Separately, the measurement company will announce in the coming weeks a timeline for tracking Web video viewing that will ultimately help media companies and agencies see viewing behavior between the TV and Web more clearly.

The end game would be monetizing Web viewing of TV more effectively as Nielsen prepares to develop a new model for C3, or commercial ratings, that would include shows watched online. The idea of tracking consumers' media habits on TV and online is referred to as single-source measurement. Nielsen already tracks Web viewing, as do ComScore and other players, via separate services that are not associated with its TV sample.

Nielsen held a meeting with clients in October to hear their thoughts on where Nielsen ought to be putting its efforts in terms of tracking single-source Web usage. The overwhelming feedback was that Nielsen move faster.

While the August 2010 target date might be slightly later than some cable entertainment channels had hoped for, since their peak viewing occurs in June, it is still a radical improvement on the previous timeline of year's end. The company will begin adding to the existing 375 TV and PC homes on December 23 and has drafted extra staff in order to meet the more aggressive timeline.

The meters work by requiring panelists to log in so that their every Web move can be attributed to a single individual. The meters will also have the ability to recognize Nielsen's audio codes.

"It is an estimate but we expect to [track] 20,000 people and 7,500 households and they would account for 12,000 computers," said Sara Erichson, president of Media Cleint Services North America, in an interview.

Read About Jane Fraser

Fewer Hotel Guests Want Newspaper

RBR.com April 17 2009

Even when the price is zero, fewer and fewer people are bothering to pick up a newspaper. Marriott International says guest demand for newspaper delivery at its more than 2,600 hotels in the United States has declined by about 25%. So, Marriott will stop delivering newspapers to the doors of all guests and shift to a free newspaper delivery system based on customer preference or, in some cases, their desire to walk to the lobby to claim their free publication.

The company notes that the new policy will not only save it some money, but reduce waste at the same time – so it’s being billed as a “green” initiative.

Effective June 1st, Marriott’s full-service hotels, including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, will deliver newspapers to guest rooms based on customer preference. The company's 30 million Marriott Rewards members will be able to update their online profiles and receive their preferred newspaper automatically. Guests who are not Rewards members will be asked for their preference at check-in.

Guests at those upper tier hotels will have a choice between USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, the local paper, or no paper.

Effective this coming Monday, April 20th, Marriott's Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, and TownePlace Suites hotels will offer newspapers free-of-charge in their lobbies. No more to-the-door delivery.

"We want to give guests the choice of whether they want a newspaper or not," said Chairman and CEO J.W. Marriott, Jr. "I visit more than 250 hotels a year, and more often than not, I'm stepping over unclaimed newspapers as I walk down the hallway. This new program is more guest-focused."

Based on preliminary data, the company projects that newspaper distribution will be reduced by about 50,000 papers daily or 18 million papers annually, thereby avoiding 10,350 tons of carbon emissions (calculated by Conservation International assuming an estimate of .5 pounds per paper). Cost-savings for the hotel chain, if any (that qualifier came from Marriott – obviously, there will be money saved), will vary based on consumption at individual hotels.

More than 25 years ago, through a pioneering partnership with the Gannett Co. and USA Today, Marriott positioned itself as the first major hotel company to feature broad newspaper delivery to its hotel rooms in the US. Despite the cutback on newspaper delivery, Marriott insisted that the two companies will “continue to work together to offer guests innovative online news, including products such as the GoBoard available around-the-clock in Courtyard hotel lobbies.”

Both USA Today and the Wall Street Journal provided comments to be included in the Marriott announcement and try to spin this as a good thing.

"USA Today was founded on the idea that one newspaper could reflect the shared interests of Americans across the country. Our ability to connect readers with what is important to them makes us the most-read newspaper in the country and the number one choice of travelers," said Susan Lavington, Senior Vice President of Marketing, USA Today. "As the needs of news consumers continue to shift, USA Today has innovated to provide valued content in any platform consumers choose. We look forward to extending that choice to Marriott's valued guests through print, online, mobile devices or on a GoBoard in their hotel lobby," she said.

"More individuals choose to buy the Wall Street Journal than any other newspaper in America. We applaud Marriott for now extending this choice to their guests." said Paul Bascobert, Chief Marketing Officer for the Dow Jones Consumer Media Group. "At a time when others are scaling back, The Wall Street Journal's expanded coverage of national news, health, leisure and sports will be a welcome benefit to Marriott guests," he said.

RBR/TVBR observation: Just another example of the rapid migration of the American public from print to portable information. Clearly, more and more people are sitting in their hotel room looking at their information sources of choice on their laptop or Blackberry/iPhone and ignoring the pile of paper sitting outside their door. They may be checking hometown information from your station’s website, but only if you give them a reason to.  The information consumer of today is not going to sit down and read a single newspaper. They are going to go to a list – long or short – of trusted sources of information for local, national, international, business, job-specific and personal interest information. Your job is to make that list.

