Advertising Jobs and Careers News

GM Decides to Ditch Facebook, Says Ads on Social Network Useless

AdvertisingCrossing — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:51:52 +0000

General Motors is going to stop having paid advertisements on Facebook because the automaker believes that ads on the social network are just not worth it. GM has come to the conclusion that its paid ads on Facebook have little impact on consumers’ car buying decisions.

GM is the third largest advertiser in the country and spends an estimated $1.8 billion on advertising every year. GM spends around $10 million on Facebook ads and in a statement regarding its ad pullout from Facebook said “It’s not unusual for us to move our spending around various outlets, especially with the growth of social and digital media outlets,”.

This announcement from GM comes just days before Facebook has its IPO. The Facebook IPO is to be launched on Friday and is expected to raise the company’s value to over $100 billion.

Facebook earns an estimated $3.7 billion in advertising revenue and while the $10 million loss of GM’s ad dollars is not going to be a big loss for the company, it is a public relations nightmare for the social network, coming as it does so close to its IPO. GM is said to spend around $40 million annually on its Facebook presence; $30 million on its Facebook apps and pages and another $10 million on the ads. Facebook is said to have tried to nudge GM into spending more on its ads rather than the apps.

Another bit of bad news for Facebook comes from the release of a study by WordStream, a SEO marketing company. It says that while Facebook does have an extensive audience, Google is a better bet for advertisers.

Facebook still has some supporters among the automakers. Subaru’s American division is spending over $5 million this year and might even spend more next year depending on the results it gets this year.

The auto industry is the largest single spender on advertising in the country. Auto makers and car dealers spend an estimated $13.89 billion on advertising across all forms of media according to report in the Wall Street Journal.

Holiday Inn Hotels vs. Smith Advertising

vassallo — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:32:03 +0000

The lawyer who is representing two of the Holiday Inn hotels, located in the Fayetteville area, has argued to a judge earlier this week, stating that the clients should not have to honor the payment agreement for the month of February between the two hotels and the Smith Advertising & Associates company. The agreement was for about $27,500 worth of advertising work that took place between the span of 2010 through 2011.

Smith Advertising chose to sue the owners of both of these hotel chains last year when they failed to pay the invoices that the advertising company had sent to them. Both the hotel chain owners and Smith came to an agreement towards the end of February, deciding that the Holiday Inn would pay Smith $27,500. Only about two weeks after the court mediation took place, the advertisement agency ending up shutting down for good. The Smiths are now dealing with a lot of lawsuits from numerous clients and there is even a federal criminal investigation underway on their behalf. They are accused of owing investors a whole lot of money, millions of dollars’ worth.

The family that owns and operates the biggest franchise in Fayetteville for the popular fast food restaurant, Taco Bell, claims that Smith schemed them out of their hard earned money, which totaled up to about $720,00 worth of loans, bad checks, and work that was never completed. They were shocked because at the time, they considered the Smiths to be their friends, not just working with them on a business level but on a personal level as well.

There is another lawsuit against the Smiths that comes from a group of different investors, claiming that Smith owes their group millions of dollars, over $17 million. They said they loaned him money but the invoices sent were apparently fraudulent. Shortly after this took place, the owners of the two Holiday Inn hotels found out about it and now, they feel as though they should not have to pay the portion that was owed. Their lawyer says that Smith had absolutely no right to file a lawsuit, especially since he entered a settlement in a fraudulent manner. He says that Smith is just a fraud. However, the lawyer who is representing the Smith Advertising Company says that these arguments are simply not valid, as they pertain to an entirely different case, one that has nothing to do with the Holiday Inn hotels. Their lawyer said that in this case, the work was done and the Holiday Inn does, in fact, owe money. The owners of the Holiday Inn believe that Gary Smith will simply runaway from this problem since he has not been seen since the firm closed its doors.

Citi Sponsorship for Olympics and Paralympics

vassallo — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:31:46 +0000

Citi Bank is known for its sponsorship of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Teams for 2010. They have recently made a new announcement about their national campaign, which will include both marketing and advertising. This particular campaign is generally the largest sponsorship campaign that Citi bank has ever dealt with before. The campaign will be featuring a number of different Olympic and Paralympic qualifiers, along with those who are hopeful and some members of Team Citi. The campaign will include all sorts of advertisements and marketing strategies, ranging from promotions, organized events, public broadcasts, commercials, and much more. People from different areas will surely see this campaign at some point in time.

