| Today's Top Stories | | #1 | Mtn Dew Plans Major Marketing Spending Hike For Kickstart, Diet Dew
| | | Year-old Kickstart's new "nighttime" beverage flavors, Energizing Black Cherry and Limeade, will be promoted during the Super Bowl pregame show and the line will get a 35% media ad spending increase, according to an Ad Age. Kickstart spent $17.5 million in measured media during the first nine months of 2013, per Kantar Media data. Diet Dew, which launches a new campaign during the Super Bowl pregame will see its ad budget double in 2014.
Why This Matters: Producing and marketing beverages for different dayparts is smart, according to John Sicher of Beverage Digest. And Greg Lyon, Mtn Dew's VP of marketing says of the second-year campaign for Kickstart that sometimes marketers "move on to the next shiny object and they don't support things in year two." Not the case with Kickstart.
A Take: Ad Age |
| | #2 | Competing Greek Yogurt Brands To Face Off With Super Bowl Commercials
| | | Chobani and Dannon Oikos will each air spots in the big game. Chobani will be a first-time Super Bowl advertiser with its commercial airing in the third quarter. Its spot was created by Droga 5 and this is also the agency's first Super Bowl spot. Dannon Oikos ran a spot in the 2012 Super Bowl.
Why This Matters: The Super Bowl has traditionally seen competitors from the beer, auto, fast food, insurance, movie, soft drink and candy categories, among others. This will be the first time that two competing yogurt companies are airing in the same Super Bowl.
A Take: NYT |
| | #3 | IPG's Lowe And Partners Acquires Global Digital Agency Profero
| | | Profero, which has about 550 staffers, will be rebranded as Lowe Profero although it will continue to operate on its own P&L. Profero's global CEO Wayne Arnold will oversee the agency for at least three years, Ad Age reports. Shared clients include Danone, Unilever's Omo and Tresemme brands, PWC and Diageo.
Why This Matters: Profero is the 13th agency acquisition for the Interpublic Group holding company since January 2013. "Embedding digital talent and capabilities throughout our organization has been a key strategic priority for IPG," said Michael Roth, IPG chairman and CEO.
A Take: Ad Age
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| #4 Arby's Names Fallon Its New Creative Agency (Adweek)
#5 Google Claims To Have Disabled More Than 350 Million Unscrupulous Ads (MediaPost)
#6 Twitter Using Its Users' Ethnic Diversity To Market Itself To Advertisers (WSJ)
#7 Agency Exec Says Yahoo Must Do More Social-Data Targeting (Ad Age)
#8 Bad Dream: Brand Tweets On Martin Luther King Jr. Day That Backfired (Digiday)
#9 Why Branding Expert Likes Bruno Mars As Super Bowl Halftime Performer (Adweek)
#10 Lots of Super Bowl Commercials Tapping Into Nostalgia (USA Today) |
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Percentage of U.S. homeowners who used do-it-yourself and design TV shows as inspiration for their home improvements in 2013, according to a study by American Express and Echo Research.
– Reported by eMarketer
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| | MBPT Spotlight | Original Programming Costs Raise Concern—While Wall Street worries, TV executives say script ends with more monetization
By Jon Lafayette
The new golden age of television may be enriching viewers, but some Wall Street analysts are concerned it might leave the industry with less green in its pockets. More original programming—especially premium scripted fare—is showing up in more places. On broadcast networks in the summertime. On cable networks most people have never heard of. Online with Yahoo, Sony's Crackle and others. And particular on streaming video services such as Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus and Netflix, which this month picked up a Golden Globe for its series House of Cards.
It is simple economics: When demand goes up, price goes up. It's true for pork bellies and it's true for programming. Analysts, who loathe rising costs as much as Homer Simpson's billionaire boss Montgomery Burns does are worrying that earnings could be impacted and profit margins could narrow, making media companies less attractive investments.
In recent years, original programming has been a great investment, allowing cable nets to build brands, add distribution and attract advertisers. Just ask AMC what Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead have done for its business. If the industry is approaching a point of diminishing returns on programming, a new strategy is needed, to say the least.
Industry executives acknowledge that their world is becoming more competitive, but rather than focus on cost, they say there are also more ways than ever to monetize high-quality content, so they're not panicking. At least not yet.
