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Big names -- McDonald's, Pepsi, Nissan, Proctor & Gamble -- sign on for iTunes Radio ads
With iTunes Radio set to hit the ground running once Apple releases iOS 7 to the masses sometime this fall, Apple has been busy signing up number of big-name advertisers to help bankroll the company's first foray into internet radio. According to AdAge, some of the advertisers already on board the iTunes Radio train include McDonald's, Pepsi, Proctor & Gamble, Nissan and others. The report relays that: The deals range from the high single-digit millions of dollars to tens of millions of dollars and include a 12-month advertising campaign to run within the streaming music service for each of the participating brands. In addition to basking in all the publicity that comes with a heavily-anticipated Apple product launch, the launch partners get exclusivity within their respective industries through the end of 2013. Come January 2014, however, ads on iTunes Radio will become widely available, provided an advertiser agrees to the minimum buy-in of around $1 million, according to sources briefed on the product. Advertisements on iTunes Radio will reportedly take on three forms; audio ads, video ads and interactive ads. As for how often advertisements will rear their ugly, but necessary heads, AdAge notes that audio ads will be played once every 15 minutes while video ads will be served about once every hour. While not available yet, the report states that advertisers will soon have the ability to target ads to specific iOS devices, a welcome option for advertisers looking to calibrate ads in an effort to maximize effectiveness and impact. For instance, it stands to reason that an iOS user with a newly minted iPhone 5S may have more expendable income than a user with an old iPhone 4, or the rumored lower-cost iPhone. Ads on iTunes Radio, however, will not be exclusive to mobile devices. Note that any device running iTunes Radio, including desktop devices and the Apple TV, will be subject to ads. Also of note is that some advertisers may be given the option to assemble, or perhaps "sponsor" is a more apt descriptor, their own playlists that will feature fewer advertisements than the five ads per hour described above. "These branded stations will not be labeled with a brand name," AdAge reports, "but will likely involve a short ad saying that brand was sponsoring a user's block of free listening." If you're interested in the nitty gritty of Apple's advertising efforts vis a vis iTunes Radio, the full post from AdAge is chock-full of interesting information and worth checking out in its entirety. While Apple's previous advertising efforts -- I'm looking at you iAds -- haven't exactly met Apple's expectations, the inherent interest in streaming internet radio suggests that Apple's foray into the music space will be worthwhile. After all, Pandora, though one of the more popular iOS apps, still has to be proactively downloaded by iOS users. iTunes Radio, on the other hand, will be integrated into the iOS Music app right out of the gate, giving it an extremely large built-in userbase right from the get-go. Lastly, consumers who sign up for iTunes Match will be able to experience iTunes Radio completely ad-free.
How did various media outlets report the FTC gaming report?
Here's some light weekend reading about politics, the media and gaming. Earlier this week the U.S. Federal Trade Commission released a report about the gaming industry. The real fun for industry folk was seeing how all the various media outlets would report the news and what their headlines would be. Below is the list, shamelessly ripped-off from Dennis McCauley over at GamePolitics, of various media outlets and their take on the report: FTC says content curbs fall short - L.A. Times Report says the young buy violent games and movies - NY Times FTC: self-regulation of violent content working - Beta News Children still see ads for violent content - Advertising Age FTC scolds marketers about violent content - AdWeek FTC: violence still marketed to youths - Hollywood Reporter Report: Violence still aimed at kids - Variety FTC violence marketing report show general compliance - Broadcasting & Cable FTC Report: Violence Still a Problem in Marketing - TV Week FTC: game industry self-policing improving - GameSpot FTC: M-rated games still marketed to minors - Next Generation FTC: games are better regulated than music, movies - Ars Technica FTC report: mixed reviews on industry's ability to self-regulate - Joystiq FTC: game industry stricter than movies, music - Kotaku FTC report praises, spanks video game industry - GamePolitics As McCauley asks in his headline accompanying the list above, "Were these media outlets reading the same report?" The various headlines make us think of the classic question: If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to see it, does it make a sound? Some say yes, some say no, some say it explodes into various pieces, some say the Earth Mother picked it back up, some say there is no tree. The various headlines and the stores with them is a good read on the diversity of voice in the media -- especially when it comes to gaming.
Learning from Sony's viral blog mistake
"From this point forward, we will just stick to making cool products, and use this site to give you nothing but the facts on the PSP."These were the last words of Sony's viral-blog-gone-bad. The site is now suspiciously empty, showing how empty that apology/promise really was. Advertising Age did an interesting write-up on the whole ordeal, making note that the FTC is now taking steps to ensure that companies disclose the true nature of any viral communications they produce. The article has four things to learn from Sony's mistakes, and I found the following to be most important: "The consumer is smarter than you think, alternative marketing tactics must be genuine, authentic and in today's world, transparent." As Penny Arcade smartly noted, "The reality is that no agency can create viral marketing, this is the sole domain of the consumer."Sony has to stop thinking we're idiots, and start treating us as educated consumers that know what we want. The homebrew community is a testament to that statement. Sony: listen to the gamers, read some PSP Fanboy and Joystiq, and figure out what we want.[Via AdJab]
