Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Tue, Feb 18 1992 Date: Tue, 18 Feb 92 06:36:31 EST Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update Feb. 18, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network TELEVISION RETURNS TO NORMAL: New Hampshire residents will be happy to see television ads from car dealers and furniture salesmen Tuesday. In just a month and a half, the five major Democratic and two Republican presidential candidates paid $3.5 million to broadcast more than 500 ads each. They spent over 600,000 on last-minute ads. "I feel overwhelmed," state League of Women Voters President Ginger Culpepper says. (For more, see special Campaign package below) SNEAKER FIRMS TO SPEND MORE: The sneaker war is heating up and will provide an increase in ad dollars. Nike will boost ad spending about 30% this year to about $150 million. Reebok will boost total ad spending to $220 million this year from $140 million, including its $50 million "World's greatest athlete" campaign. LA Gear will boost its "Get in Gear" ad campaign from $31 million last year to $52 million this year. NOVA EXPLORES TV RATINGS: Tuesday's "Nova" is titled "Can You Believe TV Ratings?" The PBS series offers a look into the world of TV audience measurement. The hour report chooses the ill-fated series "Good & Evil" as a case study of a ratings flop. Network and advertising executives, and research experts debate the ratings process, includingng the questionable random sampling and the increased margin of error. NIELSEN UPSET WITH PBS: Representatives of the PBS television show "Nova" say Nielsen has complained about the scheduling and timing of its "Can You Believe TV Ratings?" episode airing Tuesday. The rating service is concerned that the show might overly appeal to people-meter users and skew Tuesday's viewing sample. Nielsen has also expressed dissatisfaction with PBS scheduling the show during a sweeps month. MAGAZINES INFLUENCED BY GAYS: According to the March 10 issue of The Advocate, five magazines published by Conde Nast, including Vogue and Vanity Fair are heavily influenced by gays. The article, titled "Vanity Fairies," points out that many of the clothes Americans wear, ad photos they see, home and entertaining trends they pick up are gay-influenced. HOUSTON POST IS NOT CLOSING: Despite rumors that it is about to fold, an editorial in the Saturday Houston Post said the newspaper was not closing, was not negotiating for a joint operating agreement with Hearst's Houston Chronicle and was not buying the Chronicle. "Financially, The Post has just come off an excellent 1991 and kept on making money in January. It still is," the editorial said. `LOVING' HAS NEW LOOK: In order to create a more romantic look, ABC has revamped the opening, graphics and theme for its daytime drama "Loving." The new theme, entitled "L.O.V.I.N.G.," was written and sung by balladeer Jeffrey Osborne. Executive producer Fran Sears says that this is just the beginning. "The show is being redefined," says Sears. Five new college-age characters will soon come on board. ADS HELP BOOST WENDY'S EARNINGS: Earnings for fast-food chain Wendy's International soared last quarter and last year. James Near, Wendy's chairman and CEO says keys to Wendy's improved results were an increase in per-store sales, its Super Value economy-price menu and advertising by founder Dave Thomas. Near says last year was Wendy's best since 1985, and that the chain plans to open 200 restaurants this year. MEDIA BUYERS DEMAND CHANGES: Three top media powers who buy at least 16% of the $12-billion, four-network TV marketplace called for an end to frenzied upfront buying of TV spots. Procter & Gamble's James Van Cleave, Young & Rubicam's Paul Isacsson and J. Walter Thompson's Jerry Dominus called for an end to this activity at the Association of National Advertisers annual TV workshop in New York last week. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON CAMPAIGN CANDIDATES EXPAND AD CAMPAIGN: Even before New Hampshire votes Tuesday, Democrats are introducing themselves on South Dakota TV in preparation for that state's primary Feb. 25. New Hampshire's ad war was less damaging than anticipated, but sharper attacks are predicted in the South where there are too many TV stations and too few dollars for most candidates to blanket the region with ads. DOUBLE COVERAGE SOUGHT BY CANDIDATES: Presidential candidates have discovered that they can pick up additional ad exposure if their TV spots are newsworthy enough to be replayed on the news. Candidates will try this strategy in the South, says Robert Lichter, director of the non-partisan Center for Media and Public Affairs. "The ads will get more negative and they will be more attention-getting," he says. DEMOCRATS CONTINUE AD BATTLE: As the New Hampshire race ends, only Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey and Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin continued squabbling through ads. Kerrey said a Harkin ad describing Kerrey as favoring tax cuts for the rich was "wrong." Kerrey favors adjusting taxes on capital gains to allow for inflation, but wants to raise taxes on incomes over $200,000 to pay for tax cuts on incomes under $85,000. CANDIDATES DEPEND ON `FREE' ADS: In addition to paid spots, candidates seek exposure in newspapers and TV news reports. A survey by the Center for Media and Public Affairs found Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton was in the news the most. From Jan. 1 to Feb. 11, the networks ran 37 stories on Clinton, 11 on Tsongas and Harkin, 10 on Kerrey and four on Jerry Brown. But Clinton got positive coverage only 39% of the time. (End of package.) Advertising Editor: Mickey McLean. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. 08:0002180000D0218 BANK-R L Optimism-index-sinks.................. A D0218 This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM