Friday, June 11, 2010

Radio Should Be Watching Quarterly Ad Pricing Changes...

(Weekend Edition)

Online advertising is still in its infancy - so much so that most radio stations are torn between selling the ads using CPM (cost per thousand), CPC (cost per click through), CPL (cost per lead) or CPS (cost per sale). The latter is commonly used for bloggers carrying ads. Whatever radio finally chooses to term it, they better be following the changes in ad pricing from quarter-to-quarter. If they are, they know that food and sports were the categories posting the biggest year-over-year gains in ad pricing in the first quarter according to vertical ad network Adify. The average effective CPM for the food segment increased 179% to $4.19 from a year ago, while sports was up 121% to $4. In all, only 4 of 11 categories were down in Q1 2010 measured against Q1 2009...

In addition to food and sports, real estate pricing, (healthy) living & lifestyle, entertainment and beauty & fashion were up Q1 to Q1. The affluent category was flat but travel, news, moms & parents, business - all took a hit. Adify adds that the results are seasonal with an expected drop-off from the 4th quarter when ad budgets tend to be highest (Merry Christmas!)...

What radio should note are the categories that are down from Q1 in 2009. Those are the categories that are not bouncing back from the recession as well as others. They would include: travel, news, moms & parents & business. I wouldn't be making a call on a travel agency just yet...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1912] 300-wins club: Christy Mathewson pitches a no-hitter in winning his 300th game (6/13)...2003] Roger Clemens joins the 300-wins club and becomes the third pitcher to reach 4,000 strikeouts (6/13)...
2.1923] Free at last: Harry Houdini frees himself from a straight jacket while suspended upside down, 40 feet above the street in New York City (6/12)...
3.1935] Cinderella man: James J. Braddock, a 29-year old New Jersey longshoreman wins the world heavyweight championship in a 15-round decision over Max Baer (6/13). Braddock wears the crown for 2 years before losing it to Joe Louis...
4.1948] Bye, bye Babe: Babe Ruth bows out at Yankee Stadium as his #3 is retired (6/13)...
5.1953] Gone too soon: “Amos and Andy” ends its 2-year run on television, 24 years on radio, because of racial sensitivity. In my opinion this was one of the greatest comedy series of all-time (6/11)...
6.1978] Premiered on this date: "Grease" the movie, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (6/11)…1982] “ET” opens and sets record-breaking box-office numbers. It’s the big summer movie (6/11)...
7.1990] Half a dozen in the books: Nolan Ryan pitches his sixth no-hitter in a win over Oakland. Ryan will pitch one more before retiring after the 1993 season (6/11)…
8.1994] Slashed to death: Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are slashed to death outside her Los Angeles home. Former husband, football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson is later acquitted of the killings in a criminal trial but held liable in a civil action (6/12)...
9.2002] Wedding Bells: Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are married. They will separate in May 2006 and the divorce becomes final in May, 2008 (6/11)…
10.2008] 'Happy Trails': "Meet The Press" host Tim Russert dies suddenly from a heart attack at 58 (6/13)...

Music Memories:
1964] Recorded on this date: "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" - Manfred Mann (6/11)...
1965] Released on this date: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - Rolling Stones (6/12)...1969] "Space Oddity" (single) - David Bowie (released to coincide with our first lunar landing)(6/11)...1976] "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)" - Wild Cherry (6/11)...
1965] #1 on this date: "Back in My Arms Again" - Supremes (6/12) (5th consecutive #1 hit)...1970] The Beatles dominate the charts with the #1 single ("Long and Winding Road") and LP ("Let It Be")(6/13)...1977] "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac (6/12)...1988] "Together Forever" - Rick Astley (6/12)...

Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (6/11) Jose Reyes (27), Hugh ("House") Laurie (51), Joe Montana (54), Adrienne Barbeau (65), Joey Dee (70), Chad Everett (74), Gene Wilder (77), Charles Rangel (80) and Rise Stevens (97)...(6/12) Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos (59), The Trogg's Reg Presley (67), Len Barry (68), Marv Albert (69), Jim Nabors (80), Vic Damone (82), our 41st President George H.W. Bush (86) and David Rockefeller (95)...(6/13) Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (24), Hannah Storm (48), Tim Allen (57), Richard (John-Boy) Thomas (59), Dennis Locorriere a.k.a. Dr. Hook (61), Siegfried Fischbacher (71) and Christo (75)...

Timeline Countdown: 9 days until Father's Day, 10 days until summer and 23 days until July 4th...