What does MoffettNathanson Research analyst Michael Nathanson mean when he says, "We are witnessing an arms race in original content" as we head deeper into 2014? And how does concern about the back-end figure into the equation when it comes to increased original programming competition?
For more, click HERE (sub required)
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| | Fates & Fortunes | • BEN GROSSMAN is leaving his post as head of global operations for Twitter's media group, effective in February. Grossman spearheaded the launch of media.twitter.com, the Twitter Media Blog, and the distribution of Twitter's industry newsletter since joining the company in late 2012. Prior to joining Twitter, Grossman was editor-in-chief of Broadcasting & Cable.
• KAREN KAPLAN has added the role of chairman to her current CEO title at Hill Holliday. She succeeds Mike Sheehan as chairman, who is leaving the agency. Kaplan was named CEO last May, when Sheehan moved from CEO to chairman. Sheehan had held the CEO post for 10 years, as part of a nearly three-decade career at Hill Holliday. Kaplan joined Hill Holliday in 1982 and rose through the ranks. She was named president in 2007 before assuming the CEO post last year.
• DAVID CARTER was named chief creative officer at Minneapolis-based Campbell Mithun. He was most recently a freelance consultant but before that was senior creative director at BBDO New York. Carter succeeds Heath Rudduck, who will continue at the agency as executive creative director.
• ALLISON CHECCHI was promoted to chief marketing officer at YP (previously yellowpages.com). She was most recently senior VP value and yield management and business development at the company. She joined YP in 2011 from global management consulting company Bain & Company, where she spent more than 10 years as a principal in the technology, media and telecom practice. In her new role at YP, Checchi will oversee a team responsible for communications, advertising, marketing and branding.
• TOBY GORMAN was named executive VP of alternative programming at FremantleMedia North America. Gorman will oversee unscripted development for the independent studio that will include reality competition series and game shows for broadcast and cable networks, as well as for syndication. The appointment is effective mid-April 2014. Gorman was most recently coexecutive producer and showrunner for NBC's Hollywood Game Night and The Winner Is. He was also supervising producer on Fox's American Idol during seasons eight and nine.
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| | What They're Watching | BROADCAST RATINGS
'Sleepy Hollow' Up Slightly in Finale
The two-hour season finale of Sleepy Hollow was up 5% from last week's 9 p.m. broadcast, to put Fox atop all broadcast networks Monday evening. The controversial comments made by Bachelor star Juan Pablo Galavis appeared to have no affect on the show's ratings, as the ABC series was even with last week, though that still ties The Bachelor's series low. Castle jumped 5%. ABC finished second. CBS' How I Met Your Mother was the No. 1 show on broadcast Monday night, even with last week's episode; 2 Broke Girls also held even. Mike & Molly dipped 13% and Mom declined 14%. New drama Intelligence dipped a tenth. CBS placed third. NBC finished fourth. The network aired two hours of Hollywood Game Night, which was up 30% from the Dec. 23 holiday special, before gaining two tenths to a series-best at 9 p.m. The Blacklist dipped another 8% at 10 p.m., though it was still enough to win its time slot. On the CW, Hart of Dixie was down 20% while Beauty and the Beast was up 33%. In the net's targeted adults 18-34 demo, Dixie was even with last week and Beast rose a tenth.
For more, click HERE
CABLE RATINGS
'Pawn Stars' Wins Thursday Night
History's Pawn Stars at 9:30 p.m. topped Thursday's cable pack, earning a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating and 4.4 million viewers. Adult Swim's 11:30 p.m. offering of Family Guy also garnered a 1.3 in the demo but came in lower in total viewers with 2.6 million. The 9 p.m. episode of Pawn Stars rounded out the top three with a 1.1 demo rating and 3.9 million watchers.
