Radio ad spending, which enjoyed a brief respite earlier this year, continued to slump in November, with a fall in local and national ad revenue compared to a year ago. And while radio companies said fourth-quarter revenues would be hurt by comparisons with 2002's political spending, that wasn't the story behind the 4 percent decline in overall advertising revenues in November 2003. National ad sales, which wouldn't be affected by political ad spending, dropped 6 percent during the month compared with November 2002. Local ad sales dropped by 4 percent. The data was released Tuesday by the Radio Advertising Bureau.
Auto enthusiasts who attend the North American International Auto Show, kicking off this week in Detroit, may be part of a dying breed. Jupiter Research predicts that more than a third of all new car sales will be "Internet-generated" by 2008.
If the economy is reviving, many AAN papers are still waiting for the signs to show up in their ad revenues. Although national ad sales went up last year, papers reported mixed results in local advertising, their mainstay. Reasons to be hopeful in 2004 include increases in real estate and recruitment ads, diversification of ad categories, and the notion that merchants and the public have grown tired of brooding and want to feel optimistic about their economic prospects again. Sales staff need to "get the message out there" about what alternative newsweeklies have to offer, says Jim Wolf, Village Voice Media's vice president of national advertising.
As viewers, especially young men, change their TV habits, ad firms are forced to alter their advertising strategies.
Three years ago, digital media company Loudeye began compiling its vast repository of digital music files. The idea of swapping music across the Web was new. No one had yet tried to get consumers to pay to download individual songs. But with consumers fast getting used to the idea of buying songs online, scores of companies are readying launches of digital music initiatives.
The struggling Duluth, Minn., alternative newsweekly marked its fifth birthday by announcing that the Dec. 30 issue would be its last weekly one. In February, Ripsaw will be recast as a glossy monthly arts and news magazine. By adding more local news and coverage of the symphony and ballet, the publication hopes to appeal to readers in their 40s and 50s as well as its present core audience of 18- to 35-year-olds, Publisher/Editor Brad Nelson tells the Duluth News Tribune. News Tribune Publisher Marti Buscaglia sees an opportunity to lure some of Ripsaw's young readers back to the daily paper. (The News Tribune Web site doesn't permit a direct link to the article.)
In the escalating marketing wars, Walt Disney Studios employed one of the newest tricks, disguised as a kid-friendly treat, this past Halloween.
