Spots N Dots
The Daily News Of TV Sales
February 26, 2016
AMAZON HAS BEST BRAND REPUTATION
VOLKSWAGEN’S REP TAKES A PLUNGE
Amazon reclaimed the top spot in the annual Reputation Quotient Summary Report by
The Harris Poll, marking the eighth consecutive year the online retailer has ranked in the top
ten, while Volkswagen Group dropped to the bottom. The report calculates corporate
reputation ratings for the 100 most visible companies in the U.S., as perceived by the general
public.
The top ten companies for corporate reputation in 2016 are (in order): Amazon, Apple,
Google, USAA, The Walt Disney Company, Publix Super Markets, Samsung, Berkshire
Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson and Kellogg Company. USAA and Kellogg Company are
newcomers to the top ten, while Berkshire Hathaway returns to the top ten for the first time
since 2008 and The Walt Disney Company returns after slipping to #12 in 2015.
“Best-in-class companies demonstrate that corporate reputation matters—to your
customers, employees, potential hires, business partners and investors,” said Sarah Simmons,
senior reputation consultant at Nielsen, which owns The Harris Poll.
In light of its recent emissions scandal, Volkswagen Group declined steeply, dropping
20.5 points overall from a “very good” (75.21) score in 2015 to a “very poor” (54.75) rating in
2016. The only company to receive a “very poor” rating this year, Volkswagen Group also fell
more than 25 points on Emotional Appeal (includes attributes of trust, admiration and respect)
and 20 points on Social Responsibility (includes attributes of environmental and community
responsibility).
CVS (-5.0) and Starbucks (-4.6) also experienced declines, dropping from “very good”
to “good” ratings. JCPenney, which showed the survey’s largest increase in 2015, fell four
points to a “poor” score.
According to The Harris Poll’s report, the biggest risks to corporate reputation are lying
or misrepresenting facts about a product or service, or intentional wrongdoing or illegal actions
by corporate leaders; both scenarios were cited by 80% of Americans surveyed. Other risks to
reputation damage include security or data breaches (74%), product recalls due to
contamination that may cause illness (66%) and unfair workplace conditions and culture (64%).
25% of Americans say that employee strikes or work stoppages are “not at all damaging” or “not
very damaging” to corporate reputation. Other scenarios that are less damaging include
employee conduct (20%), a product recall due to technical or equipment failure (15%), negative
financial news about the company (12%) and safety-related product recalls (11%).
ADVERTISER NEWS
After many very poor quarterly reports, it may have been hard to imagine things could
get worse at Sears Holdings, but yes they did in the holiday quarter. Kmart same-store sales
were down 7.2% and Sears stores fell by 6.9%—and the company sees that as an
“improvement from the trend.” Having closed 53 stores in last fiscal year, Sears Holdings said it
will accelerate the closing of more unprofitable stores……Kohl’s managed a small same-store
increase in the same quarter, up 0.4%. It will close 18 underperforming stores but open seven
smaller-format stores and two more Off Aisle discount stores near headquarters in
Wisconsin……Off-price retailer TJX continues to flourish while higher price stores struggle.
Blended comps for the company were up 6% for the quarter that ended on 1/30 and the
company added a total of 219 stores during the year for its banners. TJX currently operates
over 1000 stores each for T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, plus 526 HomeGoods and eight Sierra
Trading Post stores……Best Buy quarterly same-store sales were down 1.7%; it says there
was strength in appliances and wearables, but that was overshadowed by weakness in mobile
phones and tablets. It also foresees negatives for the first half of this year……After the big box
stores Home Depot and Lowe’s reported healthy numbers earlier this week, Ace Hardware
also reflected strong demand in the DIY/hardware space. Total revenue for the year (which had
one less week in its fiscal calendar) was up 7.3% and same-store sales rose by 4.6%. Ace
added a net of 60 new stores during the year……Lithia Motors, the eighth-largest auto group
seller with 91,192 new vehicles sold last year had a 10% same-store sales increase in its latest
quarter with an 11% total revenue gain and a 16% profit jump. But same-store new vehicle
sales were up just 4.8%, well short of the industry average……McDonald’s still wants to
compete in the current “value” environment, but at a higher price point. With its 2-for-$2
promotion ending, Mickey D’s is now offering a 2-for-$5 deal, where customers can choose from
a Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, 10-piece McNuggets or the Filet O’ Fish……Most of
the pizza chains are still doing well. Domino’s same-store sales last quarter were up 10.7% at
franchised stores and 10% at company-owned units, as the chain grew by a net of 88 stores
during the quarter. Papa John’s was up also, but at a substantially-lower 1.9%, which was its
weakest quarter of the year. Nation’s Restaurant News reports a growing price war among pizza
chains, as lower prices for cheese have allowed competitors to offer discounts.
