AD SPENDING
Marketers have increased spending following lows in April, with help from categories like pharma, insurance, financial, and politicals. New-to-television advertisers have also stepped in, replacing some of the money from the hardest hit sectors. In quarterly calls with Wall Street analysts, positive sentiments included “the quarter turned out better than we thought early” and that their “business slowed less than we feared”. Another boost comes from sports events that would not typically take place in the second half of the year.(TVNewscheck; 8/17/20.)
CROSS-PLATFORM
The latest Total Audience Report (Nielsen.com; 8/13/20) explores the world of working from home. Written against a backdrop of “volatility, uncertainty and caution”, the August 2020 installment describes how “COVID-19, cultural and civil unrest, and continued evolution in the media landscape have altered all aspects of our everyday lives.” And as overall media consumption increased, streaming video gained the most prominence. While 40% report listening to music every day, either through radio or digitally, they’re watching TV or streaming video during breaks (33%) or while working (29%!) Not surprisingly, news is the number one content category at 47%. According to Nielsen, “local news is king”, with restrictions in place and a need to “focus on our immediate surroundings.”
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
The TVB expanded their Back-to-School retail coverage with a Fall 2020 reopening schedule for each state. Referencing research from the National Retail Federation, spending is expected to hit record highs with totals reaching $67.7 billion for college and $33.9 billion for the balance of students. Included in the report are insights on broadcast’s ability to reach BTS shoppers, online shoppers, and those looking for COVID-19 with trusted news content.
NEWS GROWTH
The audiences for local TV news has been on the upswing since march, ratings for evening broadcast news have been surging, and news networks have been among the top networks in cable. An article in Forbes (8/11/20) takes a look at these sources as well as two new entries in the news category; News Nation from Nextar’s WGN America, and the Spectrum News App.
LOCAL STRATEGIES
A Forrester Consulting survey found that marketers in the retail, entertainment, hospitality, and restaurant industries have “work to do when it comes to having a local strategy.” (Mediapost; 8/12/20.) With the “diverse conditions that consumers endure” a result of pandemic-related regulations, improved effectiveness across corporate and local teams is a high priority among respondents (61%). However, 77% report that they find executing a localized marketing strategy across their locations to be challenging.
A JINGLE FOR A NEW ERA
Unilvever’s Good Humor partnered with music producer and Wu-Tang Clan co-founder, The RZA, to create a new ice cream truck jingle. The new song was created to address the problematic origins of “Tukey in the Straw”, which was commonly used by ice cream trucks. Good Humor explains the racist roots of “Turkey in the Straw” and the need for change. In the new song, inspired by memories of his childhood, The RZA merged traditional ice cream truck music with jazz and hip-hop elements. (Marketingdive.com; 8/17/20.)
