No One Clicks on a TV Ad
I'm sitting here reviewing a report for a recent SEM campaign we ran for a client. I'm seeing click-through rate (CTR) numbers as high as 3.42% for some ad groups, and an average CTR of about 1.68%. Yet even with great numbers like these, it is inevitable that...
Another Nail in the Coffin of Cable TV
Ever wonder why so many people are buying devices like the AppleTV and Roku, and are big users of Hulu and Netflix? Could it be because they're tired of being overcharged for cable TV service? Cable operators and broadcasters are so...
Five Single-Word Copy Tweaks That Boost ROI
Recently, I was comparing the results of email offers written with a "my" voice vs. others written with a "you" voice. I noticed a trend that indicated a better response from the "my" campaigns. This morning I came across this interesting piece in my inbox, and it...
Cord Cutters Going Mobile
Is it me, or are there more and more people cutting the cord? Cord cutters are people who are abandoning traditional cable TV services. And who can blame them? My AT&T Uverse service bundle is around $200 a month. I get home phone (who needs it), high speed...
Which Top Brands Enjoy The Best Word-of-Mouth?
Companies should move beyond the Net Promoter Score (NPS), as it overstates the percentage of consumers who are considered “detractors,” argues ForeSee in a new report. Rather than assume that survey respondents who wouldn’t actively recommend a brand are...
Are You Optimistic About Your Business In These Challenging Times?
I'm always "taking the temperature" of our clients and media partners. "How's business" I ask, and I ask on a regular basis. The people I ask are very honest and forthcoming. Lately, about 60 percent of the people who answer are optimistic. That's just not acceptable....
Are You Chromophobic?
How do you respond to art, design, and color? Do you think Graphic Design is ART? I do. When I compose an ad, billboard, web banner, I believe I am creating a piece of abstract art. It needs to have balance, intentional symmetry or assymetry, the shapes need to have...
Report: Local Auto Dealers To Spend More on Online Media Than on All Other Media Combined.
Did you see the Borrell Associates report? Borrell's Automotive Advertising Outlook Report claims that dealers are forecasted to spend $32.8 billion on advertising this year. That represents a 2% increase over last year. That's no surprise, auto sales are up nearly 9%...
Passion Makes Success Possible
In a recent Facebook post, Bob said, and I quote, "I love this business!" Here's the back story behind that post. We had just wrapped up an excellent client meeting. The client was all smiles. By following our marketing plan, his company has experienced significant...
#Hashtag #Use #Out #Of #Control!
Stop! Please stop! I'm begging all of you to please stop over-using hashtags! I certainly understand the proper use of the hashtag, and why it can be a useful, valuable tool in social media. The hashtag was invented as a way for Twitter users to categorize their...
Fox Sports 1 Off To A Strong Start
Fox Sports 1 premiered to approximately 90 million subscriber homes when it launched this past Saturday. Their broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen drew an average of 1.7 million viewers in primetime (8-11 p.m. ET), according to Nielsen Media Research Fast...
Are You A Quack Addict?
11.8 million quack-heads tuned in to watch the season 4 premier of Duck Dynasty last night. This quacks me up! OK, no more quack comments, I promise. But this really blows me away. Last night's showing of this hugely popular series gave A&E its biggest audience...
Twitter and TV in a Mutually Beneficial Relationship
Ever since hashtags have been showing up on TV, we've been talking with every client that would listen about the synergy between social media and traditional media. Now, finally, we have credible research that verifies that we're right. According to a new independent...
There’s Magic in the Local Media Mix
Recently I read an article about one topic that we talk with our clients about on a regular basis. A smart media mix! Here at Bob Abbate Marketing we promote a media mix that includes traditional media as well as social/digital media. Through this mix of media, we're...
Gallup: TV Still Main News Source
More than half (55%) of American adults still say they turn to TV for news about current events, with Fox News Channel as the leading source, according to a new poll by Gallup. Of those 55%, 26% simply said television or TV news while 8% said Fox News, 7% identified...
Value At The Core Of Advertising
Value At The Core Of Advertising I read an article in yesterday's New York Times that make me stop and think. Have today's packaged goods companies and their Madison Avenue agencies become so detached from the American consumer that they have forgotten about one of...
“Dumb Ways To Die” Lives
http://youtu.be/IJNR2EpS0jw I'm not big on advertising awards shows and competitions. So many of the ads that are entered seem to have been created purely to win awards. The ads we create are created to get results. Our budgets have no room for fluff. But this ad,...
Digital Advertising Advice for Your Small Business
We recently made a media recommendation to one of clients for an initial run of commercials on Pandora. Pandora was projecting lots of impressions for us, all concentrated exclusively in the client's marketing area, and at a reasonable CPM. The idea of seeing AND...
Meet The New Boss…
... same as the old boss? With apologies to The Who, we hope so! Westport CT based Connoisseur Media is now the proud new owner of some of our favorite local radio stations. Connoisseur's deal to purchase WEZN (Star 99.9), WPLR, WFOX (95.9 The Fox), and a broadcast...
Google Doodle Celebrates Graphic Designer
http://youtu.be/64lDaAmpvSo I'm thrilled to see that Google is honoring cinematic title designer superhero Saul Bass in today's Google Doodle. Bass is the genius behind some of Hollywood's best movie intros. Today's video Doodle features designs that echo the...
Are you Just Like Don Draper?
It happens all the time. Really. Whenever I'm out and about at a social event, dinner, fundraiser, etc. When the conversation turns to "So Bob, what do you do? "Oh, I'm in the advertising business. I run an ad agency." Inevitably... the next words I here are "Oh, like...
Keep Oakland Clean
The city of Oakland, California is coming back, however the city suffers from a nasty litter problem. To further Keep Oakland Beautiful's mission of creating and sustaining a beautiful, clean, green and litter-free city, the campaign shows just how bad litter can be....
The Hispanic Radio Phenomenon
I saw this post on RBR this morning (RBR is a radio trade website). Although written for radio broadcasters, it makes a point that we've seen developing over the last few years, that the Hispanic population is growing, and, in many markets, it can be successfully...
Ancient Advertising Wisdom, Still True Today.
I've never seen a business fail due to "reaching the wrong people." So why does every business owner instinctively believe that "reaching the right people" is the key to successful advertising? Who, exactly, do you not want to know about you? Who isn't qualified to...
3 Paths Toward a More Creative Life.
Disconnect/Reconnect/Create! I look forward to reading every night as a before-sleep ritual. Sometimes I am not even paying attention to the words; just the action reading the thoughts of another is soothing, and I can go on a journey - listen to someone else’s story....