Perception Analyzer Dial.Log

Television Viewing Stats

Here are a few TV viewing stats that speak to what people do when they watch television.  Nothing groundbreaking, but we love new stats, right?!?

More on Customization (II)

Today I received my SkinIt skins for my mobile phone and TiVo remote and as promised, I'm here to report back.  While the quality of the images and the vinyl they are printed on are good, the final outcome, once the skins were applied, was less than thrilling.  What I had hoped for was a way to add a cool, personal touch to my stock devices, but all I feel I now have are stickers on my phone and remote.  Granted, they are precisely cut and do fit well, but they only cover part of the devices.  For my mobile phone, for instance, there is a piece to cover the front and a piece to cover the battery on the back.  The top, bottom and sides remain exposed leaving the phone looking more "slightly covered" and less what I would envision as "skinned." I'm not sure what I expected since cutting the vinyl to fully cover the phone would require far more engineering than simply providing for the front and back.  It's just that the final outcome did not offer as much "cool factor" as I had hoped.

Anyway, this is probably great for teens looking for yet another way to differentiate from the herd.  For the rest of us grown-up types, it doesn't quite deliver.  I must say, however, that I still like the idea.

To Cook or Not to Cook: That is the Question

In preparing for Thankgoodnessforelasticpants Day (otherwise known as Thanksgiving), I'm struck by how much more prevalent takeout has become. Back in the day, everything was made at home, from scratch.  My grandmother would wake up at 4:00 AM to get the turkey ready for its full day of baking and basting (at least I was told she got up at 4:00 AM - I was also told that as a boy my grandfather would go to the movies with a friend and both could get in for a nickel, so who knows that's true).  We'd smell the turkey and stuffing baking all day and come mid-afternoon my grandpa would break out the electric carving knife and go to town.  Today however, not so much.

As baby boomers age and younger families have two working parents and 2.1 kids, people don't have the time, energy or inclination to cook like they used to.  It starts out innocently enough - one year we just take the edge off cooking by getting the cranberry sauce from a local gourmet market.  No big deal as no one really eats it anyway, right?  Then, since that went so well, the next year we maybe try it with the mashed potatoes or worse yet, the stuffing!  Turns out, it's not bad - not great, but considering we didn't have to make it ourselves - not bad.  So, now is when we get cocky and go for the turkey.  Rather than an hour of prep and many hours of baking and basting, we buy a pre-cooked bird and reheat for an hour or so.  A little dry?  Maybe, but it was fast and easy. So, we've traded tradition and the joy of cooking for convenience and more free time to spend with family.  Is the trade worth it? I guess it depends on how much you enjoy time with your family.

I think there is something to be said for not depriving our future generations of the joy of smelling a turkey baking all day. Opening a plastic container and transferring pre-made food to a serving platter just ain't the same.  I admit to heeding the call of the Turkey Day takeout temptress myself once or twice, but now that I have a son, I want him to know what it's like to sit and wait all day, hunger pangs and all, while we prep and cook and wait and wait and wait and carve and serve and finally eat and eat and eat and eat. Then, just when we can't possibly take another bite, it's time for pie (homemade, of course).

Happy Thanksgiving.

When I Grow Up...

This parody of Monster.com's "When I Grow Up" ad campaign is hilarious.  Very wrong, but hilarious!  Not sure how long it's been floating around, but I just learned of it.  Maybe it's new to you too.

What Mobile Phone Users Want

Interesting stats from eMarketer about what mobile phone customers do, and say they want to be able to do, with their mobile phones.  Honestly, these numbers are lower than I would have expected.

New Ad Recall Stats for DVR Fast Forwarding

CBS has conducted a study that shows ad recall by DVR viewers at 23% for commercials they fast forwarded through.  While the story covering this new research does not mention what traditional ad recall is, CBS's executive vice president-research and planning, David Poltrack, says, "You wouldn't get that kind of recall if you asked people to watch a regular TV commercial."

In a previous study it was shown that while fast forwarding, viewers said they "always" notice commercials 15% of the time and "sometimes" notice commercials 52% of the time.

In another previous study, 65% said they "always or sometimes" notice and 33% said they "rarely or never notice" the brands being advertised while fast forwarding.

The common thread coming from all this research is that people at least have their eyeballs on the screen when fast forwarding as opposed to them getting up and doing something else during commercials.  This is where keeping product placements and logos on the screen as long as possibly will help advertisers.

via [MediaPost]

Message to TiVo: Turn Your PR Textbook to Page 1

So, a couple of days ago news breaks that TiVo will begin displaying logos and banner ads to viewers who fast forward through commercials.  Buzz about this has been predominantly negative (to say the least).  While more level heads may prevail and some may even decide it won't be as bad as first suspected, shouldn't TiVo have seen this coming?  TiVo customers are still early adopters - fanatics - people who use the word "love" to describe their state-of-the-art electronic devices.  This story should not have first come out in a newspaper, it should have been communicated directly and accurately to loyal TiVo customers through their TiVo devices.  It could have been a message from the president of the company to all of his customers explaining what they are planning, why and how it won't suck.  Word would have spread like crazy (just as it did this way), but TiVo could have controlled the story and allied with its customers as opposed to letting them learn in the press about something that reads like a betrayal (even if in the end it may not be).  Instead, rumors are flying and how these banners and logos are really going to work is unclear.  What is clear is that TiVo customers are pissed (by what they're hearing, even if it's inaccurate) and confused.

To make matters worse, it's now been two days since the story broke and nowhere on the TiVo website can I find word one about it.  Not on the I Have TiVo page.  Not on the Press Releases page.  Not on the TiVo in the News page.  Nowhere.  Come on!  This is PR 101.  Control your news story.  Even if they didn't anticipate the backlash (which if they know their customers would not be possible), react swiftly and get out in front of it.  They need to talk to their customers and future customers and not let the negative buzz machine keep on chugging.  It's now at the point where they probably need to put it on the homepage.

Chrysler 300 = Shizzle

While I'm sure it's a great car, Snoop Dogg's interest in the Chrysler 300 surely played no small part in creating the buzz that helped propel the car to Motor Trend magazine's 2005 Car of the Year.  While that is quite an accomplishment, what I find most fascinating is how this plot line got both Dieter Zetsche (Chrysler's president and CEO) and subsequently Reuters to use the word "shizzle."  I would kill for that sound bite.

via [adfreak]

Ringback Tones

This is something I had not heard of before - ringback tones are mobile phone ringtones you can buy for the person calling you to hear in place of the normal ringing sound (kind of like a ringtone in reverse).  They are apparently hugely popular in Asia and as of now, Verizon and T-Mobile have plans to bring the service to customers in the U.S. 

This takes people's desire for custom and individualized products to yet another level.  Normal ringtones are for you (and, I suppose, those around you), but ringback tones are a way of customizing, for others, the experiencing of getting in touch with you. Let the billions of dollars of ringback tone sales begin!

via [Engadget]

Thirty-five Years and 9,000 Episodes

ABC's "All My Children" taped its 9,000th episode today.  Talk about figuring out what people want and sticking with it - for 35 years! 

May we all find such a magic formula.

Behind the FedEx Logo

Interesting interview at The Sneeze with the creator of the world famous and multiple-award winning FedEx logo.  I never noticed the arrow before - had you?

TiVo Finally Gives Advertisers Something to Be Happy About

TiVo recently announced advertiser billboards and opt-in logos that will appear on-screen when viewers fast forward through commercials.  While this will surely please advertisers struggling to reach trigger-happy viewers, I can't imagine TiVo's fanatic customers are going to be all too happy.

My first reaction is that it's not TiVo's job to appeal to advertisers.  It's TiVo's job to appeal to its customers - viewers who pay $100-$200 for receivers and $13 per month for service.  I can see TiVo selling viewership data (also referenced in the article) so advertisers and programmers may better understand people's viewing habits, but aligning with advertisers to circumvent the ad skipping that TiVo made possible (and extremely popular) in the first place is likely to leave customer feeling cheated.

via [PVRblog]

More on Customization

The other day I commented on trend of consumer product customization and posted about a company that offers custom artwork for iBook computers. This topic has been on my mind a lot lately and the more I pay attention, the more I see.

In my previous post, I referenced the multi-billion dollar ringtone industry as one example.  Today I learned of a new company called SkinIt that makes and sells skins for personal electronic devices out of professional grade vinyl.  They offer thousands of skin designs for hundreds of devices including mobile phones, MP3 players, game devices, PDA's and miscellaneous items including TiVo boxes and remotes.  Prices seem to average $9.95 though some are more or less.  This taps into the same desire for individuality that leads people to buy ringtones.  For $10 or so you can change your stock silver or black device into something individual that reflects your personality.  (BTW, I ordered skins for my mobile phone and TiVo remote and will report back when I get them).

Another prime example is Starbucks. When not just ordering a cup of coffee, my second Starbucks beverage of choice is a grande, nonfat, three raw sugar latte. (and that's the way to order it, by the way, or they will correct it when calling the order to the barista).  You can get whole milk, low fat milk or nonfat milk.  You can also get soymilk, an extra shot or any of a dozen flavors.  You can get your drink hot or cold and big or small.  What I wonder is, how much of what people are willing to pay for these drinks is a result of the quality of the product versus the individuality of the product?  Am I paying $3.49 for a latte or for my latte?  Obviously, I believe the answer to be the latter.

