The Leffler Agency

Local People Meters vs. Diaries

2010-03-10T01:44:30Z

In the past, Nielsen diaries were sent to homes for people to fill out which programming they were watching and everything was based on the honor system. This worked best when homes just had one television and there were fewer networks and programs to watch. As families increased the number of televisions in the home, Nielsen had to increase the number of diaries they sent to selected families.

With the advent of digital video recorders (DVR), it became a growing issue for people to track their TV watching. More often than not, people would have to guess at which TV in the house they were watching and which programs they'd viewed. Only recently was there an option in the diary to note that a program was viewed on DVR, along with the specific date and time the program originally aired.

Needless to say, the system was flawed and a new method was necessary. Enter the Local People Meters or LPM's for short.

]]> The LPM method uses electronic meters for the collection of demographic ratings, replacing the paper diary as the source of this information. Basically it is a box that consumers attach to their cable box. The meter monitors which channel and what time a program is viewed. The data collected is based on an algorithm and is more accurate than the Nielsen diaries from the good old days.

LPM's helps media buyers by offering greater demographic information that is updated on a more frequent basis. Media buyers like those at the Leffler Agency can be even more efficient and effective in their media buying strategies. New technology is often intimidating and buyers have to adjust the way they negotiate and buy, but this is certainly a more accurate way of placing than using the diary system.

The Benefits of Local People Meters

LPM's provide a more accurate measurement of television audience than the system it replaced. The People Meter has numerous features that address many of the known limitations of the current set meter / paper diary methodology.

- The People Meter sample size is larger by 48% (800 vs. 540 sample households), providing more stable data and significant reductions in sampling error.

- Response rates are 25% higher, providing more accurate and projectable data.

- The demographic composition of the LPM sample is more representative of the marketplace and provides more representative data.

- The People Meter provides an electronic, minute-by-minute record of who is watching what on television without having to rely on the memory of the diary keeper.

Diaries are a thing of the past

- Paper diaries are sometimes filled out in advance, or after programs are viewed, or by a parent for a child who is viewing television.

- The diary overstates the duration of a viewing session since people tend to fill in whole programs, rather than portions watched.

- The People Meter better captures infrequent viewing to cable, pay cable, and smaller broadcast channels compared to the paper diary.

The Differences

The more accurate Local People Meter measurement delivers audience levels that are in some cases different from those collected with the current set meter / diary methodology. As such, Local People Meters show:

- Somewhat lower household tuning levels (a 2-point HUT difference in total day, or 22 fewer minutes per day of tuning in the LPM sample).

- Somewhat higher viewing levels.

- A shift in persons viewing, for all audiences, registering more viewing to a wider and more diverse array of program sources, and, in turn, somewhat lesser viewing to stronger, more traditional programs and program sources.

- "Tuning Without Viewing" can account for approximately 14 of the 22-minute difference seen in household tuning levels. Tuning without viewing occurs when the television set is on and no one is watching. However, we believe that the prompting (flashing lights) of a People Meter sometimes encourages panelists to turn off the television, having been sensitized to the fact that it had been on but with no one watching. In a set meter household, where there is no mechanism to measure persons, there is no prompting and, therefore, no stimulus to turn the set off. For that reason, we believe that audience levels recorded by the set meter will contain more tuning (the set is on) with no one watching than the People Meter. This causes the household ratings to be higher with the meter diary methodology. This will not, however, affect persons ratings, which are, in fact, higher with the People Meter.

By Rachel Crawford, Media Buyer and
Rachel Moses, Account Executive

Marist Facebook Ad Campaign Success Story

2010-03-04T23:36:52Z

As an institution, it is important to always keep an ear to the ground for what is the latest trend with students, fans, and the general audience. In this specific case, the Marist College Athletic Department needed a way to guarantee a sold-out crowd for their women's basketball "Pack the House" game. Some of our other college clients had already been using Facebook advertising as a way to gain attendance to some of the "lesser" games, so the idea of a week-long Facebook ad campaign was proposed. This was the first time Marist had used Facebook for advertising, however the campaign blitz was a complete victory. Here is the testimonial:

]]> We ran a Facebook ad campaign for our 2010 women's basketball Pack the House game. It was a huge success in the form of awareness and ticket sales, as we recorded the first ever pregame sell-out in Marist women's basketball history. The best part about the campaign was that the Leffler Agency completely streamlined the process. All we had to do was give them direction, and they did all the leg work. It is definitely a ticket sales strategy that we will use again in the future. - Frank Lombardy, Assistant Athletics Director/External Affairs, Marist Athletic Department.

For institutions and companies who find themselves more on the conservative end of advertising, or apprehensive to the notion of online advertising, this shows how powerful a tool of social media can be. There will continue to be new ways of reaching fans and audiences alike, and it is imperative that the public understand the force these new media outlets can have.

*Please note, this was the first time Marist had used Facebook for advertising, however, they currently have a Marist Athletics Fan Page on Facebook that highlights seasonal sporting events, outcomes, and allows fans to interact on the page.

By Samantha Sankovich
Account Executive

That's why they call it MASS MEDIA!

2010-03-02T01:06:07Z

The Leffler Agency is now in its 27th year of business. The most puzzling task we still have is the explanation to folks who advertise that there is a need for mass communication in order to get a response. This now includes social media, which can spread like wildfire in a targeted sense to massive numbers of high-interest potential consumers.

Too many marketing representatives in the sports industry think that advertising on one seemingly high-interest website or on one targeted medium will rock the registers. The problem is that each website and each social media output is a media outlet. Potential spend customers spend far less time on any one media outlet than they used to because their options are so numerous.

