With Election Day just a few days away, advertisers are looking into alternative mediums to place their political ads. While TV, cable and digital are the first choices for advertising action, over half of the agencies polled by STRATA say they are competing with political advertisers for space on TV, but with a finite amount of available space, many advertisers are putting their money in radio. That doesn't mean that more dollars are going into political this year. 58% say their political spend is about the same as it was during the 2008 political year and 36% say it's less than the last time around. Whatever radio gets from the spill-off might be too-little, too-late...
The STRATA survey follows advertising trends from leading agencies across the country that indicate there has been a relapse in economic confidence. 33% of advertisers don't anticipate the economy and their businesses to return to a strong growth period until at least mid 2011 and 47% are seeing their clients keeping the same budget as last year. Moving 'Black Friday' up to Halloween Weekend is the ultimate test for retail to feel-out the economic climate. STRATA President/CEO John Shelton says "The economy is not recovering as quickly as originally projected. Even with the increase in political advertising, spending has been fairly stagnant this quarter." ...
Some forecasters still expect radio to get as much as $250 million in election-related ads by the time the last vote is cast next Tuesday. Political polls indicate an impending shakeup in congressional leadership has some broadcasters optimistic, assuming the business climate will be better with Democrats out of power, but here's a warning from the National Association of Broadcasters' political action committee (NABPAC). NABPAC says there's a real threat of trouble in the lame duck session. Think trick, not treat for political spend...
10 Timeline Memories:
1.1926] Last disappearing act: Harry Houdini dies from complications of a ruptured appendix at 52 on Halloween, no less (10/31)...
2.1929] Cur-rash: "Black Tuesday" ushers in 'The Great Depression' as banks and stocks go belly up (10/29)...
3.1938] War of the Worlds: H.G. Wells' epic is aired on "Mercury Theater on the air presents Orson Welles". Of the 6 million listeners, more than 1.7 million believed the fictional account of Martians invading New Jersey. Maybe they were looking for Jimmy Hoffa (10/30)...
4.1940] Brrrrrrr there's a draft in here: The first peacetime military draft begins in the U.S. (10/29)...
5.1941] What huge busts: Okay, get your mind off the female anatomy. Mount Rushmore is declared completed after 14 years of work. Sixty-foot busts of Washington, Jefferson, (Theodore) Roosevelt and Lincoln are finished and the landmark would soon open to the public (10/31)...
6.1964] Natural History heist: Thieves make off with the Star of India and other gems from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Tom Cruise is arrested immediately (10/29)...
7.1974] Are you ready to rumble?: "The Rumble in the Jungle" is fought in Kinshasa, Zaire with Muhammad Ali beating George Foreman on a TKO in the 8th round (10/30)...
8.1975] DROP DEAD!!!: That was the subtle headline on page one of the New York Daily News after President Gerald R. Ford says he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City. Yep, better to use the money on police body armor in Keokuk, Iowa any day (10/30)...
9.1997] Convicted: A Cambridge (MA) jury convicts British au pair Louise Woodward of second degree murder in the death of 8-month old Matthew Eappen. The judge later reduces the verdict to manslaughter and sets Woodward free. Who was the judge? Lance Ito??? (10/30)...
10.2004] Osama sighting: Osama bin Laden in a videotaped statement, directly admits for the first time, ordering the September 11 attacks. He tells America "the best way to avoid another Manhattan" is to stop threatening Muslims' security" (10/29)...
Music Memories:
- 1957] Released on this date: "Oh Boy" - Buddy Holly (10/29)...1973] "Mind Games" LP - John Lennon (10/30)...1977] "Bat Out Of Hell" LP - Meatloaf (10/29)...
- 1970] Gold Standard: "Cracklin' Rosie" - Neil Diamond (10/29)...
- 1984] They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway: Linda Ronstadt makes her operatic debut in "La Boheme" 10/30). This is the first song we heard Linda sing...
- Halloween Classics: "Monster Mash" - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett & the Cryptkickers..."Dinner with Drac" - John Zacherley..."Witchy Woman" - Eagles..."Witch Queen of New Orleans" - Redbone..."I Put A Spell On You" - Screaming Jay Hawkins...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (10/29) Winona Ryder (39), Joely Fisher (43), Denis Potvin (57), Kate Jackson (62), Richard Dreyfuss (63) & Denny Laine (66)...(10/30) Ivanka Trump (29), Harry Hamlin (59), Timothy B. Schmit (63), Henry Winkler (65), the only surviving original Temptation, Otis Williams (69), Grace Slick (71) and Motown's Eddie Holland (71)...(10/31) Vanilla Ice (43), Rob Schneider (47), Peter Jackson (49), Jane Pauley (60), Kinky Friedman (66), David Ogden Stiers (68), Dan Rather (79), former astronaut Michael Collins (80) & Lee Grant (83)...
Timeline Countdown: Happy Halloween, Games 3, 4 & 5 of World Series on Saturday, Sunday & Monday, 9 days until standard time and 27 days until Thanksgiving...