I guess the real question here is, how much more are people willing to pay for a product customized just for them as opposed to what a company produces for everyone else? Next question is, how can your company (and your clients) benefit from this trend?

Any other examples of customization?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Word of the Day: Advergaming

Interesting article at ClickZ about the growth of ads and product placements in video games. The article starts with quite a punch - pointing out that the new video game, "Halo 2," had first day sales of $125 million compared to opening weekend receipts of movies "Shrek 2" ($108 million), "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" ($93 million), "Spider-Man 2" ($88 million), "The Passion of the Christ" ($83 million) and "The Incredibles" ($70 million).

For advertisers, video games offer the right demographics and, by the numbers above, certainly the right number of eyeballs.  More here, here, here and here.

via [Adverblog]

Custom iBook Art

Whether they realize it or not, Painted Bytes is cashing-in on the current personalization craze.  From $89 for custom colors to $139+ for custom artwork, Painted Bytes will turn your stock iBook into a individualized fashion statement.

With revenue from ringtones in the billions of dollars worldwide and people not even wanting to have the same old iPod earbuds as everyone else anymore, the desire for personalization is reaching a fever pitch.  Those who effectively personalize products, services and, most importantly, experiences will find customers willing to pay far more than they'd ever expect (as in $1.99 or more for lousy-sounding digitized renditions of their favorite songs as ringtones even though the real songs can be downloaded for only $0.99).

via [Engadget]

Good Morning - This is Target with Your Wake Up Call

As a way of promoting its big upcoming 2-day sale, Target is offering people the opportunity to schedule a wake-up call on the days of the sale.  Not available for scheduling until 11/17, customers can visit the Target website and schedule calls from characters such as Darth Vader and Heidi Klum as well as various other generic characters such as "Diva" and "Heartbreaker."

While I really like the creativity behind this program, I feel they stopped short by not having more celebrities to choose from. While Darth and Heidi are cool, where are Brad and Britney or Ben and J-Lo (wouldn't that be something)?  No one wants a call from generic "Heartbreaker."  Target has enough pull to get some A-listers (or at least strong B-listers) and to really nail this promotion, they needed to do that.

via [Adrants]

DVR's Anticipated Advertising Impact

The Advertising Research Foundation surveyed leading advertising professionals regarding what effect they feel DVRs will have on 30-second TV spots. Fifty-five percent expect "significant growth of non-traditional ad formats, but 30-second spot will remain cornerstone of TV advertising."  Twenty-one percent predict the "death of the 30-second spot and dramatic transformation of TV advertising paradigm."  Read on for more stats...

via [eMarketer]

TV Show Spin-off Hits Mobile Phones

Vodafone has licensed the rights to the television series 24 for the purpose of distributing a spin-off to be watched only on mobile phones consisting of 24, one-minute "mobisodes" (yes, that's really what they're calling them - a worse name has perhaps never been created).

My question is, with a one-minute mobisode (I really that to force that out) being 1/44th the length of a normal episode, does that mean we can soon expect to see mini .68-second commercials running throughout?  They could be called "mommercials."

Aggregating Online Buzz to Precict TV Hits and Misses

Initiative, a New York media agency, has developed a tool called PropheSEE that "measures which (television) shows are being talked about most on the Internet. Unlike other systems that do the same thing, it also gages whether the talk is positive or negative." 

It seems to have accurately predicted the fate of a number of shows this season, but not everyone is convinced.  Read on...

Newspapers and Local TV News Viewed as Most Credible

MediaPost has reported on a survey that ranked newspapers and local TV news as the most credible forms of media.  The rest of the rankings:

30%    Newspapers
30%    Local TV News
24%    Cable News Networks
21%    Online News Sites
20%    Broadcast TV Network News
16%    News Magazines
13%    News Radio
13%    Talk Radio
4%      Blogs (Web Logs)
9%      Other

Other interesting stats in the article.

via [Adrants]

 

The Persuaders

Last night PBS aired "The Persuaders" on Frontline, a documentary which looked at how changes in marketing practices are influencing U.S. culture and politics.  It also looked at how advertisers are trying to break through the clutter that they have created, looking for new ways to reach potential consumers. 

In a segment on political research, the Perception Analyzer® was featured and a link to this blog on the Frontline website (last link under 'The Persuasion Industry' section) has resulted in, by far, this weblog's highest traffic day ever.

For anyone who missed the show, it will be available to view online on Friday, November 15.