NETWORK NEWS
FOX announced that Bones will return for a final farewell 12th season. The 12episode run will celebrate the inventive series and bring the storylines of Brennan (Emily
Deschanel), Booth (David Boreanaz) and the Jeffersonian-FBI team to a close. When Bones
ends its run, the series will have completed 246 original episodes, making it one of the longest
running FOX series ever……Principal photography has wrapped on Bounce TV's first-ever
original drama series Saints & Sinners. Shot on location in Atlanta, Saints & Sinners centers
around the pursuit of power, intertwined with greed, deception, corruption and murder—all set
against the backdrop of a large southern church. The series will air Sunday nights at 9:00 pm
(ET) starting March 6……Cam, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and
Florida Georgia Line will perform on the 51ST Academy of Country Music Awards. The
awards show, co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, will be broadcast live from Las
Vegas Sunday, April 3, at 8:00 pm (ET) on CBS……A special edition of Univision’s primetime
newsmagazine Aquí y Ahora will feature a revealing interview of former beauty queen Emma
Coronel, wife of one of the world’s most ruthless drug lords, “El Chapo” Guzmán. Aquí y
Ahora—Mi Marido, El Chapo (My Husband, El Chapo) airs Sunday, February 28, at 7:00 pm
(ET).
WEDNESDAY RATINGS
Wednesday primetime saw a three-way tie for the 18-49 demo crown by ABC, CBS and
FOX, while CBS led for total viewers in the Nielsen overnights. CBS, led by Survivor and
Criminal Minds, was at an average 1.7 rating 18-49 and 5.1 in Households, with an average
audience of 8.105 million viewers. FOX, with American Idol, was at 1.7 18-49, 3.9 HH and
6.632 million; ABC, led by Modern Family, 1.7 18-49, 3.7 HH and 5.816 million; NBC 1.4 1849, 4.5 HH and 6.731 million; The CW 0.8 18-49, 1.5 HH and 2.289 million; Univision 0.7 1849, 1.0 HH and 1.885 million; and Telemundo 0.5 18-49, 0.8 HH and 1.417 million.
AB INBEV PROFIT DOWN—TV A FACTOR?
While the just-reported drop in Anheuser-Busch InBev profit was mostly attributed to
falling currencies in emerging market countries, revenue in the U.S. also was down about a
percentage point with key brand Bud Light continuing to lose share.
But the beer market itself is also seen as losing share to other alcoholic drink
alternatives. Despite gains being recorded by craft breweries, beer’s share of alcohol revenue
fell to 48% last year, the sixth consecutive year of decline. Wine accounts for 17%, but hard
liquor has made the biggest gains, rising from 29% at the start of the century to 35% last year.
The Wall Street Journal offers an interesting perspective on that shift: it suggests
television advertising and programming may be playing a part in making liquor more popular.
After five decades of a self-imposed ban, liquor started appearing on some cable networks in
the late 90’s, and then spread to local television later. After an early attempt by NBC to take
liquor on the network ran into intense opposition in Congress several years ago, the networks
finally started to take liquor ads—mostly in late night—about five years ago. The Journal also
suggests that programs such as Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire may have “fueled the
popularity of liquor and helped ignite a surge in popularity of American whiskey.”
“They (the breweries) are in a predicament,” a research analyst commented. “They’re
working everything they can to reignite interest in the beer they do produce…but it’s never going
to be enough to offset the slow decline.”
MOBILE PAYMENTS GAINING ACCEPTANCE
The Baby Boomers may never quite catch on—but mobile payments have won fans
among the young U.S. consumers coveted by so many brands. A new GfK study shows that
Generation Z (ages 18 to 24) is twice as likely to make a mobile payment as the total
population; smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices account for just 3% of all
transactions in the U.S.—but 7% among Gen Z.
More than half (53%) of Gen Z say they have made a mobile payment while using the
Internet in the past 6 months; that is almost four times the rate (14%) for Baby Boomers (ages
50 to 68). Gen Y (ages 25 to 34) came in at 37%, and Gen X (35 to 49) at 27%.
About one third (31%) of Gen Z consumers agree that “making payments with a mobile
device is more secure than other methods”; this is double the general population level (16%),
and five times the Baby Boomer score of 6%.
The GfK research also shows that roughly half (53%) of Gen Z are looking forward to
paying for “more and more transactions” from mobile devices. This is twice the overall U.S.
average (27%), and higher than Gen Y (45%) and Gen X (30%).
Even so, consumers of all ages are worried about the security of their personal
information when making mobile payments. That’s over half for all ages and the highest, 60%,
for Gen Y.
NEW CAR SALES ARE HOT, HOT, HOT
We reported three days ago that J.D. Power and LMC Automotive are predicting
February sales of new cars and light trucks to hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of
17.7 million units—the fastest pace since 2000. Now the other major forecasters have weighed
in and all are expecting a very strong month. Edmunds.com is right in line with Power/LMC at a
17.7 million SAAR prediction. Kelley Blue Book is even more bullish, predicting 17.9 million.
