Wired just released a demo they did with Adobe of how their magazine will live on the iPad (and other tablet devices I’m sure.)

With the magazine experience completely changing, the ad industry needs to start thinking about how the advertising in them will change to. Print ads are no longer just print ads, they are some form of hybrid print/video/banner/app. In the very near future, the definitions of the ads we create will no longer apply. We will have to create ideas that can live anywhere, no matter what the medium.

As some of you may have noticed via my recent tweets (@jj_sullivan), I attended the annual Deloitte TMT Predictions this week.

Every year Deloitte recruits their 6000-strong global TMT practice to look at industry-leading research, information and insights to formulate hundreds of predictions for the coming year in Technology, Media, and Telecommuncations.  They present an overall shortlist as well as category-specific lists at events around the world this time of year.

There was also a great discussion panel with Chris Wormold from RIM, Charley Lax (huge VC investor in Canadian businesses), Paul Kedrosky @pKedrosky (big Canadian VC investor who’s moved south of the border) and Duncan Stewart, Director of Deloitte Canada Research.  You can recap some of the conversation on the twitter feed #TMTPred2010, just search for #TMTPred2010 on Twitter.

Info on each category and global predictions available here.

Another great bit is their report card on past predictions, at the above URL as well, as some of these predictions take longer to gestate than a year.  Last year they were 67% correct. Worth a quick read and scan of the link if you’ve got 10-15 minutes.

Some quotes:

“Good enough becomes better than perfect.”

“…it’s all about the mobile internet.”

“…[advertising buys] likely to experience the greatest growth are search, click, social network and cost–per-action. … most vulnerable to losing share to online are magazines and newspapers; radio and outdoor are in the middle, and broadcast and specialty TV/cable seem to be most resilient.”

One of the scariest things happening today is that many newsrooms are shutting down and the ones that are left are pooling resources to make the economics work. You gotta do what you gotta do but it’s concerning that if this trend continues we’ll be left with very few sources of compelling journalism. We’ll have Fox and CNN and a universe of pithy bloggers.

On the way in this morning NPR interviewed a guy in Boston who started Global Post which has a team of 70 freelance journalists. Some of what they report is their own choosing but they also take in project assignments from corporations who want a journalist’s perspective on what’s happening in a particular corner of the world. Their revenue is subscription-based at $2/week. The journalists make $1000 a month and for that the journalists are responsible for four articles per month.

Should be interesting to see if this is the new model for print journalism.

http://www.globalpost.com/

Out-of-Home Day has become an annual tradition in the Canadian media scene. It is an opportunity for out-of-home suppliers to show off their latest products and for reps and buyers alike to meet and network. This year zig’s very own Eugenia Kung was one of four finalists for out-of-home planner of the year! To get a taste of what the event was like, check out this feature on notabletv.com. And yes, that’s yours truly at the :47 mark.

While most of my fellow graduates are off romping around Europe/Asia/Africa/Muskoka, I am getting a taste of the advertising world with my internship here at zig. What have I discovered? Well…

1)    Upfronts are fun. Not only do you get free breakfast (I am an intern after all) and to preview the new fall line-up, you get to meet some TV stars (that’s me with the cast of Flashpoint), and experience the more glamorous side of media buying.

2)    Everyone knows everyone in media: it is just that simple. Apparently the media buying/planning world has far less than 6 degrees of separation. Being the newbie is even more intimidating when you are the only one who can count the number of people you know in the room on one hand.

3)    Data entry. Enough said.

4)    Beer cart, ping pong, and foosball: who knew leaving the main stream Commerce jobs behind could be so much fun?

5)    Newspapers mess up ads. Often.

6)    Computers hate me. As if the two that died this year at university wasn’t proof enough, I am now on my second computer here, too.

7)    I should invest in a bullet-proof vest.

Me: what happened?

Cop: shooting.

Me: hahaha so what really happened?

Cop: shooting.

That said, back to the data entry before going shopping for the vest. Anyone know where I can find one? It might come in handy tonight when walking home by the Brunswick House. 

This fall the Canadian radio industry will undergo an important change in its audience measurement methodology. Previously audiences were measured by handwritten diaries. Now radio measurement has moved to the digital age with PPM’s (portable people meters). A PPM is an electronic device which panelists wear or carry. It works by capturing an inaudible code unique to a particular station. While PPM’s will be used for radio measurement initially, they will soon be used to measure TV in Canada as well.

While the initial equipment investment is high, there are many advantages to PPM technology.

· measures exposure rather than recall - doesn’t rely on respondent’s memory

· captures listening/viewing happening outside the home (e.g., radio in the car, sports on TV at local pub)

· passivity makes it much easier to recruit panelists

· data captured 52 weeks per year, 24 hours per day at 1 minute intervals rather than 32 weeks per year at 15 minute intervals

What is the predicted impact on measurement? Compared to the old radio measurement system, we can expect:

· more radio listening hours overall

· up to double the radio stations per listener

· a decrease in time spent listening per station

· higher listening reported among men and younger demos

· more stable listening across the day

· listening peaks during breaking news and sports events

The most important difference for media buyers is that different measurement methodologies yield different measurement results. The results based on diary and PPM are difficult to compare as the diary is based on recall while the PPM is based on real-time exposure to radio.