We used to be able to fairly accurately predict ad consumption habits because of there were a finite number of outlets. Now with infinite outlets, we must match the most likely sites and social media opportunities in network fashion with the standard media, which is less consumed, BUT nevertheless still consumed. The end product is still a presentation of MASS MEDIA; however, and not a dusting of a few media products.

For sports marketing professionals to hit big results, you have to reach big numbers of people.

The Simple Math of the Ad Biz

2010-02-05T20:08:11Z

The longer we do this work, the more puzzling it is that a majority of the folks we come in contact with see no relationship between media tonnage and potential results.

Advertising is about repetition of the same message to an adequate number of "potentials" in order to engender a positive result. As a rookie, I learned that the greatest ad, seen by too few people, will fail. Twenty-six years later we still have people in our business touting "amazing creative" without anything behind it. That is positively the wrong approach and is the reason why there are so many changes of ad agencies.

Expectations need to be in line with funding levels for the media behind the creative. And there needs to be a complete marketing outreach picture with direct personal marketing, proper merchandising and purchase incentives. Otherwise you have folks hoping for a miracle or experimenting endlessly instead of going in a direction and funding the approach.

By Bob Leffler
CEO/Owner

DePaul University Blue Demons

2010-02-03T02:16:15Z

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St. John's University Red Storm

2010-02-03T01:21:50Z

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The seeds on another year without growth...

2010-01-15T04:16:16Z

College Football's "Signing Day" has come and gone. It is the first chance for teams to have a natural sales opportunity for 2010.

The questions arise, however as follows: How many schools still have not decided ticket prices and not even had an "after action" meeting on 2009? Signing Day is now like NFL draft day in pro football. It is an opportunity to have a nice promotion, put ticket deposits on sale for new STs and push renewals of the old. But, if you haven't even reserved a room on campus or held back some trade media that will run easily in February and March, your marketing operation is squandering a natural "wallets open" opportunity.

If this description fits your program, you still have time to get it together. College marketers and their "purse strings" bosses sometimes think it is OK to wait. Every lost sales opportunity is lost for good because the ticket store was "closed" on that day. That is just factual.

Second Largest Crowd of Season for Siena

2010-01-09T14:44:59Z

Siena turned a first place MAAC showdown into another league laugher, drilling visiting Niagara 83-65 in front of a packed house at Times Union Center Saturday in front of 8,065.

Saints Soar Past Hawks for 26th Straight Home Win in front of 7,998

DePaul University - "Holiday Pack"

2009-12-29T02:09:27Z

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Budget investment advertising when something is new

2009-12-21T23:26:44Z

We often get inquiries from start-up products or companies and new programs in general. Usually the second thing to come out of their mouths after they tell us how much they invested in development is that there is little or no money for advertising. They call us because they are having market penetration problems. They all expect a press release to do the trick. Then, they want the agency to be "co-investors" with them and work partially on spec.

The lack of knowledge and respect for roll-out advertising is astonishing. It is why so many of these efforts fail and a lot of money is lost as well as the dreams of the creators of the concept. The agency values its product and never becomes a co-risk taker. We let these folks know about a proper level of investment advertising that has a very poor initial ROI but is a necessity if they are ever going to penetrate the market place.

Sadly, the answer is usually negative to our estimates. What follows most of the time is failure to hit the market, let alone stay in it. The lesson is as follows: Budget for investment advertising and give yourself a chance to be known.

Siena Rolls in front of 12,960

2009-12-05T14:38:45Z

Siena annihilated crosstown rival UAlbany 83-54 Saturday night in downtown Albany leaving 12,960 spectators with little doubt as to who the area's best college team is...again.

Siena Saints - "See Siena vs. Rider"

2009-11-24T00:15:29Z

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CLIENT UPDATE: Siena may have a record season

2009-11-20T03:27:22Z

Season-ticket sales up from last year's figures

The Siena men's basketball attendance record that was set last season may not stand for long.

Based on season-ticket sales, the Saints could draw even more people to Times Union Center than in 2008-09, when they averaged 7,497 fans.
That was the highest average attendance since the team moved to Times Union Center full time for the 1997-98 season.

Siena, which begins its home schedule Tuesday against Northeastern, has sold 4,068 season-ticket packages -- an all-time high for the program and about 500 more than last year.

"You're looking at a successful team, and based on the season tickets sold, there should be strong attendance this year," Siena athletic director John D'Argenio said. "First and foremost it's because of the product."

Craving Simplicity in Advertising

2009-11-19T00:11:37Z

In a rapidly changing world obsessed with convenience and simplicity, how is advertising beginning to evolve into the "less is more" territory? Simple messages and stories told through advertisements are far more interesting and likeable than those that make you raise your eyebrow and ponder what in the world they were trying to convey. Leisure time spent watching television is crucial to those in the workforce who spend all day crunching numbers, meeting with clients, or talking on the phone. Are those people more likely to comprehend a commercial that is clear, concise, and to the point or a commercial that makes them contemplate its meaning and consult the dictionary for the overuse of sophisticated language?

Since our society relies on the use of two thumbs to communicate all across the world, people have been spoiled with the overabundance of convenience forcing them to expect the same simplicity in product advertisements. Simplicity is the only way for companies to go if they want their advertisements to have the same effect on consumers as they had prior to the new technologically obsessed era.

Leffler Agency wins Silver International Davey Award

2009-11-18T01:44:39Z

The Leffler Agency won a Silver International Davey Award for the design of Baltimore Orioles "Birdland Express" Light Rail wrap. For more information about The International Davey Awards you can visit www.daveyawards.com.

Art Director - Bill Etter
Account Executive - Jason Snapkoski