| Today's Top Stories | | #1 | JCPenney Scraps Latest Logo, Reverts to Classic Look
| | | The financially troubled retail chain dumped the "fair and square" logo launched by former CEO Ron Johnson in March that simply employed letters JCP inside a box that was reminiscent of an American flag. Replacing it is a logo with the entire JCPenney name—a throwback to its previous logo. The classic logo will appear in TV spots and all other Penney marketing.
Why This Matters: When the retailer announced its new logo in March it called it "the most meaningful update to the company's logo in 40 years." But it failed to gain traction and Johnson departed. Penney research has found that its customers "overwhelmingly" prefer the new classic logo, and the chain is hoping it will help draw customers back into the stores.
A Take: Ad Age
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| | #2 | Digital Advertising Alliance To Form Its Own 'Do Not Track' Group
| | | After recently pulling out of the World Wide Web Consortium's Do Not Track group, DAA managing director Lou Mastria has announced the formation of an alternative group. "Rather than continue to work in a forum that has failed, we intend to commit our resources and time in participating in efforts that can achieve results while enhancing the consumer digital experience," Mastria says.
Why This Matters: The W3C Do Not Track unit has failed to make any meaningful progress in the Do Not Track arena and its membership is now voting on the future of it. Do Not Track is too important an issue for the ad industry to let fall by the wayside, letting the government come in to mandate legislation.
A Take: Adweek
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| | #3 | T-Mobile Enlists Shakira For Latest Marketing Campaign
| | | The Grammy-winning singer will tout a new unlimited international data service called Simply Global. T-Mobile announced the plan at an event featuring a performance by Shakira, who will hold the title of "T-Mobile collaborator," according to an Ad Age report.
Why This Matters: T-Mobile continues to scramble to make inroads into wireless sales of the Big Two—AT&T and Verizon. However, it will probably be the service, not the star, that brings customers in. Last year, BlackBerry enlisted Alicia Keys to help sell its phones and that marketing effort failed, resulting in a write down by the company of almost $1 billion for unsold inventory.
A Take: Ad Age
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#4 Wells Fargo Launches Creative Review (Adweek)
#5 WPP Rules Out Bid To Buy Sports Marketing Company IMG (Reuters)
#6 Dachis Group CEO Says Real-Time Marketing Is the Future (Ad Age)
#7 California Cracking Down On Illegal Outdoor Ads (MediaPost)
#8 Chevy Launches Major Marketing Campaign For Re-Engineered Malibu (Ad Age)
#9 'Bots' Responsible For 10%-20% Of Ads In Open X's Exchange (Digiday)
#10 Data Report Says Only 14% of Online Ads Are Seen (MediaPost)
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|  | • 15-17
Percentage range of TV viewers who are engaged in real-time socializing about TV shows, according to an eMarketer analysis of assorted surveys on the topic.
– Reported by eMarketer
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| | MBPT Spotlight | Real-Life Agency Creative Exec Not That Impressed With 'The Crazy Ones'
By John Consoli
CBS sitcom The Crazy Ones, with Robin Williams starring as the head of an independent creative ad agency with major clients such as McDonald's, has drawn lots of audience attention in its first two weeks, averaging about 13 million viewers so far—with at least one agency exec questioning the veracity of Williams' portrayal.
In the premiere episode, the agency is on the verge of losing the McDonald's account and Williams' character Simon Roberts and his daughter/partner Sydney (Sarah Michelle Gellar) team up to find a way to keep it. The episode opens with Williams in his office fighting a giant Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot and doing some typical weird voice shtick. Is he up to the task of saving the account by coming up with a rejuvenated jingle for the next McDonald's campaign?
He does manage to succeed—in his own unorthodox way, working with his more practical daughter.
While most of that episode's viewers seemed to enjoy it enough, with 11.7 million returning for the second episode (the premiere drew 15.5 million), what does the creative ad community think of this David E. Kelley comedy offering a glimpse of its profession?
Kinney Edwards, executive creative director at Tribal DDB, which actually has McDonald's as a client, says there's not much reality portrayed about real-life creative agencies in that first episode, which is the only one he's watched so far.
Edwards, who has spent the past six years in creative roles at Tribal and close to another decade at Ogilvy and McCann Erickson, says, "the work ethic on the show was all fun and games and didn't reflect the real-life efforts that it takes to come up with real solutions for clients."
While realizing it is a comedy and meant to be lighthearted and funny, Edwards says he hopes the series doesn't give the audience the impression that actually creating ad campaigns by real agencies is done so irreverently.
"I just hope viewers realize that this is just a comedy and not based on reality, because it makes light of the process and shortchanges the hard work creative agencies put in for each client," he says.
In what way does Edwards say the show hits the industry's efforts spot on? And how does The Crazy Ones compare to the AMC reality series The Pitch?
For more, click HERE
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| | Fates & Fortunes | • BOB KRAUT was named senior VP, chief marketing officer, at Papa John's. He succeeds Andrew Varga who departed earlier this year to become president of Zimmerman Advertising—the lead creative agency for Papa John's. Kraut was most recently senior VP, brand marketing and advertising, at Arby's, a post he left in May. He also held marketing positions at Pizza Hut and at General Motors.