One way of looking at it is:

· 100 km/hour = 62 miles/hour

· 0 degrees Celsius = 32 degrees Fahrenheit

· Therefore, 1 diary GRP ≠ 1 PPM GRP

It is important to note that the audience size is not actually changing. The way it is being reported will be different than we are used to. Initially zig will work with conversion tables from tests using the new system to ensure that our spots are heard at the same level they were before the conversion. The learning we have from major radio markets undergoing the change this fall will help us when the change is implemented with TV in the future.

Sources: BBM Canada, CBS Radio Québec

As you may have noticed, the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine cover boasted a unique design this past weekend, which we created.  

The brief: Design a cover for ROB magazine to celebrate its 25 anniversary and its annual “Top 1000” issue. This year’s story: Canada’s Top 100 Biggest Companies.

Our solution: There are exactly 1000 maple leaves on the cover. Each leaf represents one of the 1000 biggest Canadian companies. The colours are not random. Each hue signifies a type of business – for instance, Tech/Biotech companies are lime green and Banks/Financial Services are teal. A colour legend inside the magazine breaks down the spectrum.

An inaccurate perception among Canadians is that our economy relies solely on selling natural resources. We wanted to show readers that there’s a lot more to Canadian business than lumber, oil, and gas. Our economic base is actually quite diverse.

On June 2 we posted the CTV Fall schedule outlining returning programs and the new shows coming this fall. What we did not post is the A Channel schedule for this fall which CTV outlined on the same date. While CTV kept all of the top programs on their originating station, they have slotted the majority of their new shows on what I refer to as their “secondary station” – A Channel. CTV has not confirmed their series or season premiere dates at this time, so I have done my best to hunt some of them down on the U.S. websites. Here is the A Channel fall schedule as it was presented on June 2.

The new shows are highlighted in the above schedule in pink. Here is a quick outline of each of the new shows:

Eastwick: If anyone remembers the 1987 movie The Witches of Eastwick with Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, you will relate to this new series. Three housewives in the village of Eastwick have their lives forever changed when a mysterious man arrives and grants them unique powers.  Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price and Jamie Ray Newman star as the witches.  See ABC link to fall previews : http://abc.go.com/fallpreview/index?pn=index

The Beautiful Life: If you like The O.C or Gossip Girl, you will enjoy The Beautiful Life. The Beautiful Life is a new CW drama project that will spotlight the lives of male and female models living in New York City. The two main players are Christopher, a 22-year-old catalog model, and 15-year-old Reyna, dubbed the “next Heidi Klum.” The plot is based on real life experiences of Adam Giaudrone, an aspiring model-turned-writer, and is being developed by Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst Film company. Mischa Barton returns to TV, along with Sara Paxton and Ben Hollingsworth, in this coming of age drama about trying to start the next phase of life in New York City. See YouTube for a sneak Peak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZpgWF0cFhU

Hank: Starring Kelsey Grammer, this new comedy is based on a CEO named Hank Prior living a privileged life in New York with his family. He looses his job and suddenly finds himself in a position where he has to start over and downsize his entire life back to the small town of River Bend. See ABC link for preview: http://abc.go.com/fallpreview/index?pn=index

The Middle: Starring Patricia Heaton. This show comparison reminds me of Malcolm In The Middle meets Everybody Loves Raymond. Here is a quick summary of the new comedy: Parents are the real heroes — but Frankie Heck (Patricia Heaton), well she’s some kind of superhero. A loving wife and mother of three, she’s middle class in the middle of the country and is rapidly approaching middle age. See the ABC link for preview: http://abc.go.com/fallpreview/index?pn=index

Flash Forward: A mysterious global event causes everyone to black out simultaneously for two minutes and seventeen seconds, and each person sees a glimpse of their lives six months from now. When they wake up, everyone is left wondering if what they saw will actually happen. See ABC link for preview: http://abc.go.com/primetime/flashforward/index?pn=index

As Canwest has been in the news in the last few months over their current financial situation, one would have to wonder how they are going to handle another new season. Purchasing new shows is always accompanied with uncertainties. Will the money invested in a new show “pay off” in terms of its audience and investors?

It appears as if Canwest has taken a somewhat conservative approach this season by not purchasing a huge number of shows. They have chosen a few new programs that correspond with their existing schedules. Their existing schedules have only minimal changes, and still leave the lineups that have worked in the past. I do have to say that there are a few changes that I personally am a bit leery of. However, I can bet they will do some adjusting within the first few weeks of the fall.

