TV

The TV Ad Market’s Uphill Battle

The key to TV advertising’s return to normal = a return to production. As some shows find creative ways to resume filming (see: The Bachelorette), more viable inventory for advertisers comes into play.

But that return is happening at a snail’s pace, with more stops and starts than a middle school field hockey game with a picky ref. 

Media conglomerates such as ABC, Comcast, and AT&T reported Q2 earnings last week. One common thread on those earnings calls was the idea that COVID-induced production delays will directly affect the success of future quarters, per CNBC. 

• For instance, AT&T—WarnerMedia’s parent company—blamed $2.8 billion in lost revenue on the lack of theatrical and TV releases during the pandemic. 
• It also attributed that loss to the lack of ad revenue from sports.

Two other factors: cord-cutting and budget-tightening among consumers grappling with lockdown themselves.

+1: Sportsball’s absence resulted in a 31% annual decline in overall U.S. media ad revenue in May, per Variety. 

Pause, play, pause, play

When LA relaxed its lockdown restrictions, there was a slight uptick in returns to production.

• For instance, Restaurant Impossible; Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; Jeopardy; and Wheel of Fortune all resumed production this summer.  
• But other shows, like (ironically) ABC’s The Good Doctor, postponed plans to restart in August due to testing concerns.

Sure, considerations about COVID-19 safety contributed to the messy decision making here. But there’s a larger inhibitor… 

Insurance. It’s arguably the factor making it most difficult for shows to resume production.

• Between insurance and safety measures on set, production costs have increased by 20% to 30% during the pandemic, per Digiday. 
• Network insurance policies often didn’t cover shutdown costs for production in March, putting the networks and streaming services on the line for cash. Unsurprisingly, insurance companies aren’t eager to cover for coronavirus now either.
• Plus, it’s difficult to get already pricey insurance to cover all COVID-associated costs in the first place. 

Bottom line: Yes, production is resuming in some cases, but it’s happening gradually. That means the TV ad market will return at a similar pace—but remember, important as it is, production is not TV’s only obstacle.

Key word: Gradual.

CAMPAIGNS

Estée Lauder Targets Gamer Girls

Any marketer who has ever tried to diversify a brand’s audience knows: It’s tough to appeal to a new group and maintain old loyalties simultaneously. But Estée Lauder’s new video game campaign might just pull it off. 

• The beauty brand promoted its new anti-aging serum through four online video games.
• The games are accessible through Lauder's mini arcade (ANRcade), a mobile-focused site.

Two birds: Lauder’s senior VP of global consumer marketing and online told Ad Age the games are aimed at a younger audience than the brand typically reaches—hence the promos backed by digital and social ads. 

• The fountain of youth bet it could reach younger women via video games: 51% of all mobile gamers are women, per Mopub.
• But the women who are currently more likely to use anti-aging products (aka, older women) actually play more video games than you might think. 
• 49% of women ages 50-59 are mobile gamers, while just 40% of men in the same age bracket are, per AARP.

Bottom line: Estée Lauder managed to create a campaign for a younger generation that could hold equal appeal for new and existing customers.

SPONSORED BY REDCIRCLE

It’s OK To Be Self-Serving

Especially if you’re using RedCircle’s new self-serve podcast ad platform to scale host-read reads.

In English? RedCircle has created a smarter, simpler way to buy podcast ads.

Marketers looking to take control and create more efficiencies in the audio realm can look to RedCircle to target the right demographics, execute campaigns, implement attribution, and track performance for podcast media buys all in one place.

Plus, RedCircle connects you with hundreds of podcasts so you can find the hosts and audience that fit your message and goals. 

So if the only thing that’s been stopping you from getting an ad on your favorite pod is that it seems like a complicated time-suck, RedCircle can give you the tools, analytics, and listeners you need to do things right. 

Whether you’re growing an established brand or just getting started with the medium, RedCircle is serving up the self-serve platform of your podcast dreams. 

Learn more here.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The TikTok Saga Continues

Microsoft: Despite some skepticism, Microsoft still leads the pack as the most likely candidate to buy TikTok. 

• Marketing on the app could theoretically change under Microsoft, but at least it’d still be around.

The White House: There are reports that TikTok will sue President Trump over his executive order requiring the company to be sold off from its Chinese parent company. The grounds? Trump didn’t give TikTok enough time to respond. 

• But TikTok’s recent faux pas won’t help its situation: WSJ analysts discovered that, until November 2019, TikTok tracked Android user data through a tactic banned by Google. 

Twitter: Twitter and TikTok are in early talks about combining, though it’s unclear whether Twitter will pursue a deal. 

• This merger could make both companies better able to compete with Facebook, the social media marketing landscape’s MVP. 

Creator fund: TikTok recently announced the first recipients of its $1 billion fund created to help major TikTokers earn a livelihood through their creative pursuits. 

• The creator fund gives influencers—and, therefore, marketers—incentive to stay on TikTok during ban purgatory.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Buffalo Wild Wings named Target’s Rita Patel its new CMO. 
• O Magazine put its iconic Breonna Taylor cover on 26 Louisville billboards.
• Sumner Redstone, the ViacomCBS mogul, died on Tuesday at 97. 
• Planters’s mascot turned 21 in quarantine (bummer). 
• Amazon rebranded Twitch Prime as Prime Gaming.
• Apple directed publisher traffic to its own news app through new iOS updates.

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AD ANTIQUES

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Here’s what Estée Lauder’s advertising looked like in 1964. Spot the difference: Hint, it’s not 4 video games.

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