like that advertising problem might have been the dealbreaker for Viacom. The company announced that it would pull its extremely popular comedy shows “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” from Hulu.com, and carried through on its intentions on March 9th, after warning Hulu viewers that their shows would no longer be available on the website.

There’s no word on whether Hulu will take a hit in advertising revenue from this split; the two shows were some of the most-watched on the website, and users have already been expressing dismay at their removal.

Both Hulu and Viacom sources are claiming that the split was completely amicable, and that they are in talks for some future deals. That may be so; after all, Hulu is directing viewers to Viacom’s websites, where full episodes of both shows are still streaming live.

However, until the advertising problem can be worked out, it’s likely that Hulu will be a little less funny for the foreseeable future.

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December 22, 2009 by Peter Koeppel.

TV commercials for prescription drugs are fairly common, usually tailing out with a brief warning to “ask your doctor if X drug is right for you.”

The short spots often focus on sexual or extremely personal problems, like sexual impotency or restless bladder syndrome. They usually ask a few questions too, like “do you have problems with those intimate moments?” or “aren’t you tired of going to the bathroom several times a night?”

The answers to those questions are getting dangerous, or so say representatives in Congress. They’ve introduced a new bill, called the Say No to Drug Ads Act, which prevents pharmaceutical companies from deducting the cost of direct-to-consumer drug ads as a business expense.

The bill may hope to discourage these ads from appearing altogether. Congressmen are concerned that many people are self-diagnosing ailments using the suggestive language from these ads and insisting that their doctors prescribe the medication recommended by the commercial.

However, that is not the stated intention of the bill. Supporters say that the bill simply hopes to end tax breaks for companies who advertise drugs on television, and that there will be stricter regulations about how they appeal to their target markets so there is no deceptive information given, nor important information left out.

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November 3, 2009 by Peter Koeppel.

As movies, TV shows, the news, and homemade videos continue to stream free and often commercial-free online, the idea that television is on the way out has occurred to more than a few marketers.

This attitude is reinforced by the recent innovations in social media, which have often been far more effective in conversion dollar for dollar than TV ads.

Yes, there is hope for TV
However, there’s still hope for television, and there’s reason to believe it’ll hold out for quite awhile longer. For one thing, there’s the community factor. There are certain TV shows that people watch as events, such as sporting events or American Idol.

People enjoy being a part of the group, and they don’t want to miss it and watch later. They want to see it now, along with all the other fans.

The problem television is facing is the ability to adapt to the needs of people who do want to watch later. Instead of having those people look up those videos on DVD, some companies are looking to options online for capturing those audiences and keeping TV relevant, like the streaming-video site Hulu, which features full-length shows, movies and – most significantly for television producers – ads.

Television will stick around as long as we feel the need for community, which is probably forever. The question is how it will shape and change around the other new innovations that crop up.

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September 29, 2009 by Peter Koeppel.

The iPhone is undeniably a status symbol, but it may also be a marketer’s dream. Several major companies including Burger King Holdings Inc. and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. are using the iPhone to promote their products.

One of the most innovative ways these companies are using the iPhone is through the purchasable and optional applications available for the device. Instead of standard mobile advertising, which can involve a banner ad on the regular screen or a tagline following a text message, companies are now crafting ads that can be disguised as applications.

Users can play games or manipulate images on the iPhone, and the applications can be very popular. If the application is also completely saturated with a company’s advertising, they reach their consumer.

The big challenge? Creating an application that’s compelling enough to stand out among thousands of others. If consumers can get the same game without advertising, they will. It means that companies may be investing some of their marketing budget into figuring out ways to entertain their customers as well as entice them

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July 10, 2009 by Peter Koeppel.

Best Buy’s getting a quick shot of schadenfreude this year as its major competitor, Circuit City, goes under.

But today’s victor can quickly become tomorrow’s vanquished, and they’re working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen as they come up against a new player in their field – Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart wasn’t as big of a threat to Best Buy until the recent recession started to push buyers to seek better deals on their electronics, even if they had to compromise on knowledgeable customer service and warranties – the things that have kept Best Buy customers loyal until now.

Wal-Mart’s bumping up its selection of televisions, video games and mobile phones, which is making Best Buy nervous that their newfound Circuit City customers may go straight to a new competitor.

With customers nationwide tightening their belts, Best Buy is working hard to make sure they can offer a shopping experience that’s worth the extra investment. Best Buy banks on customers needing the expertise that their customer service reps can offer as they try to figure out which of their hundred new cell phone options is best for them. We’ll see if that’s the sort of experience that money can’t buy.

If not, Best Buy may be defeated before the shine has even worn off its winner’s belt.

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November 20, 2008 by Peter Koeppel.

Research and Analysis of Media (RAM) has already proven how effective mobile advertising is with its study (Mobile  online advertising).

Clearly, mobile devices have become a media goldmine – and this is just the beginning.