Here are some of the biggest changes:

Returning Prime Programs:
- House
- Lie to Me
- Brothers and Sisters: Moving from the traditional Sunday night time slot after the animated series line-up (Simpsons, King of The Hill, Family Guy and American Dad) to Monday night.
- NCIS
- Bones : This is placed on Wednesday as the lead-in to a new young adult show called Glee. In my opinion, the placement of this show makes no sense.
- Survivor
- The Office
- SNL Update: This was a special feature that ran just before the US election. It performed exceptionally well, so it is now placed on the Thursday night line-up after the Office.
- 90210
- Dollhouse
- Numbers
- Heroes : Moving to Sunday after the animated line-up. This is in pre-release to the US feed on Mondays.
- Family Guy
- American Dad
- The Guard

New Shows

NCIS: LA – Stars artist LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell. Tuesday’s 9p-10p.

Glee – A teacher married to his high-school girlfriend who wants to inspire the misfits in the newly revived Glee club to become something they can all be proud of. Anyone who enjoys musicals should tune in. It is High School Musical meets American Pie if you will. Wednesday’s 9p-10p.

Melrose Place – The offspring and new generation of the famous television show. Starts with a murder and a proposal and jumps right into the twisted storyline. Look out for Ashley Simpson – you can be the judge of her acting skills. The pilot was great! Spoiler Alert! : Sydney has finally got what was coming to her! Wednesday’s 10p-11p

The Good Wife – Julianne Margulies returns as the wife of a politician in jail for using public funds to pay for prostitutes. Instead of curling up and giving in, Margulies goes back to intern at a local law office while raising 2 young children and protecting them from the actions of their father. Tuesday’s from 10-11pm.

Cleveland Show – Will be joining the hit animated series line-up on Sunday nights on Global. Could this be the next Family Guy? No. In my opinion only: the pilot series was weak, and will not last. It is as disappointing as the recent Bob & Doug animated series.

BBM Analytics has recently compiled a list of what they feel to be the top 10 consumer trends in media technology based on their annual Media Technology Monitor (MTM). This is a Canadian survey BBM Analytics has conducted since 1997 with a sample size of 6,000 Anglophones and 6,000 Francophones. The trends listed below are an interesting summary of how our use of media technology is evolving. The key to marketers will be to be at the forefront of the evolution.

1. Internet Video: High Reach, Low Usage. The media seems to go into a frenzy covering the latest developments in the Internet video space. Lots of Canadians are now watching Internet video, but the amount of time they actually spend watching is small.

2. Internet TV is catch-up TV. Why would you want to watch TV on a Computer? Well, people use the Internet to get TV for the same reason they have PVR’s or watch TV programs on VOD: to “catch up” on missed episodes and for convenience. Of course, for most people a computer screen isn’t an ideal way to watch for an extended period of time, which is why news clips, sports highlights and comedy are the most common types of TV content accessed.

3. iPod, uPod, wePod. It seems like there is no end to the number of us using ear buds. iPod/MP3 players grew substantially again this year and most owners have Apple iPods.

4. Podcasting is more than radio. It seems like everyone who has content that can be converted to a spoken word audio format (with or without video) is getting into the podcasting game. Podcasting of conventional radio programs are losing ground to other types of content that are from newspapers, magazines and TV stations.

5. Canadians Love their HDTV Screens. They’re bigger, thinner and cheaper. Canadians can’t get enough of them. Nearly one in five of us have them and many of those even have two. And it seems the more people get one, the more other people tell us they’re going to buy one.

6. The HDTV Receiver is an Afterthought. Don’t be confused: people don’t necessarily buy HDTV Screens for HDTV channels. Only half of people with an HDTV Screen also have an HDTV Receiver, which is necessary to receive HDTV channels. That ratio has improved, but intention to buy an HDTV receiver is flat.

7. Digital Deadline 2011: Post-Transition Intentions Are Becoming Clear. In two short years, analog off-air TV will disappear in Canada. When it does, off-air TV households will have to change the way they receive TV to either digital off-air or a subscription TV service. Off-air TV viewers are split evenly between which option they’ll choose, which means that the already small group that relies on TV off-air could be cut in half.

8. iPhones lift mobile video. People generally don’t watch video or TV on a cell phone and they consistently tell us that they’re not interested in doing so. Then, of course, along came the iPhone. Penetration levels are still small, but most who have them watch video on it and many use it to watch TV.

9. PVRs: Those who have them, use them a lot. The steady but modest growth of Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) continues. Just over 1 in 10 households have one, but users spend about half of their TV viewing time watching PVR’d programs.

10. Radio Still Rules. Audio choices used to be in two neatly defined boxes: radio and recorded music (e.g. CDs). With the Internet, iPods and satellite radio, the continuum of choice is much broader. But despite this, the simplicity and convenience of conventional radio is not lost on consumers. Even people who use new audio technologies listen to more conventional radio than any other audio source.