Read About Jane Fraser

Radio & Internet are Complimentary Media
Jennifer Lane, President, Audio4cast.com

RBR.com 2009-03-25 

One third of Canadians have typed a website address into their browser after hearing it on the radio, according to a new study by Foundation Research on Radio and the Internet, published by the Radio Marketing Bureau. The study goes on to outline other stats that highlight ways that radio and the Internet are complimentary:

•  36% of Canadians listen to the radio while surfing the Internet.
•  62% of adults 18+ said that an ad on the radio had prompted them to visit a website in the past six months.
•  62% of adults 18+ strongly agree that radio ads influence their Internet surfing.

The study goes on to provide several case studies on ways that advertisers used radio to drive traffic to their websites. Once there, 37% actually purchased the product, according to this study.

The study concludes: "Radio and internet are complementary media. The combination of radio and the internet satisfies the rational and emotional needs of consumers. The internet is a huge resource for information allowing people to find what they want, when they want it. Radio is a personal and emotional medium providing entertainment and companionship throughout the day. Both media connect the user with social communities."

Read About Jane Fraser

There's a story that C.E.O. Fred Smith hung ten sketches of color designs for Federal Express cargo planes on a wall of his office, and then asked people to come look at them. Smith reportedly sat back and watched people's reactions. He noted that one particular drawing kept attracting and holding the attention of people. This design became the image of those planes we recognize as FedEx today.

Sometimes testing of advertising, or design, or other marketing elements can be this simple. And don't we all like simple tests?

The Title Test

They don't come much simpler than Cindy Cashman's Title Test. Cindy is a prolific author of such titles as Bedtime Stories for Dogs (as Leigh Anne Jasheway), The Book of Smiles, and Life Lessons for Couples (as Cindy Francis).  Her Everything Men Know About Women (as Dr. Alan Francis) has sold more than a million copies. Cashman tests book concepts by passing out lists of potential titles to people in her target market, and asking them which books they'd pay to purchase today. Any potential title which doesn't get an overwhelming response gets dumped.

The Six Year Old Test

For years I've recommended the “six-year-old” test of advertising copy. Read your ad to a six year old. Then, ask the child to explain to you what you just said. You won't be able to test the appeal of your offer this way, but if the concept comes back largely unaltered, you may safely conclude your ad is communicating well.

The Penetration Test

The late Rosser Reeves had an brilliantly simple test of the persuasive power of the ad campaigns he created for Ted Bates Advertising. He called 1,000 random people (or, more properly, had it done) and asked two questions. “Have you heard or seen our advertisements?” “Do you use our product?” Then he simply compared the penetration of the product into both the group which had been exposed to the ad and the group which had not. If the campaign was “working,” people who remembered the ads were purchasing more than those who didn't.

The Zip Code Test

Thinking of using radio to drive traffic to your web site, but you want a way to track radio's contribution to your “clicks?” Have your fulfillment people establish a baseline of shipments to the zip codes your market, then run your ads. Incremental shipments to your target zips must have come from the radio schedule.

The Keyed Ad Test

A simple test of which newspaper ad triggered the response is to use different contact information. Your ad in the Sun references "Department S," while the ad in the Daily Bugle references "Department D," for instance. If you're inviting people to phone, use different numbers, or different contact names. Requests for “Miss Jones” are leads generated by the ad in the Sun. People asking for “Miss Johnson” are obviously looking at the ad in the Daily Bugle. In addition of being a valid test of which medium is producing activity, consider that it could also become an important step in the sales process. Inviting people to call for a free report is a great way to capture contact information from potential customers.

The Imbedded Instruction Test

Giving someone the opportunity to do what they don't want to do will produce no results worth noting, but helping someone to make a measurable choice can sometimes be simple. Radio sales trainer Chris Lytle has for years told of running an ad which instructed shoppers to “wear soft soled shoes since you'll be shopping in our giant warehouse,” and then noticing the surprising number who actually followed the instructions. Is embedding a specific instruction in your advertising copy a valid test of whether people are shopping because they were exposed to your ad? Maybe. This one really depends on the action you're asking them to take. Done badly, it could also be a test of whether people are willing to risk ridicule.

The Isolated Offer Test

Using multiple media, and don't know if one of your choices is paying off? I once offered a book of coupons good at a flea market in ads for that flea market. The coupon books were available at the office, and were not mentioned in any other customer contact. (Bargain shoppers looking for extra bargains from vendors they'd have frequented anyway? Care to guess the outcome?) The number of coupon books picked up by customers was an excellent indicator of that media outlet's ability to reach customers.

Testing the Offer

Want to test your offer before investing big bucks in a television schedule? Use telemarketing to phone a couple of hundred prospects, and see what they're willing to pay for.

And finally, is testing even necessary?