KBB sees double-digit percentage gains by American Honda, Ford Motor Company and Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles. TrueCar has the least optimistic forecast, projecting a 17.5 million
SAAR—which would only be the best February pace since 2001.
DOUBLE DUTY FOR CAMPBELL
Rebecca Campbell, President of ABC Owned Television Stations Group, has taken
on additional responsibilities of overseeing daytime programming—both ABC Network and
syndication—for Disney|ABC. Those duties had previously been with Paul Lee, who was
ousted last week as ABC Entertainment President by Ben Sherwood, President of Disney|ABC
Television. At that time Channing Dungey was named Entertainment President, heading
primetime programming.
THIS AND THAT
Snapchat has signed to have Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings measure the audiences of its
3V advertising on mobile devices. That marks Snapchat’s first venture into ad campaign ratings
measurement from an independent provider……Nielsen also announced a contract renewal by
NCC Media, far and away the nation’s largest cable rep. The multi-year agreement covers local
and national TV ratings in all 210 measured markets……Mortgage rates reversed most of last
week's move, falling back to the second-lowest point of 2016. The benchmark 30-year fixed
mortgage rate is now 3.80%, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey.
AVAILS
WRSP/WBUI has a rare opening for a seasoned Account Executive in Springfield, IL selling
FOX/CW. A strong account list will be awarded to the ultimate candidate. The ideal candidate
will be motivated with a strong competitive spirit, relationship driven and a high sense of
urgency. Weekly disciplines, proven New Business development and ability to sell multiplatforms are required. If you are all of this wrapped up in one package, we want to hear from
you! CLICK HERE for more info or to apply now. EOE.
WAXN TV 64 – Cox Media Group Television Station in Charlotte, NC (Market #22) seeks a
Local Account Executive. We’re looking for passionate sellers that want to WIN. The ideal
candidate will be a sales professional with 1-4 years of media sales experience. The candidate
will be responsible for prospecting and selling new business, as well as our vast digital portfolio,
and growing a transactional list. Interested? Please contact Mark Afshar, LSM, 704.371.3120,
mark.afshar@waxntv64.com. EOE
Quincy Media seeks a Regional Interactive Sales Manager to coordinate and grow digital
sales in five markets in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Working from WKOW-TV in Madison, WI,
this individual will drive success through others by engaging the local management and sales
teams to execute multi-screen revenue growth that meets or exceed company goals. This
position is built for personal and professional growth in an environment that values
independence and flexibility. CLICK HERE for details, then send cover letter, resume, and
salary requirements to: Carol Rees at crees@quincymedia.com. EOE
WPTZ/WNNE-TV, the Hearst Television owned NBC affiliate in the scenic Burlington,
VT/Plattsburgh, NY market, has an immediate opening for a Local Sales Account Executive.
Primary responsibilities include utilizing a complete portfolio of products including the NBC
affiliate, The Valley's MeTV, and a multitude of Digital offerings to advance effective marketing
solutions for an existing group of valued clients while developing a continuum of new
advertisers. The position is based in Colchester, VT, with the ability to sell across the entire
DMA. CLICK HERE for more details and to apply. EOE
Want to coach at Eastern Carolina’s most successful TV station? Want to join a positive
culture? Want to enjoy beaches, sunshine and happy days? Want to control your own destiny
and make really decent money? Be a leader at Eastern Carolina’s number one, WITN! TV and
digital is where it’s at! WITN is a Gray station and honored to work with the 2016 Station Group
of the Year. TV Sales experience is a good thing. Living the golden rule and a strong desire to
help people is necessary. Contact hr@witn.com. EOE
Local Sales Manager: WFXB-TV, the Fox affiliate in Myrtle Beach, SC, (Bahakel
Communications, Inc), is searching for a Local Sales Manager with at least two years of sales
management experience. We're searching for a leader with a proven track record of success in
a multi-platform sales environment including traditional television, interactive, digital services,
and mobile. The successful candidate will have strong inventory management and strategic
pricing skills. Excellent verbal and written communication and research skills are required.
Attention to detail is a must! Info to: rwilson@wfxb.com. EOE
President Obama announced plans to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It’s a pretty simple
plan, really. He’s going to put a RadioShack sign on it.
--Seth Meyers
It’s being reported that over 20 million people interrupted their workday to watch Kanye West's
fashion show online. People are calling it the highest rated hate-watch in history.
--Conan O’Brien
-------------------------
SPOTS N DOTS
The Daily News Of TV Sales
February 26, 2016
Send your job openings to: ads@spotsndots.com
Editorial comments/promotions: editor@spotsndots.com
Payments or Invoices: accounting@spotsndots.com
Phone: 888-884-2630