Nielson, the industry’s leader in media research, ratings and data, has a new demographic, dubbed “Generation C,” or Americans 18-34, who are quickly becoming both a challenge and an opportunity for marketers, and redefining media consumption with their embrace of new digital technology.

Gen C makes up only 23% of the US total population, yet they make up 27% of Americans watching video or using social media, and over 30% of Americans using tablets. In fact, Gen C makes up a whopping 39% of all smart phone users in the US.

Gen C, who grew up alongside the growth of the internet, cell phones, social media, and the technology boom, has “taken ownership” of new media, changing the way advertisers and marketers approach them. New technology provides the opportunity for new content and new ways to distribute it, and Generation C knows how to access it better than any other age demographic out there. For us at TM and DR advertising, this means an opportunity to stray away a bit from TV in the future and expand into internet and mobile campaigns, while still using the results driven approach DR advertising requires.

From audio/video to augmented reality, Generation C’s fearless adaptation of new media is “representing both a challenge and opportunity for marketers and content providers alike.”

Read more at Nielsen.com.

NEW YORK, April 9, 2009  Between Hollywood and Harlem is a place called America. WGN America.

There is more to modern America than the coasts: from Amarillo, Biloxi, Charleston, Daytona, Eugene, Fargo, Greenville, Helena, Indianapolis, Juneau, Knoxville, Lansing, Miami, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Pensacola, Quincy, Roanoke, Spokane, Terre Haute, Utica, Victoria, Wichita, Xenia, Yuma to Zanesville, WGN America engages the magic of America.

With the transition from Superstation WGN to WGN America complete, the new WGN America premieres this month with a new cohesive visual package and sonic presentation that reflects the spirit, diversity and imagination of the American experience. WGN America reaches viewers in towns and neighborhoods throughout the USA, and WGN America’s newly created on-air vision captures this span–from big cities to small towns–with a cinematic picture of the American vista. WGN America is also introducing a new logo, new graphics (including seamless flow show opens and seamless flow billboards) and for the first time, the network has a sonic logo. Read more here.

Microsoft announced it will replace “Live Search” with “Bing” as search engine to contend with current competitor Google. They are renaming the search engine in an effort to drive search traffic and have “bing” become apart of search rhetoric. While the name certainly has a ring to it, only time will tell if we will start to “Bing” rather than “Google.”  Read more at New York Times.

Getting consumers to pour themselves a nice fizzing glass of ice cold Coke, has never been easier for Coke, that is. Recently, Coke has adopted a P&G favorite, the Pay-for Performance Model for agency work. This model ensures value-based compensation, and is quickly becoming an advertiser favorite. This method allows for agency accountability, when something works, the agency sees some of the profit, if not they only recoup agency expenditures. ROI is coming to the forefront of brand advertising, something the direct response industry has held as a tried and true standard. Read more at AdAge.

Tribune Broadcasting acquired the off-net series Entourage (six seasons) and Curb Your Enthusiasm (7 seasons) from HBO and Warner Bros. Both series are scheduled to air on all the Tribune stations in 17 markets (including WGN Chicago) and WGN America beginning fall 2010. Both will be scheduled six times per week, airing M-F and one additional run on the weekend.

Direct Response television is holding its ground with a profitable 2008, and a prospering 2009. Spending was up 9.2 percent for direct response advertising spending in 2008. Additionally, the most profitable markets were the Hispanic cable TV and Cable TV. Read more at Electronic Retailer Magazine.