For more, click HERE
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| Overnight Ratings: Monday, January 20
| | 8 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | CBS
| HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (8:00)
2 BROKE GIRLS (8:30)
| 3.0
2.7
| 8.8
8.9
| ABC
| THE BACHELOR
| 2.2
| 7.8
| FOX
| SLEEPY HOLLOW
| 2.2
| 6.8
| NBC
| HOLLYWOOD GAME NIGHT
| 1.3
| 4.7
| UNIVISION
| POR SIEMPRE MI AMOR
| 1.1
| 3.1
| CW
| HART OF DIXIE
| 0.4
| 1.2
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| | 9 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | FOX
| SLEEPY HOLLOW
| 2.4
| 7.0
| ABC
| THE BACHELOR
| 2.3
| 7.8
| CBS
| MIKE & MOLLY (9:00)
MOM (9:30)
| 2.1
1.9
| 8.8
8.1
| NBC
| HOLLYWOOD GAME NIGHT
| 1.5
| 4.2
| UNIVISION
| LO QUE LA VIDA ME ROBÓ
| 1.5
| 3.8
| CW
| BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
| 0.4
| 0.9
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| | 10 PM | | NET | SHOW | A18-49
Rating | TOTAL VIEWERS
(MILLIONS) | NBC
| THE BLACKLIST
| 2.3
| 8.7
| ABC
| CASTLE
| 2.0
| 8.8
| CBS
| INTELLIGENCE
| 1.1
| 5.6
| UNIVISION
| QUÉ POBRES TAN RICOS
| 1.1
| 2.7
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| | TOMORROW'S BIG RATINGS STORIES TODAY | • Reelz Hopes For a Bubblin' Crude With 'Hollywood Hillbillies'
Let's call this the 2014 version of the 1960s CBS hit comedy The Beverly Hillbillies, only that series was scripted and this series is über-reality. Hollywood Hillbillies proves that in today's world, if you can gain enough popularity via social media, you can get yourself a traditional TV series. Hollywood Hillbillies, which premieres Monday night at 9 on Reelz, stars YouTube sensation Michael Kittrell and his family from Georgia. Kittrell made a name for himself with his video rants on YouTube, which also feature his grandmother, known as "Mema," while the redheaded Kittrell labeled himself "The Angry Ginger." Hollywood Hillbillies follows Kittrell's family as they move on out to Hollywood and sample a different kind of lifestyle. The upshot: This series sounds like more of a CMT show, but Reelz, which started as a network that was supposed to be all about movies and movie making, has transitioned into a general audience network, so this new show is aimed at making a splash and bringing in new viewers. Stan Hubbard, CEO of Reelz, said in a recent interview, "We're not looking for the next Mad Men or Sopranos. We're looking for the next Duck Dynasty."
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| • 'Tequila Sisters' Fun But Ratings-Challenged
The TVGN (TV Guide Network) reality series Tequila Sisters, which premiered in mid-December and airs on Tuesday nights at 8, follows a multigenerational Hispanic family that is living the good life in California as a result of family patriarch Bill Marin's successful tequila business. The series is a lively half-hour sparked by Bill and his wife Lori's four 20-something daughters who push back against their overbearing dad. The upshot: Sadly so far, this series has been averaging less than 200,000 viewers per episode. It deserves better. Perhaps CBS, which owns TVGN, might give this series some exposure by leading it out of its Thursday night broadcast hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory one night in the first quarter.
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| • They've Gotta Halve it on New Syfy Series
The new Syfy network reality series Opposite Worlds, which premieres on Tuesday night at 10 with a second first-run episode airing Wednesday nights at 10, joins the network's hit Face Off among its competition series genre. Face Off has teams of makeup artists competing. Opposite Worlds is a little more complex: Two teams of competitors live in a house that is separated into distinctly different worlds, one from the past and one from the future. A glass wall lets each team see how the other half lives. Each week the teams participate in challenges, leading to contestants being kept or eliminated from the game. Using Twitter, viewers can impact the outcome, boosting or downgrading contestant popularity. The least and most popular are given rewards or punishments. On the Tuesday show, viewers are able to vote for "The Decider" that determines who stays and who is eliminated. On the Wednesday show, viewers decide the actual rewards and punishments. The upshot: The concept sounds fun and the viewer participation seems broader than any involving a reality series so far. If the viewers embrace it, this can become another hit for Syfy.
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| Media Buyer & Planner Today
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Phone: 201-314-0424 | Send Email
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Phone: 917-281-4735 | Send Email
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Phone: 917-281-4708 | Send Email
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