The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games are attracting quite the audience in 2010. Just 11 days into the events, 171 million Americans have tuned in to watch over national broadcast counting for at least half of the American population. With 93% of viewers using television as their means to catch the latest events, this is by far the most popular medium for keeping up with the latest on Olympic coverage. NBC has also been covering the games online bringing 33 million viewers to the website. This is nearly double the online activity that was seen during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This multi-platform usage shows the importance of utilizing both television and the web in campaigns as a way to catch all those interested in the same programming. Read more at AdWeek.com.

Charlie Sheen’s recent entry into rehab is putting advertiser dollars in jeopardy with the temporary suspension of production for “Two and a Half Men.”  This highly viewed show, 17.7 million live-plus-same-day viewers, could loose advertiser revenue if the show is not able to continue, as it would need to offer make-goods during this highly valued and priced airtime.  This is teaching CBS a valuable lesson in utilizing such a big and controversial celebrity, in the end it just may be too costly.  Read more at AdAge.com.

Tower Media recently made a contribution to the WITS (working in the schools) program on behalf of our clients, vendors, family and friends. Working in the Schools (WITS) is a literacy organization that increases the reading proficiency and learning capacity of low-income and minority students in Chicago Public Schools. WITS recruits and supports dedicated business, government, and community volunteers who deliver measurable and consistent tutoring and mentoring services. Read more about Tower Media in the Donor Spotlight section of the WITS website.

With Oprah’s announcement to leave the daytime talk syndicate, stations are scratching their brains for the best fit for this highly coveted and lucrative spot.  Court syndicates, and Ellen are at the top of the list for suggestions, but nothing is set in stone. Additionally, the programming for this spot may take on a slightly different approach and target audience than that of Oprah’s baby boomer target.  Millennials (ages 13-31) are quickly becoming a more prominent audience.  Focusing on this group as a target would dictate television programming that is centered on a reality show or news rather than a talk show. Which is also, a key indicator that advertisers should heed when creating and placing their ads, so that they also appeal to this upcoming audience.  

The program change will take place September 2011.  Read more at Broadcastingcable.com.

The Super Bowl XLIV is nearly sold out, according to CBS.  With a handful of 30-second spots left, this near sell-out is indicative of a potential upswing in the economy and ad spending for 2010.  With more marketers looking to enter these coveted, yet very  expensive spots, media planners need to be more strategic with DR placements.  It will be interesting to see if any DR advertisers make their way into the Super Bowl ad line up, as did last year’s Cash4Gold.  Read more at AdAge.com.

Last August Google announced Caffeine, an update in their search technology that users were able to test by visiting the Google Caffeine website. Last week that site was disabled by Google with a message saying “We appreciate all the feedback from people who searched on our Caffeine sandbox. Based on the success we’ve seen, we believe Caffeine is ready for a larger audience. Soon we will activate Caffeine more widely.”

Matt Cutt’s, Google employee and search guru has confirmed that caffeine will be launched after the holidays. While Google continually tweaks its results, this will be the first major update since 2006. What will the update mean to the Google web results?

Search results for most websites will see negligible changes, the real power of Caffeine will be the ability for Google to index and deliver new content much faster and with greater flexibility.

Read more about Google Caffeine on Matt Cutts Blog

A recent patent application made by Apple has created a buzz around the advertising industry.  With online content quickly merging with television, creating a device that can control weather or not a user watches a commercial is a foray into the next steps for advertising.  Televisions would have the technology built in and users may potentially receive them at a discount or even for free acknowledging that they would have to comply with the advertising engagement of actually watching and participating in commercials.  For example, the commercial may appear, but the viewer would have to actively click on a portion of the ad to continue on with the programming they are watching. 

While this type of advertising could mean better trackability of ads and exact exposure rates, it could also result in consumer backlash, or even a failed investment for Apple.  It will be interesting to see if or how Apple develops this technology, but for now it’s only a patent. Read more at The New York Times.com.

Fourth quarter is seeing a surprising upswing and is beating the expectations of media experts.  With more brand advertisers stepping back into television advertising, the fourth quarter for television may finish stronger than our current economic conditions reflect.  Some economic indicators may not be rising in the same positive direction as television sales, but it could be a sign that the market is seeing a confidence boost.  With this in mind, direct response advertisers should demand a strong media schedule that will help keep their sales flowing. Read more at Broadcastingcable.com.

Although many DRTV advertisers are struggling with increased competition for ad time of late the good news is TV is still the medium of choice for the American Public and remains the best outlet for reaching the American Consumer.  Read more at AdAge.com.

Many media companies are expecting a rise in profits as their bet on smaller upfront sales are paying off in the increasingly hot scatter market. The approaching holidays dictate advertiser spending and the larger brand advertisers are moving in to take up space they left open earlier this year. This brings a challenge to Direct Response advertisers, who have grown accustom to historically low rates and premium placements for much of 2009. This challenge can be met strategically by looking at new markets to test and even breaking from a national campaign to one that is more localized through broadcast. Also, falling back to more reliable DR dayparts for clearance like daytime and overnights is a good move. Trying to take on brand marketers, who are more concerned with perceived audience rather than response is not game most direct marketers can win.

Direct Response advertisers should plan for increased costs for fourth quarter of 2009 and know that they will be sharing the space with brand advertisers, instead of other Direct Response products. They should also be prepared to hit the ground running hard in the first quarter of 2010, after many of the brand advertisers are taking a post-holiday hiatus. Continuing to advertise during this quarter is crucial as it’s a time when consumers will be looking to spend in the economy, and spend thriftily. Luckily, Direct Response advertisers offer many quality products that are priced right and have the advantage of being purchased with the convenience of a click of a button or a quick phone call. Read more at TheWallStreetJournal.com.