Posts Tagged ‘washington’

Metro Advertising Opportunities

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

 Recently when riding the metro with nothing to read, I noticed two particular advertisements that peaked my interest and specific needs I had at the time.  Bose was advertising their newest set of in-ear headphones, which grabbed my attention since my current headphones are wearing down, and a McCafe advertisement sounded good on the cold winter day. However, the two advertisements did not mention where I could pick up the new headphones and warm coffee, as seen in examples below (courtesy CBS Outdoor).

 

Even though there are roughly 100 McDonalds locations in the DC metro area and Bose’s website is listed on the ad, it would be beneficial for these companies to add locations to the creative.  A simple “One block from Rosslyn station” or “Sold at L’Enfant Plaza” could prevent me from going to Starbucks instead and would drive up sales. These ads are available to target locally by metro line and station, and are common on the metro already with local ad campaigns such as new jet fighters near the Pentagon station, and health care reform near the Capitol South station.  Bose and McDonald’s could coordinate with local branches/retailers to target their customers, which is common with auto dealerships on print and TV. Bose and McDonalds could take its cue from Home Depot and Fuddruckers, which already have ads that mention locations as seen in the examples below from other subway systems:

 

While these large corporations with enormous marketing campaigns might not bother with this level of targeting, there is unlimited potential for creative metro advertising for local businesses.  Companies with one location only need to advertise near their closest station or mention the one address on all their creative. Meanwhile mid level local advertisers with multiple locations can utilize the different lines to better target their customers with some creativity. Here are some examples:

  •  “Boss make you angry over the TPS reports today? Take it out tonight at a LA Boxing Gym next to the Braddock Road and Foggy Bottom stations on the blue line.”
  •  “Long winter expected? Don’t get caught in the cold without a new winter coat from Burlington Coat Factory. Available at the Silver Spring and Greenbelt stations.”
  • “Just finish your book? Check out the new Tom Clancy bestseller at the following Barnes and Nobles locations on the red line, Bethesda, Dupont Circle, Metro Center, and Union Station.”
  • This targeting even applies to political advertising as well. “Bob Smith voted against the Purple line last session.  Vote for Mike Jones in November to shorten your commute.”

The cost for this type of campaign is reasonable as well.  The monthly fee for 250 Metro ads roughly equals the same amount as 50 radio spots on the top stations, 25 cable ads on ESPN/CNN/Fox News and 20 television commercials on the local four stations. Imagine how much money Verizon would have saved on advertising when they had exclusive service rights to the Metro if they ran ads “No bars down here? Switch to Verizon today.” Maybe one day these companies will seize this opportunity to reach an audience staring at an ad for 30 minutes.

Virginia Gubernatorial Primary: A Closer Look

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Smart Media Group obtained the public files from the television stations in Washington, DC and Richmond, VA in order to determine how political candidates and issue groups were spending money on advertising in Virginia for the 2009 gubernatorial primary. Our goal was to determine how much money each candidate spent in each market and how many gross ratings points they achieved.

Candidate Spending in Richmond, VA: WRIC-TV, WRLH-TV, WTVR-TV, and WWBT-TV

Bob McDonnell consistently paid the lowest cost per point each week out of all the candidates who advertised during the Virginia Primary. He paid an average $53 CPP each week, achieving around 670 GRPs each flight during his first three weeks on air. Overall, he spent $156k and gained a total of 2,967 GRPs from 5/4-6/9.

Terry McAuliffe paid a higher cost per point for advertising. More inconsistent in each flight than McDonnell, McAuliffe paid an average of $62 CPP per week. But with $286k to spend in the market, he achieved the most GRPs out of anyone – a total of 4,631 GRPs.

Creigh Deeds paid the highest cost per point out of all the candidates, averaging $66 CPP. He also proved inconsistent in comparison to McDonnell each week. Deeds spent $192k in Richmond and achieved 2,895 GRPs.

As an issue group, Common Sense Virginia paid a much higher cost per point than any of the candidates. They paid an average $92 CPP each week, spending a total of $186k and gaining a total of 2,021 GRPs.

These charts detail each candidate’s gross ratings points, monetary spending, cost per points, and total spots purchased in Richmond during the weeks of 5/4, 5/11, 5/18, 6/1, and 6/8.

Candidate Spending in Washington, DC: WJLA-TV, WRC-TV, WTTG-TV, WUSA-TV

Bob McDonnell went up on air in the Washington, DC market the week of 5/11 and stayed up for four weeks until the week of 6/8. He paid the lowest cost per point in the DC market as well, averaging $430 CPP each week. McDonnell spent a total of $930,600, gaining a total of 2,163 GRPs.

Terry McAuliffe paid the highest cost per point – $808, nearly double of that which McDonnell paid. He waited until the week of 5/25 to go up on air, placing a total of $636k in the market and achieving 788 GRPs.

Creigh Deeds went up on air in the Washington, DC market one week before the election on 6/9. He placed $285k – half of his entire broadcast budget for 6/1-6/9 – in this one market. Deeds paid an average $594 CPP and achieved 480 GRPs.

These charts detail each candidate’s gross ratings points, monetary spending, cost per points, and total spots purchased in Washington, DC during the weeks of 5/11, 5/18, 6/1, and 6/8.