Not everything needs to be tested.  There's multiple test evidence going back decades that targeted advertising outperforms untargeted advertising, that effective outdoor ads should have six or fewer words of copy, and that people will ignore ads which don't offer things they're interested in purchasing.  Instead of wasting time and effort proving these things yet again, you can safely assume nothing has changed and build upon that assumption.

Read About Chuck McKay

Somewhere, somewhen, someone will find an envelope such as this in the mailbox, and it will actually contain a real check, or a legitimate important document ... and not some junk from a car dealer or a furniture store.

I pity that person, though, because there's an awfully good chance that such a person - being of sound mind- would throw that legitimate important document away before ever opening it.

People who whore these things out make us the villagers in the land of the boy who cried wolf.

It must be an awfully powerful pitch to the dealers:

See, what we do is we partner with the credit bureau and get a list of all folks who don't have the best credit.  Oftentimes, they're lonely people, too, and just want someone to make them feel important.  They're such easy prey that they'll open this because they'll be deceived, err, persuaded that someone's singled them out for a better life.  It's the American Dream!  And you can make it happen for them!

So the business owner merely has to write a check to the direct mail boys for the big bottle of snake-oil, and the direct mail boys take care of the rest.

To dealers:  Stop it.  Even if your conversion rate on these things is cost-effective, find a way to connect truly and deeply with your consumers based on who you are and what you believe.  Say it with all the conviction you can muster.  Become the place the 99.99999999 percent of the village who won't be sucked in by crap like this think of first and like the best when it comes time for them to need their next car or sofa.  You'll sleep better ... perhaps for the first time in a long while.

To the direct mail boys:  Stop it.  Is it any wonder with you rooting around in our credit reports and creating deceptive false senses of urgency that no mother ever looks at the baby in her arms and says, "I hope he grows up to be in advertising."

Please understand that I think direct mail can be a powerful means of communication - shockingly expensive - but powerful.  I once received a xerox copy of a hand-written, very personal letter from the owner of a local heating and cooling place.  It said they hadn't had a very good year money-wise but he felt good about the work they'd done and thought I would to if I'd just give them the chance.  It wasn't perfectly written, but it was honestly written.  When the time comes for us to have work done, I've already created my preference.

Read About Tim Miles

The only Chevrolet dealer in Smallburg, Texas, augments his local newspaper ads with a schedule on a regional radio station licensed to the adjacent community, Midville. He's been selling an average of 18-20 cars per month. At the end of his first month with the new radio station he has sold a total of 27.

In his next newsletter the station manger writes, “When you see Ned Vanderslice of Vanderslice Auto, ask him why he's grinning. He'll tell you sales are up 30 percent.”

The newsletter hits the mail. Within hours the manager receives an angry phone call from Vanderslice. “How DARE you claim my success?”

“Ned,” asks the manager, “other than advertising on my radio station, what other changes did you make last month in your advertising? Did you run any additional newspaper? Any additional television? Any additional direct mail?”

“No,” says Ned, “but you had nothing to do with my sales increase. Nobody drove from Midville to buy cars from me.”

Ned thinks advertising cause and effect is common sense.

Is it? Yeah. Most of the time it is.

In this case, I'd bet that Midville's regional radio station has listeners in Smallburg. How many? At least seven. At least seven that were ready to buy new cars. Since no other part of the advertising mix has changed, we can pretty well determine what drove the increase.

The key is to test only one change at a time.

Then watch the outcome. Sometimes it's not what anyone might expect, but it's usually still common sense.

An apartment complex which does a very credible job of tracking the source of each lead has just added radio ads to their marketing mix. I advised them to watch for an increase in ALL of their lead sources.

1.Realtors, hearing the ad, will naturally think of this complex more often. We can expect them to recommend it more than they might have without the reminder.

2.People hearing the ad are likely to look up the phone number of the complex in the Yellow Pages. We can expect Yellow Pages referrals to increase.

3.People keying the name of the complex into Google will, of course, drive up the on line referrals. But common sense will tell you there was only one change in the marketing mix.

My favorite advertisers intuitively know this. They change headlines, and record the response. They change insertion days, and record the response. They add the weekend edition, and record the response.

Roger de la Paz of Richie's Real American Diner in Victorville, California knows that this particular ad delivers a consistently predictable 118 percent increase in gross sales every day it runs.

How? Because he's already tested everything from ad size, to offer, to headline, to graphics, to the day of the week to run this ad in the Victorville, Ca. Daily Press.

Roger systematically changed only one element at a time, and kept careful records of each outcome. He compares the demand for specific food items before the ad runs, and again afterward. He is then able to calculate the increased demand for specific menu items against the cost of the ads.

There are no quick answers. Each test helped Roger to make each successive ad more profitable.  It took him three years to learn what he now knows about advertising his restaurant in the Daily Press.

