Category: agency news

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IdahoRadioNews: Eagle looks to soar by taking the low road

kkgl-logoKKGL/96.9 The Eagle used to be one of the Boise market’s top-rated radio stations. Its mix of syndicated show Bob & Tom and classic rock from the 70s and 80s scored top marks with adult men – and even many women.

But along the way, the station faltered. It cut back, retrenched and saw its ratings fade like a pair of stone-washed jeans. Wave upon wave of corporate consolidation seemed to diminish the station even further as it passed from Citadel to Cumulus.

Ratings were so bad that during the 2012 fall ratings period, the station got beat in the morning drive by Mix 106 — among adult men. Mike & Kate are a popular show to be sure, but drop-kicking the Eagle among men with a very female-driven show was nearly unthinkable just a few years ago. (Back in 2008 I noted how the station was the dominant number one).

These days, the station still clings to Bob & Tom. It also features longtime Boise radio vet Scott Cruise. But oddly, Cruise appears on the Eagle and sister station Nash FM at the same time. Not much of a trick in the day of pre-recorded radio, but perhaps a sad sign of corporate consolidation.

In recent months, changes have come to the airwaves of The Eagle. New afternoon host “Forrest” arrived, followed shortly thereafter by a new after-7 talent.

Perhaps those seem like mundane changes. But station management appears to be adding “sex and drugs” to the rock & roll.

In May, the station posted this teaser:

KKGL new jock teaser

The image linked to a larger, um… fuller image.

When the new jock “Lindsey Marie” debuted, she got the requisite bio on the station’s website, written in first-person voice. The first line, stretched across the top in large font uses a word many find increasingly repugnant:

Hi. I’m Lyndsey. I have a mild case of social retardation, but luckily, I also have a microphone so it all gets captured for you 7p-Midnight

Everyone from the Special Olympics to Michelle Malkin to the state of Michigan have spoken out against the word. Maybe it isn’t a hot button for you personally – but it is for many.

Beyond objectification of women and disregard for those with mental disabilities, the station is in full-on “drugs are cool, man” mode in advance of a Cheech & Chong concert this summer.

The aforementioned afternoon jock Forrest posted this photo to Twitter this week:

With a sign touting the station’s relationship with Boise State in the background and an extra “tobacco pipe” in the foreground, the announcer makes it appear he’s taking a bong hit while in the middle of his shift. One local rival snarked “my guy would be fired for posting a public photo like this.” When I ruminated on Twitter that maybe a blog post was due, Forrest seemed to think that was a great idea, giving his stamp of approval with a retweet:

These are just a few disparate items but they seem to add up to a strategy shift: let’s appeal to men’s more primal instincts. Sex. Drugs. Careless language.

It’s a tactic that works in many markets across the country. But is Boise one of them? The area is stocked with conservatives, and I find even the self-identified liberals are generally pretty moderate in many ways. Maybe the audience will grow, but will blue chip advertisers want spots next to the drugs and the sex?

Time, and the constant pressure of the Nielsen ratings book, will tell.

UPDATE: Forrest pulled the tweet and corresponding image from Twitter. But he left a similar shot in Instagram:

bong2

Forrest also un-re-tweeted the tweets and basically seemed to retrench.

Also, the out-of-market night talent, Lyndsey from Atlanta, dialed me up on Twitter with a response:

Don Day is the Digital Sales & Product Manager for KTVB, and wrote & edited the now-defunct IdahoRadioNews.com for five years.

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New hire at Publicis Boise

Bobby KasperWhile we don’t hear much out of the Publicis Boise office, we did get word recently that they’ve added Bobby Kasper as Art Director.

From their release about the new hire:

At Publicis Boise, Bobby provides graphic design, concept development and file preparation/production for assigned accounts while supporting new business activities. His responsibilities also include assisting the Production Director in fulfillment of sales and marketing kits and materials.

Prior to joining Publicis Boise, he worked at local design agencies and Boise State University Campus Services providing graphic design and production support of marketing materials.

Congratulations Bobby.

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People on the Move

We’ve been…let’s just say lax…about keeping up on new hires and such around the state lately. That being said, here’s what’s been happening lately:

Wire Stone
[wire] stoneIn February, Wire Stone announced the formalization of practice areas for Client Engagement and Delivery Management to complement the existing Creative, Technology and Strategy disciplines. With that, they also announced that Bill Coffey has been promoted to Chief of Delivery Management.

Coffey brings more than 20 years of experience in enterprise technology, channel marketing, project management and business strategy to this role. Having previously served as Director of Operations, he spent the last several years providing business intelligence and internal reporting insights while elevating project management practices.

In addition, Chad Brusse has been promoted from Senior Copywriter to Copy Director and Functional Manager of the Boise office’s copy team.