The Chief Brand Officer for Citi, Dermot Boden, said that the sponsorship for Team USA is a great asset to add to the business and its brand, engaging clients in a way that is different from the usual approach. Boden believes that the new campaign strategy will not only help to engage clients, it is also a fantastic way of marking the company’s 200^th anniversary of existence. Boden believes that the company can relate directly to the athletes who will be representing the United States in both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. He believes they can relate with one other because both are ambitious and dedicated. The campaign will generally be a way of showing that ambitiousness and the dedication that these athletes put into their sport. It is also a way for Citi to show how proud they are to be partnered with people who have accomplished such achievements and continue to strive.

The sponsorship advertisement will portray a particular theme and that is the “Every Step of the Way” theme. There will be an assortment of different advertisements that will basically encourage the audience viewing the advertisements to join in on the movement that Citi has started. In fact, these people can easily join the movement by checking out the website. Along with joining the movement, these people can find out more about what Citibank has to offer its clients in terms of banking services and solutions.

The Global Consumer Chief Marketing and Internet Officer for Citi, Michelle Peluso, says that they are so excited to launch this new advertisement campaign that is full with different advertisements that will feature these different athletes, both from the Olympics and from the Paralympic, as they are genuine people in good spirits. The advertisements will show how fun yet dedicated and devoted these qualifying athletes are and will be easily relatable by those who are viewing the advertisements, whether it is on their television or if they are viewing the advertisements from their personal mobile device.

Upfront Week Updates: NBC and FOX Release Their Fall Primetime Line Ups

AdvertisingCrossing — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:34:16 +0000

Upfront week is on in full swing. And NBC and Fox have already released their schedules for fall 2012. But as has been the trend in recent years, most of the new shows of last fall and this spring have been cancelled.

Advertisers are being wined and dined this week and being promised that every new sitcom, drama and reality show being sold is the next big thing. But the track record of the networks has not been very good in the last few years when it comes to promoting and building an audience for its new shows. Still the networks manage to reel in $9 billion every year in during Upfront Week.

NBC and Fox have already released their primetime schedules for the fall. ABC, CBS and CW are going to release their schedules on May 15, May 16 and May 17 respectively.

NBC has cancelled 10 out of the 17 new shows it premiered last year. While Fox cancelled 5 out of 10 shows that it debuted last year. ABC has cancelled 7 out of the 14 new shows it started in the fall and spring.

NBC’s 2012-2013 Fall Schedule:

Monday
8-10 p.m. – The Voice
10-11 p.m. – Revolution NEW

Tuesday
8-9 p.m. –The Voice
9-9:30 p.m. – Go On NEW
9:30-10 p.m. – The New Normal NEW
10-11 p.m. – Parenthood

Wednesday
8-8:30 p.m. – Animal Practice NEW
8:30-9 p.m. – Guys with Kids NEW
9-10 p.m. – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 p.m. – Chicago Fire NEW

Thursday
8-8:30 p.m. – 30 Rock
8:30-9 p.m. – Up All Night
9-9:30 p.m. – The Office
9:30-10 p.m. – Parks and Recreation
10-11 p.m. – Rock Center with Brian Williams

Friday
8-8:30 p.m. – Whitney
8:30-9 p.m. – Community
9-10 p.m. – Grimm
10-11 p.m. – Dateline NBC

Saturday
Encore programming

Sunday
7- 8:15 p.m. — Football Night in America
8:15-11:30 p.m. — NBC Sunday Night Football

FOX’s 2012-2013 Fall Schedule:

Monday
8:00-9:00 p.m. — Bones
9:00-10:00 p.m. — The Mob Doctor NEW

Tuesday
8:00-8:30 p.m. — Raising Hope
8:30-9:00 p.m. — Ben and Kate NEW
9:00-9:30 p.m. — New Girl
9:30-10:00 p.m. — The Mindy Project NEW

