| | Media Buyer & Planner Today | | | | | | | | | #1 WPP Investigating Sorrell | | The ad agency holding company's board of directors is investigating allegations of "personal misconduct" by WPP CEO Martin Sorrell, The Wall Street Journal first reported. The initial Journal report also cited an investigation into possible misuse of assets but a later statement by the board said the allegations "do not involve amounts which are material to WPP." In a later Ad Age report, Sorrell, via an emailed statement through communications consultancy Project Associates on his behalf, said, "I reject the allegation unreservedly, but recognize that the company has to investigate it." He said he expected the process to "be completed shortly." Sorrell, 73, is also on the board and has headed WPP since 1986. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: Ad agency holding companies are all under pressure as marketing clients demand more services for less and as business consultancies are more and more buying up ad agencies and getting into the traditional agency business. A situation like this can create negative publicity and cost a holding company like WPP future or even existing clients. Having said that, without specifics, it's hard to make any type of determination about what's going on with the Sorrell investigation. There has been friction between him and the board, but it's unlikely the board would have hired a law firm to investigate Sorrell unless it had some kind of legitimate cause. | | Three Takes: WSJ | Ad Age | Adweek | | | | #2 March Madness Viewership Falls On Cable | | Dropping CBS from the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Finals resulted in a 28% viewership decline from last year, Ad Age and other media outlets report. This year in the partnership between CBS and Turner, the three Turner networks carried the Championship Game telecast rather than CBS. Last year CBS averaged some 28 million viewers. This year's Final on Monday night averaged just shy of 16 million viewers on TBS, which carried the "neutral" commentary telecast, and on TNT and TruTV, which carried telecasts where the commentators were more favorable to each of the teams. Under the partnership the Championship telecast rotates every other year. Two years ago the Turner three-network cable telecast of the finals averaged 17.8 million. This year's final's telecast drew the smallest number of viewers ever for the championship game. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: It matters to advertisers who reach less viewers for a potentially big-time, live event, while ad prices rise. Yes, if Turner doesn't reach its guarantees the advertisers get makegoods, but most advertisers want to reach those live eyeballs with immediate messages that night. Not in some future sports or other telecast. However, as Ad Age reports, the alternate-year telecast schedule isn't going away anytime soon. Per the terms of the 2010 deal that split the tournament rights between CBS and Turner, along with another two-year extension signed two years ago, the Final Four and National Championship games will continue trading hands on the networks every year through 2032. | | Two Takes: Ad Age | B&C | | | | #3 Barclays Launches Global Digital Review | | The investment bank has launched a global review to add an agency specializing in digital to its roster, Adweek first reported. A source told the publication that Barclays looking for expertise in one specific area of digital but did not offer any specifics and bank officials were not commenting. Another source said between 10 and 12 agencies are pitching for the business, including both holding company-owned agencies and independent shops. Barclays' lead creative agency is Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, and a source told Adweek that the agency stands to lose a portion of the account. Barclays global media account is handled by Omnicom's OMD and U.S. media planning and buying is handled by Omnicom's Hearts & Sciences. They wrestled the account away from incumbent WPP media agency Wavemaker late last year. | | WHY THIS MATTERS: London-based Barclays spent about $8.2 million on U.S. advertising last year, according to Kantar Media, so it is not a huge ad spender. However the bank clearly wants to invest more on the digital side and the fact that close to a dozen agencies are pitching means they see significant value in the media account. | | A Take: Adweek | |
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| | 57 | | Percentage of U.S. internet users ages 20-to-36 who believe digital ads have become more relevant, according to a survey by Adobe Digital Insights. Among those 18 and 19 years of age, 45% believe digital ads have become more relevant. As people get older they tend to believe that less. Among those 37-to-52 years old, 41% believe ads have become more relevant. But among those 53-to-71, only 27% believe it, while among those 72 and over, only 10% believe it. | – Reported by eMarketer
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| | 'Roseanne' Stays Strong as ABC Wins | by Michael Malone
Roseanne stayed potent in its second week, as its 3.9 rating in viewers 18-49 led ABC to the Tuesday win. ABC did a 1.8 rating, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 7 share, better than the 1.2/5 that CBS and NBC both posted.
Roseanne had 15.16 million total viewers, compared with the previous week's 18.2 million. Its 18-49 rating Tuesday was down 24% from the two-episode premiere. Roseanne led in to The Middle which was up 57% from two weeks ago at 2.2 while Black-ish fell 42% from last week for a 1.5, then Splitting Up Together dropped 36% for a 1.4. Drama For the People decreased 11% to 0.8.
On CBS, NCIS tallied a 1.3 and Bull a 1.2, then NCIS: New Orleans a 0.9, all three shows flat with a week ago.
On NBC, The Voice went up 13% to 1.8 and Rise grew 13% to 0.9, then Chicago Med climbed 10% for a 1.1.
Fox did a 0.6/2. A Lethal Weapon repeat led into LA to Vegas at 0.7 and The Mick at 0.7, both comedies up a tenth of a point.
Univision rated a 0.5/2 and Telemundo a 0.4/1.
The CW was at 0.4/1, with a repeat of The Flash, then a fresh Black Lightning at a flat 0.5. | |
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| • FEH TARTY was appointed chief creative officer at M&C Saatchi Worldwide's New York creative agency SS+K. He was most recently creative director at SY Partners. Prior to that was creative director at Mother and before that was creative director at Wieden+Kennedy.
• NICHOLE GEDDES and BRAD MEYERS were named creative directors at 215 McCann in San Francisco. Geddes was most recently a creative director at Heat San Francisco, while Meyers was previously a group creative director at Digitas San Francisco.
• MATTHEW FORD was named director of strategy and ERIC LAFFLY was appointed group account director at digital agency Atmosphere Proximity New York, a unit of Omnicom's digital agency network Proximity Worldwide. Ford was most recently a strategy director at IPG's Huge, while Laffly joins from IPG's R/GA. • JENNIFER MITCHELL was appointed to the newly created position of VP, content development at ABC Owned Television Stations. Mitchell has been with ABC for nearly 19 years and was most recently VP of digital content. In her new role, she will be responsible for creating, leading and executing multi-platform content and strategy across the Group;s eight local brands and businesses. Mitchell was also director of digital operations at ABC owned station KGO-TV in San Francisco.
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