Oliver Russell
Mike StevensIn March, Oliver Russell added art director Mike Stevens to its staff.

As an art director, Stevens will develop engaging visual solutions for interactive, print, and motion graphics projects. A self-professed ski bum, prior to Oliver Russell he worked for Scott USA, Sun Valley Magazine, and Wood River Technologies in Sun Valley, Idaho. He is experienced in a broad range of design, from print to interactive, from textiles to tradeshow exhibits. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Whitworth University, majoring in business administration with a minor in design.

Foerstel Design
Cody GaeckAlso in March, Foerstel Design added to their staff, with Cody Gacek joining their team as a web designer and developer.

Cody comes with eight years of experience and most recently has worked as a contract agent for Foerstel. He moved to Boise about two years ago from Phoenix, in part because of its positive vibe and variety of outdoor activities such as mountain biking.

Congratulations to all.

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The math of digital display campaigns

Not to scale - 2.5:1
Image to scale, shrunk 3:1

Here’s a math equation for you, let me know if you think I’m confused:

$5 is more expensive than $9.

Got it? You hand me five dollars, and it will cost you more than if you hand me nine Mr. Washingtons.

No?

Let me explain.

Many providers of digital advertisements will charge you somewhere between $5 and $9 per thousand ads to show your local display ad. These ads work – fantastically. You capture an audience that is focused, and in a place to act (often sitting at their desk at work or at home).

But where are those ad impressions going to show? Are they going to show at all?

Here’s a tip: always make sure you require that your ad be shown above the fold. While that newspaper term is a little old-fashioned – it captures a simple concept: you want your ad to show on the top part of a website – not below the “fold” or scroll line. Why? Because chances are your ad isn’t going to be seen. Some sites will run three, four – even five ads in the right column – stacked up, or spread out from the top to the bottom. The only ad unit that is guaranteed to be seen is the top one.

So back to the math.

Let’s say Website A charges you $9 per thousand ads – but guarantees the message will run “ATF” or above the fold. That means that the vast majority of your impressions will be seen by a human being.

Website B will cut you a heck of a deal – just $5 per thousand ads. But they carry three ad units in the right hand column of their site – and only 1/3rd of your ads will show above the fold. That means your $5 worth of ads is only guaranteed to be seen by human eyes 333 times.

Website A – $9 for 1,000 impressions.
Website B – $5 for 333 impressions.

Simple math shows that you are really paying $15 to get 1,000 guaranteed impressions.

Now, some of those below the fold ad units will be seen – but on the home and landing pages, the vast majority of users don’t scroll very much. Also, once a user takes an action like scrolling, they are less likely to see your ad message.

If you’re a local advertiser looking to make your dollar go as far as you can – either buy sites that only place your ads above the fold, or require that site to run your ads above the fold.

(Disclosure: Don Day is the digital sales & product manager for KTVB.COM).

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Something’s brewing with the ITD

Woodland Empire Ale Craft Sign

Imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery. – Charles Caleb Colton

It appears that the Idaho Transportation Department isn’t a fan of craft brew. Or, more specifically, a billboard about craft brew that looks too similar to their highway signs.

So they’ve requested that Woodland Empire Ale Craft take theirs down.

The billboard, created by Oliver Russell, was meant to leverage the environment at the intersection of 11th and Front streets on the connector. As westbound vehicles approach the intersection, they are presented with a row of existing highway directional signs. The Woodland Empire billboard emulates the colors and graphics of these directional signs, but with a headline that reads “Craft Beer–Right Here.”

Woodland Empire contacted the City of Boise prior to erecting the sign, and was told it had no regulations governing design requirements for an on-premise billboard atop a private business’s roof. Turns out, according to Dusty Schmidt, one of the brewery’s partners, this is a very special case. “Because we sit within the city limits, we thought we were in the good, but our brewery also happens to be near the connector, which is actually a state highway with different rules.”

It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission. – Grace Hopper

By no means is this the first time that a business has gone the ‘ask forgiveness’ route with signage, names, or other identifying marks. In recent memory, Boise Fry Company originally opened as Idaho Fry Company, but was forced to change their name after the Idaho Potato Commission determined it infringed on IPC’s certification mark on the use of the word Idaho with anything related to potatoes.

As for Woodland Empire Ale Craft’s sign, Schmidt said the brewery never intended to create a traffic issue, and that the brewery is now in discussions with ITD. “We just wanted to let the 37,000 daily commuters know where they could get a delicious, hand-crafted beer,” he said.

And true to character, Dave Cook, Oliver Russell’s creative director, questions whether it constitutes a true safety hazard given the many other signs and billboards along Front Street. “All billboards distract drivers,” he said. “Especially the good ones.”