Wednesday
8:00-10:00 p.m. — The X Factor

Thursday
8:00-9:00 p.m. — The X Factor Results
9:00-10:00 p.m. — Glee

Friday
8:00-9:00 p.m. — Touch
9:00-10:00 p.m. — Fringe

Saturday
7:00-10:30 p.m. — Fox Sports Saturday

Sunday
7:00-7:30 p.m. — NFL Game
7:30-8:00 p.m. — The OT
8:00-8:30 p.m. — The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 p.m. — Bob’s Burgers
9:00-9:30 p.m. — Family Guy
9:30-10:00 p.m. — American Dad

Connecticut Investing in Tourism

vassallo — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:04:41 +0000

The state of Connecticut has already spent a total of $22 million on an advertising campaign that is designed to attract tourists as a way of generating revenue for the state while also creating more jobs for the residents living in the area. The state is going with a tagline that the state is still revolutionary, which may end up being quite catchy. The Governor, Dannel Malloy, plans to unveil everything during next week while also letting the residents know what is going on. There will be plenty of television advertisements as well as radio advertisements that will begin being displayed and heard all over. There is also a focus on social media a well. This campaign, which will last for a total of two years, has been created with the hopes of driving more tourists to the area, especially since the state is still dealing with the aftermath of the Great Recession and the rough economy.

Malloy, who ran for governor nearly two years ago, had promised to put Connecticut back on the map, so to speak. The governor before him, M. Jodi Rell, had actually down the tourist budget for the state, all the way down to $1 million back in 2010. However, Malloy has set his focus on making bigger and brighter chances for all to enjoy. Malloy says that he is a history buff and wants to work on making sure tourists who, like himself, have a love for history, will know that this is the type of place they should want to visit. The state had to cut back billions of dollars from its original budget but Malloy insisted that several million dollars be put toward a tourism campaign because that will lead to more jobs and help to put the state back on the map.

Jim Ritterhoff, who works as a partner for Chowder Inc., which is stationed in New York, says that the state of Connecticut simply wants a time to shine. Ritterhoff says that the state of Connecticut want to have a moment that is much like the “I Love New York” slogan because that is something that truly made people want to visit the city and get to know what it was like while there. Ritterhoff and his team are now working on ways that will show people how inspiring the state of Connecticut can be, as well has how fascinating the countryside and the coastline are. They are working together to gather all sorts of material that would pitch the state of Connecticut in a good light. One person says that the state is just a place to simply sit back and relax, which may end up being something that Ritterhoff and his team use.

Old Character for New Lottery Advertisements

vassallo — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:04:00 +0000

The New York State Lottery has decided to take a unique approach with its advertising campaign. The new campaign will be primarily focused on a character that was introduced back in 2008 for one of the lottery games, the Take 5. The character, whose name is Little Bit of Luck, was used before but will now be used again as a way of promoting the lottery. Instead of promoting one specific type of lottery game, however, the character will now be promoting the lottery in general, with just about every game one could think of. The advertisement will focus primarily on some of the top lottery games, which includes the Powerball and the Sweet Million. The character will also briefly touch the basics of a quick pick, in which numbers are generated for the person who is buying the ticket if they prefer that over picking out the numbers on their own.

The new advertisements will also feature a quite catchy headline, There Is a Little Bit of Luck for Everyone, in which an individual person will be rooted on by the character per advertisement. Back in 2008, when the character was first introduced, he was seen rooting for large groups of people. However, this is a different spin on the advertisements, in which one character is featured per advertisement instead of large numbers of people. The advertisement will also still feature its usual headline, which is Hey You Never Know!

The New York State Lottery seems to be doing fairly well when it comes to sales, with 12 years in a row of making record-like profits. The changes are not being made because the lottery is not doing well, because it is doing well. The changes are being made simply because New York wants to keep up and keep the advertisement nice and fresh. After doing research, it was found that people often relate to advertisements that feature one single character instead of large groups of characters, which is why they decided to make the changes. Research also showed that many people still recognized the Lil Bit of Luck character, which was a surprise since the advertisements featuring the character had not been displayed for quite a while, but it was definitely that of a pleasant one. The character is quite valuable in the eyes of the consumers, especially because they often feel lucky when they are playing these games.