But by carefully tracking the specifics of size, placement, and frequency of his newspaper ads, Roger can now predict to within a few dollars the ROI for each newspaper ad he runs for Richie's Real American Diner.

Persistence, it appears, is also a key element in testing your advertising.

Read About Chuck McKay

Not only can Steve Rae charm crowds with his speaking skills and guitar playing, he's also a successful radio station owner, member of the Stratford Festival Theatre of Canada's Board of Governors, published author and Wizard of Ads Partner.  He's managed quite a few successful marketing campaigns, most notably the exponential growth of Canadian real estate company, Property Guys.  I caught up with Steve in chilly Ontario to get his thoughts on the upcoming Marketing Performance Seminar Feb. 19-20 in Denver...

Q: As MC of the Marketing Performance Seminar in Denver, what are you looking forward to the most, other than looking good and introducing speakers?

A: Well, it actually takes some skill to pay attention to the audience and respond to their needs in between speakers.  I really want to make sure that every business owner who attends grasps something valuable for their particular situation.  That means that I have to constantly pay attention to be able to highlight important pieces of the marketing puzzle.  If I only focus on getting everyone to like me or the presenters, we'll miss the point of the whole seminar, to help business owners improve the performance of their marketing. 

Q: So you think you'll be pretty comfortable in front of the crowd?

A: I sure hope so.  After all, I do teach Public Speaking 101 alongside Roy Williams at Wizard Academy.  I hope that I practice some of the things I talk about there. 

Q: Any comparison between you and the last MC at the Nashville Wizards of Ads Partner Seminar?

A: I probably won't be gesticulating and jumping around the room as much as you, Peter, but good presenting is quite a bit more than craziness.  We'll just say that I'm a bit more seasoned and leave it at that.

Q: Right.  Speaking of introductions, you're also scheduled to speak on Gravity Wells.  What's that about?

A: If I wanted you to buy a house from me I wouldn't just tell you about it and then offer you the title and the keys on the spot, demanding a check for it before ever letting you see it.  I'd post a picture on a website, let you call and talk to me on the phone, invite you to an open house so that you can feel its comfort and then ask you if you're willing to buy it. 

Some of these steps of trust seem obvious, but oftentimes business owners lose customers when they ask them to take too big of a step too soon in the selling process.  My seminar will give people the ability to define the steps in their selling process and make an easier path where they realize the leap of commitment and trust is too great.  It's amazing the results that occur when customers don't feel like they're being asked for too much at the wrong time.

Q: So you've applied this to your thinking in promoting Property Guys and found it helpful? 

A: Yep.  They've multiplied their business many times over.

Q: I'm sold.  Anything else you want to say before you leave Canada?

A: It'll be nice to warmup in Denver.  I hear it's 65 Fahrenheit there, when it's about 9 here, today.  I might bring some shorts so I don't get too hot!  Seriously, it's always a bunch of fun to present with other Wizard of Ads Partners.  If you're thinking about coming, by all means do.  We'll make sure you leave with information you can actually use to grow your business.

Read About Peter Nevland

“I could care less about your beautifully designed logo and the exploits of your company softball team.  Can you provide what I need?  Are you listening before you speak?” 

Words may be the most powerful force to literally shape our planet, but they're useless unless delivered in a language that means something to the hearer.  Your goal is customers running to your door.  So start with a message they really care about in the product or service you deliver.  Otherwise, you might as well practice some new thumb twiddling tricks while you wait for the earth to turn. 

Don't depend on surveys performed by random phone dialers or test groups.   They're like a mother's assessment of her son's talent.  Ask your employees to tell you the most consistent complaint they hear.  Get people completely outside your industry to experience what your business has to offer and give you feedback.   Spend time in your customers' haunts and experience life from their point of view.  You'll see differently.  You'll start using words that matter.

Grab their attention with a compelling image and end with an even stronger one.  If you already know what people want, tell it to them in the first sentence.  For example, “You won't waste your time listening to hold music when you call us for customer service.”  People would gladly pay  their 2-year contract termination fees to switch to a cell phone company that provided that.  And let's just throw in that they should end this ad by saying, “...and we'll never lock you into a 2-year contract.  You should be free to get the service you need.”  I might even trust a cell phone company again, which leads to my next point.

Don't promise something you can't deliver.  You may have a message that people care about, but if you can't give it to them when they walk in the door, click on your website or call you on the phone, the attention getting power of your message mixed with the negative experience of your customers will kill your business.  Write the truth and write it powerfully.

We could have just told you about the writing expertise you'll receive when you come to the 2-day Marketing Performance Seminar put on by the Wizard of Ads Partners Feb. 19-20 in Denver.  But we figure you could care less about our valuable insights and lineup of incredible speakers if what we have to offer doesn't powerfully impact your business today.  Isn't that what you care about?

Read About Peter Nevland