More On Ad Spending Rising in 2003

I don't know. One day it's up. The other it's down. I don't know what to make of it but I am an optimist so here's yet another prognostication on the 2003 advertising industry:

Ad Spending Seen Rising 5 Percent in '03

Total U.S. advertising spending in 2003 is expected to increase 5 percent from a year ago, surpassing the lofty level reached during the dot-com boom in 2000, according to a closely watched forecast by media buyer Universal McCann.

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Red Papers of Chicago Botch Launches

CHICAGO'S 'RED' NEWSPAPERS ATTEMPT YOUNG SKEW

Yet its clumsiness in marketing to that generation ends up poking through. It touts temporary tattoos emblazoned with the new offering's name so readers, one ad proclaims, can "let the world know how cool you are." Which prompts one reader to sneer, "There are few things less cool."

Did the paper actually promote their new offering this way? Don't they know the cardinal rule of coolness? As soon as you say something is cool, it is cool no longer. What a stupid mistake. Here's what some have to say about it:

"I don't see the point, and I don't know anyone who's going for it," said Brian Case, a 25-year-old Chicagoan, of the Red papers. His buddy Rob Lowe, 27, has only read Red Streak -- which featured his band on the front page -- but is even more dismissive. "It's so vapid, it's not even something I consider offensive. "

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I'm too Sexy For Myself

It's tough growing up. Poor Hilary Duff, who plays lizzie Mcguire on the Disney show, has become too "grown up" to portray a middle schooler so Disney is cancelling her show. In fact, Disney accelerated the production of the series just to get episodes in the can before she grew up too much.

All is not lost, however, for Hilary, who may find a spot on ABC's prime time schedule with and extesion of the "Lizzie" character
or with a new series.

Such important news to know.

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A Creatives Opinion on Online Creative Optimization

Like anything, there is no golden goose egg (or however that old saying goes) when it comes to optimizing the online creative process. Like anything, some things just work and we will never know why. While we are getting better at evaluating and optimizing creative, technology will never offer the complete solution.

The Little Banner That Could

Technology is no substitute for smarts, communication, and trial and error. That isn't to say we should abandon investment in creative optimization technology; rather, we should put it in its place. Technology can't optimize for us, only facilitate our optimization. Creative analytics technology investment is poorly spent when its output is never even seen by the department actually producing the creative. We simply don't know enough yet to take that step. Yet, we are choosing new technologies that all but guarantee the creative optimization process will be completely siloed away from the creative departments themselves.

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Median Age of Newscast Viewers Up

After 9/11, the median age of newcast was down as more younger people tuned in. News organizations loved it. But, it did not last.The Graying of the News

...The median age of viewers for CBS' 60 Minutes has grown to 59 from 57. In households, the news mag's ratings are down 5 percent from last season, but its 18-34 and 18-49 ratings are lower by 13 percent and 19 percent, respectively. Its 35-64 rating is up 7 percent, while its 55-plus audience is flat. CBS' 48 Hours has risen in median age to 56 from 53. While its 18-34 ratings are down and 18-49s are flat, the show has seen its 55-plus ratings grow by 25 percent.

ABC's Primetime Thursday is down 21 percent in households, with a sizable chunk of that coming from the loss of 18-34 and 18-49 viewers, down 38 percent and 40 percent, respectively, in the ratings.

NBC's Dateline Tuesday and Dateline Friday are both down in households, 3 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Dateline Tuesday is off 5 percent in 18-34 and 10 percent in 18-49, and Dateline Friday is down 2 percent in 18-49. Yet Dateline Tuesday is up 25 percent in male viewers 55-plus, and Dateline Friday is up 30 percent among male viewers in that demo and up 54 percent in females 55-plus.

"Younger people have a tendency to pay more attention to crisis events," said Brad Adgate, vp of research for Horizon Media. "Many of them have returned to watching sitcoms. As for older viewers, news programming is really a safe harbor for them. There's not much else that targets them."

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