The character, Little Bit of Luck, looks a lot like a bobble head because its legs are quite oversized and its head is much larger than normal. The character was created via special effects and some people are thinking it will be used as a holograph; much like was done with Tupac.

YouTube Launches 100+ “Channels”, Advertisers Unimpressed So Far

AdvertisingCrossing — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:53:05 +0000

YouTube has launched its 100+ ”channels” that are supposed to revolutionize the way we watch TV. But the content that is available on them so far has left advertisers unimpressed.

YouTube, owned by Google, has ambitious plans for expanding into traditional TV space and grab a huge chunk of what companies spend on TV ads every year. There are rumors that YouTube could soon be launching a subscription-based service like Hulu. Last year, Hulu and YouTube were the two biggest winners of the $1.8 billion online video-ad market with Hulu getting $300 million and YouTube getting $600 million. But that is still a fraction compared to the $70 billion spent on TV advertising in 2011.

YouTube is pitching itself to advertisers as the next frontier in TV-viewing and its rollout of the channels during Upfront Week, when TV networks pitch their new fall shows to advertisers, is obviously aimed at luring some of that ad money its way. YouTube even called its launch event “brandcast”.

YouTube is planning to spend $200 million in marketing support for its channels and has also succeeded in roping in some well known names such as Brooke Burke, Richard Belzer, Jennifer Garner, Julia Stiles, Jennifer Beals, America Ferrera and Dakota Fanning among others. All of them will be starring in only-available-on-YouTube original series.

But most of the channels and the content on them look similar to what is on other video websites such as Funny or Die, ebaumsworld and similar sites (but with much tamer content). Some of them have a very amateurish look and unless their quality improves dramatically, YouTube will find it hard to convince advertisers to shell out the big bucks.

And YouTube is aiming for the big bucks. It wants advertisers to buy yearlong, all-inclusive sponsorships which it is selling in the $5 million range. It is also asking for $20 per thousand viewers for pre-roll. And the main difference between YouTube and the TV-networks is that there is no third party verification.

YouTube is asking advertisers to trust the viewer data gathered by parent company Google. Advertisers depend on Nielsen and ComScore when it comes to gathering data on TV viewership. And although the Nielsen ratings have been criticized by many industry people and TV viewers, they still remain the only major and reliable source of data for advertisers.

Generation Opportunity Poll for Young Americans to Speak Out

AdvertisingCrossing — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:31:20 +0000

The Generation Opportunity went to colleges and other community areas in North Carolina to talk to young people about their concerns. It comes as no surprise that the generation coming of age right now is very concerned with the high price of gas and the availability of good jobs. Generation Opportunity talks with college students and young people who already have jobs to get a good idea of what these groups are thinking about the economy and future job prospects.

Read the full article here:
North Carolina’s Young Adults Say High Gas Prices, Lack of Jobs, and the Poor … – Sacramento Bee

AT&T to Sell Yellow Pages, 500 St.Louis Jobs at Stake

AdvertisingCrossing — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:27:01 +0000

AT&T is selling off its phone book interest to Cerberus Capital. AT&T is a telecommunications giant and they are getting rid of the parts of the business that are not making big profits. Many people these days use the Internet instead of phone books, so AT&T sees phone books as an area that will not be growing in the future. The sale could mean the loss of over 500 jobs in the St. Louis area.

Read the full article here:
500 St. Louis jobs may be at stake in AT&T Yellow Pages sale – KMOV.com

VW Aims to Fill Tennessee Jobs

AdvertisingCrossing — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:06:07 +0000

Volkswagen is conducting a national search to fill in the new jobs. They are conducting online advertising campaign to fill in the job positions. The company is mainly looking in Michigan and in the South. Volkswagen is planning to boost up the production of Passats as their sales have improved very much. Most of the new jobs announced can be filled in locally by the company. Company is going to conduct technical education programs for students interested in pursuing jobs in the automotive sector.

Read the full article here:
VW conducting search to fill Tennessee jobs – Lansing State Journal