Paran Johar, CMO of JumpTap, a leading mobile search and advertising solutions provider, says this: “With mobile advertising slated to reach $2.7 billion in 2008 and $19 billion by 2012, now is the opportune time for advertisers to integrate mobile in their media buying mix.”

Connecting with consumers through their mobile devices. Increasing digital technology is offering consumers more control over their media usage. Media buyers and planners are using mobile advertising to maintain a connection with consumers.

DRTV partners with mobile advertising. Even DRTV advertising campaigns will become part of these mobile campaigns.

Advertisers can share information and instructions with consumers via SMS (text messaging). One vendor in particular, TVi Media, is hard at work with 5th Finger, an Australian based mobile marketing and technology firm, creating a system that will allow DRTV advertising to link to multiple cell phone carriers so that consumers can place orders directly from their phones instead of calling a 1-800 number call center.

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October 5, 2008 by Peter Koeppel.

If you have a product or service that you want others to know about, consider using infomercials as a way to educate consumers and convince them to purchase from you.

An experienced infomercial consultant can make sure your campaign is profitable… Someone who is experienced in the world of infomercials can guide you throughout the process of launching a successful infomercial campaign. This infomercial expert will advise you about which local and national networks and time slots will reach more of your target audience to ensure that your infomercial campaign is profitable.

For instance, your consultant might suggest a mix of local broadcast stations with national cable and satellite networks to ensure that your audience has an opportunity to learn all about your product or service.

An experienced infomercial consultant should understand your product or service and have some prior experience consulting others with similar products or services. For example, if you are selling a cleaning product, your consultant should have a successful track record with similar products in that “space.”

Keep your eyes on the competition… A seasoned infomercial consultant should research your competition and their infomercials to find out what channels and time slots they use. This knowledge can help you develop a strategy that works best for your campaign.

Of course, an infomercial consultant with strong negotiating skills is essential. Your consultant should be able to secure the best time slots to help you reach the most consumers for the best rates possible.

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September 5, 2008 by Peter Koeppel.

Advertisers looking to reach their target consumers are finding it necessary to diversify their marketing strategy beyond television advertising.

Getting to the right audience in a timely and valuable (in the audience’s eyes) way is more important than ever. Consumer expectations as far as the information they want and need are higher than ever—thanks to the Internet.

Advertisers can no longer rely on one means of advertising, such as television advertising, to effectively reach their target audience. They are also using and reaping the benefits of blogs, link exchanges and search engine advertising methods (among others). These promotional techniques work well when mixed with television advertising and other direct campaigns.

More than one at once. Most people are accustomed to receiving their information simultaneously from at least two different sources, including the Internet, and mobile technology makes this even easier.

Go mobile. Consumers are relying more and more on mobile networks and mobile technology to connect to the Internet while on the go.

Google, for one, is positioning itself as a leader in mobile advertising. “Over time, we will make more money from mobile advertising,” said Eric Schmidt, the CEO of the search giant, who added that that mobile advertising could soon overshadow the PC market in terms of reach and prevalence.

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May 13, 2008 by Peter Koeppel.

The facts are amazing: Even though women still earn less money than their male counterparts (78 cents for every dollar a man gets), women make more than 80 percent of the buying decision in all homes. No wonder infomercial advertisers strive to capture the attention of females. But what complicates matters for marketers is how women shop. Unlike men, women research items more extensively and are less likely to be influenced by ads. This means marketers need to fine-tune their advertising messages and be seen in marketing venues that women deem credible.
 
Today, companies are paying more attention to the style and form of their products in an effort to appeal to women, and marketers are shifting away from only running television ads in favor of promotional efforts in venues women trust, such as reviews in women’s magazines and spots on TV shows like Oprah and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
 
Such activities prove that marketing today is getting more fragmented. What used to work in the past won’t necessarily work today. So in order to have your product or service reach the female market-even if it’s not a female-oriented product-you need to view marketing a bit differently than you did a few years ago.
 
A recent article in Advertising Age magazine details how women spend their leisure time. In it, columnist Mike Vorhaus asked women of all ages to identify from a list of activities their favorite leisure activity. What he found in the female category impacts all drtv advertisers who have a product that targets women-or who simply want to get a piece of the buying power that women possess.

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March 12, 2008 by Peter Koeppel.

Tracking the use of online campaigning by this year’s presidential candidates is seemingly a loss cause. The prevalence of social networking, viral video and blogs makes it nearly impossible to gauge, until later and perhaps after-the-fact, the impact the Internet has had (or will have) on this year’s election.

(Even four years ago, would anyone have known or even imagined a CNN presidential debate in which Facebook or You Tube figured so prominently?)

A recent report by ClickZ.com says that the use of measurable online campaign methods, such as paid display advertising, is on the rise. Since about January 2007, presidential candidates have been using the Internet and Internet ad space as means of reaching out to potential voters.

The amount of campaign dollars put towards the online effort is still low in comparison to traditional efforts such as broadcast advertising and television ads.

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