Media Sales Today

Some marketing myth-busting found in ARF’s batch of studies that you can use to close those clients stuck in the dark ages.

Like other media categories, out-of-home has seen declines in revenue, including an 18% drop for first quarter 2009. But the industry expects better numbers in the second quarter.

Will it tell us what we all want to know? Is it what we’re all dreading? Should we all pack up our desks and look for new careers? Shake this Magic 8 Ball of a survey and your future looks bright!

With multiple studies and surveys covering various countries and thousands of respondents, the project that the Advertising Research Foundation commissioned in December should be your Advertising Bible for the next decade. In collaboration with the Wharton School, “The Future of Advertising Project” produced 21 papers that will be published later this month in the Journal of Advertising.

It looks like more and more people are going to the movies these days, and many of them are marketers. With studies citing increased box office sales because people are “escaping” and experts saying that cinema advertising grows during times of recession, it appears to be a match made in marketing heaven. Auto dealers are taking advantage of the creative freedom that the silver screen allows, but so are major retailers. Gap bought cinema space for the first time ever this fall. Businesses also see the medium as a way to get messages out there without the risk of DVR dumping. But if you’re smart, you can sell both as a summer blockbuster sandwich.

Digital billboards look pretty good. We’ve got a few going up in our area, and they are eyecatching. But how quickly they’ll take over our roadsides has been in question, based on resistance in some areas. Some view any billboard as an unnecessary eyesore. But beyond that, there’s the argument that digital billboards, with their changing ads and lights are a big distraction to drivers.

Brandon Evans recently blogged about how Millennials make buying decisions. Because he’s considered an expert on this age group, I thought you might be interested in his thoughts on how to sell your clients on targeting these media-savvy youth. Evans breaks it down to five key characteristics, but I feel his No. 5 should be your No. 1.

This just in: Social networkers are savvy shoppers and searchers. But we already knew that, right? With 43% of the online community using social networking sites, it’s obvious that marketers should take advantage of this far-reaching advertising medium. What’s not so obvious, is how to reach these calculating, discerning, lightning-fast multi-taskers on the Web. Hit them over the head with a giant, flashing display ad?