ECONOMY

A Pivotal Report in Mediapost (6/5) reports that the advertising rebound began in May. Released on the same day as a better-than-expected jobs report, the tracking study of “ad executive ad-spending sentiment” began its upswing prior to when other studies have suggested. In another study, this time by Advertiser Perceptions (5/9), Mediapost reported that Q3 is the effective rebound for the US Ad Economy. Despite these indications, the study also points out that only 29% of respondents have a “strategy in place for the new normal”.

Have ad spending declines bottomed out this month (May 2020)

 

REOPENING

In the article “How to Un-Pause Ad Spend,” Ad Exchanger (6/9) spoke with marketers about the gradual process involved in rolling out based on “vertical, region and consumer sentiment.” It illustrates the complexity in the travel industry, as an example, with loosening restrictions and state differences (e.g. tri-state travelers still can’t enter Florida although they can visit Texas.) Looking at messaging, brands should explore more non-Covid messaging and measure effectiveness on a weekly (response) and monthly basis (awareness), while maintaining flexibility and responding to trends. And in other travel news, Las Vegas, “turns the lights back on”; telling traveler’s it’s open for business; albeit with new public safety measures (Adweek; 6/9).

 

UPFRONTS

With the coronavirus impacting the annual TV upfronts,  Business Insider reports (6/8) that some agencies are looking for more customization and a “calendar year” structure in their upcoming deals. One of the big questions remaining is what to do with the monies being held for sports (e.g. college football) that may or may not be canceled or postponed.

 

VIEWERSHIP

When compared to the period before the coronavirus, new research from Nielsen (6/4) shows that co-viewing has grown across broadcast, syndication, cable and SVOD. CTV usage has grown during the pandemic, with an initial peak in March/April, while traditional TV levels normalize.

 

ADVANCED TV

Leichtman Research Group surveyed 2,000 US TV homes and found that 80% have at least one OTT-capable device (e.g. smart TV, streaming device, or connected gaming system), according to  NEXTTV (6/5). This figure is up from 74% in 2018, On a daily basis, connected TV video is watched by 40% of homes (up from 29% in 2018). Among older adults (55+), 18% watch connected TV each day, while 48% of adults 35-54 and 55% of A18-34 watch daily.

 

COVERING CORONAVIRUS

A feature in Variety (6/9) interviewed daily local and national news reporters for a glimpse at the challenges they face covering the coronavirus. “In telling the stories of frontline workers and keeping government officials’ feet held to the fire, they’ve become frontline workers themselves. Variety spoke with over a dozen reporters and anchors from the largest broadcast, cable and local TV stations, and everyone agreed that coverage of the pandemic (and its repercussions) is the biggest story of their careers.