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| | What They're Watching | BROADCAST RATINGS
'Tomorrow People' Premieres Solid; 'Arrow' Returns Down
The CW premiered new series The Tomorrow People to a solid rating Wednesday, matching what Supernatural debuted to in that time slot last year. In the net's targeted 18-34 demo, Tomorrow People was down three tenths from Supernatural. At 8 p.m., Arrow returned down from last year's premiere in 18-49s but was even with its finale. With 18-34s, Arrow was down three tenths. In its second week, ABC's Super Fun Night fell, leading out of Modern Family which was down as well. Earlier, The Middle fell a tenth and Back in the Game dropped. ABC tied with CBS for first in the demo. For CBS, Survivor dipped. Criminal Minds and CSI were also down. NBC, which came in fourth place, saw Ironside dip two tenths from last week's premiere. Earlier, Revolution was down, and Law & Order: SVU fell. Fox was in second as X Factor fell two tenths.
For more, click HERE
CABLE RATINGS
'Sons of Anarchy' Roars To Top Of Tuesday's Cable Ratings
FX's Sons of Anarchy finished at the head of the Tuesday cable pack, earning a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating and 4.5 million total viewers, according to live-plus-same-day numbers. TBS' broadcast of the MLB division series came in second among adults 18-49 with a 1.5 rating but knocked it out of the park in total viewers with 5.2 million.
For more, click HERE
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| Overnight Ratings: Wednesday, October 9
| | 8 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLION) | CBS
| SURVIVOR
| 2.4
| 9.5
| FOX
| THE X FACTOR
| 2.1
| 6.6
| ABC
| THE MIDDLE (8:00)
BACK IN THE GAME (8:30)
| 2.2
1.7
| 8.1
6.4
| NBC
| REVOLUTION
| 1.5
| 5.4
| UNIVISION
| PORQUE EL AMOR MANDA
| 1.5
| 3.8
| CW
| ARROW
| 0.9
| 2.7
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| | 9 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | ABC
| MODERN FAMILY (9:00)
SUPER FUN NIGHT (9:30)
| 3.8
2.5
| 10.4
6.7
| CBS
| CRIMINAL MINDS
| 2.6
| 10.9
| FOX
| THE X FACTOR
| 2.3
| 7.7
| NBC
| LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
| 1.6
| 6.2
| UNIVISION
| LA TEMPESTAD
| 1.3
| 3.1
| CW
| THE TOMORROW PEOPLE
| 0.8
| 2.3
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| | 10 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | CBS
| CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
| 1.9
| 8.8
| ABC
| NASHVILLE
| 1.7
| 5.9
| NBC
| IRONSIDE
| 1.1
| 5.2
| UNIVISION
| MENTIR PARA VIVIR
| 1.0
| 2.4
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| | TOMORROW'S BIG RATINGS STORIES TODAY | • ABC Takes Viewers To 'Wonderland'...
Based on the success of its fairy tale-themed Sunday night drama Once Upon a Time, ABC has added a spinoff series called Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, which will premiere Thursday night at 8. The series is set in Victorian-era England and based around Alice and the strange land that exists on the other side of the rabbit hole. The upshot: Once Upon a Time had a median age audience of 49 last season, fairly young for a broadcast drama, and by airing this spinoff at 8, the network is clearly hoping to draw some younger viewers. The only potential problem is that Once Upon a Time dropped from an average of 9.5 million viewers and a 3.1 18-49 demo rating two seasons ago to 7.9 million and a 2.5 last season. Those are still good numbers but clearly that series has lost some steam. If Wonderland gets all those viewers plus some new ones, it will do well. But it's in a tough time period, going head to head with CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, the most-watched comedy on television.
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| • ...While 'Scandal' Is Everyone's Favorite Thing About Washington...
This Shonda Rhimes ABC drama starring Kerry Washington as a D.C.-based crisis communications consultant premiered its third season last Thursday at 10 p.m. with its highest numbers ever: 10.5 million viewers and a 3.6 demo rating, good enough to win the time period in both of those categories. It also pulled in nearly 1 million more viewers than its lead-in, Grey's Anatomy and also drew a half rating point more in the 18-49 demo than Grey's. The upshot: Scandal ended last season on the upswing and that continued in its premiere last week. Most series lose audience in their second week of the season, so Scandal's numbers may go down. But both Washington and the series got lots of ink in various magazines throughout the summer so the series may have a cadre of new viewers.
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| • ...And 'Million Dollar Shoppers' Looks to Strike it Rich on Lifetime
This new Thursday night reality series features a group of "fashion tastemakers and trendsetters who go to great extremes to find the best wardrobes for their rich, famous, powerful and high-maintenance clients." As Lifetime describes it, these personal shoppers, empowered with their client's credit cards, "execute their savvy, retail sense and fashion connections to purchase what they believe fulfills their tough clients' vision of having the finest luxuries available." Million Dollar Shoppers will air at 10:30 p.m. this Thursday, leading out of Part 1 of the season finale of Project Runway, but will move to its regular 10 p.m. Thursday time period next week. The upshot: Lifetime is obviously hoping that the Project Runway fashionista viewers will tune in and buy into Million Dollar Shoppers. But it remains to be seen how many of viewers who aren't counted among the 1% will find this series their cup of tea.
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| Media Buyer & Planner Today
Editorial Team
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Phone: 201-314-0424 | Send Email
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Phone: 917-281-4708 | Send Email
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