Report: Consumers Substituting Online TV for Cable

Pew Research Center repots that a growing number of recession-conscious Americans claim they are using the Web as a cable TV substitute.

Report: Consumers Substituting Online TV for Cable

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Advertising Age: What Your Favorite Social Network Says About You

YORK, Pa. (AdAge.com) — Do you Twitter? Then you are more interested in sex than the average Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn user. Like LinkedIn? You’re more likely to watch soap operas. Favor MySpace? You’re probably not into exercise.
Social networking
Photo: AP

Which social network you favor says a lot about you — and you might be surprised just what it says. A new study by Anderson Analytics is helping identify users’ likely interests, buying habits, media consumption and more for marketers. The survey studied the demographics and psychographics of both social networkers and non-users and found that “there are definite data-driven segments in the social-networking-site market, both for non-users and users,” said Tom Anderson, founder and managing partner.

Today 110 million Americans, or 60% of the online population, use social networks, and that number is fairly conservative, because instead of counting unique users or everyone who has an account, as many estimates do, the Anderson study counted only people who have used a social network at least once in the past month.

Users tend to spend a lot of time on social networks. The average social networker goes to social sites five days a week and checks in about four times a day for a total of an hour each day. A super-connected 9% stay logged in all day and are “constantly checking out what’s new.”

Social networkers’ feelings about brands online in general are more positive than the researchers thought they would be. Some 52% of social networkers had friended or become a fan of at least one brand. When asked if seeing a brand on a social network makes them feel positive or negative about that brand, an almost-equal 17% said positive and 19% said negative. The other 64% were neutral or didn’t care. When asked if they would like more communications from brands, 45% were neutral, while 20% said yes and 35% said no.

Anderson conducted the study online in June with 5,000 demographically representative respondents, and then went in-depth with 1,250 of them. With the help of Mr. Anderson and his team, Ad Age dug into the reams of stats to create the mini profiles below.

Social-network users overall
Social networkers get a bad rap for using social media to pump up their egos and reputations with “fake” friends. But the truth is, in general, they’re not super-aggressive about building networks. Almost half (45%) said they will link only to family and friends, and another 18% will link only to people they’ve met in person. That means almost two-thirds associate only with people they know offline. The fake-frienders are still out perpetuating the myth, though — 10% of those surveyed said they will connect with anyone who’s willing to connect with them.

And another myth blown: Most users are not wasting company time. Only 15% said they go on social networks at work.

Their top three interests are music, movies and hanging out with friends, and they use social media most to stay in touch with friends, family and classmates. Not surprisingly, they do more online than non-users of social media, from watching videos to reading blogs to making purchases. They are four times more vocal than non-users when it comes to commenting on discussion boards, posting blog entries and uploading videos.

Anderson’s research breaks down general social-media users into four categories: business users, fun seekers, social-media mavens and late followers. Of those, social-media mavens are the key group, not only because of their high incomes and decision-making power at companies but also because their large social-media footprints can make them brand allies and evangelists, Mr. Anderson said. Fun seekers are also an important group because they are the up-and-coming mavens as they transition from students to employees.

Non-users of social networks
Contrary to what some might think, people who spurn social media aren’t tech haters. In fact, they spend as much time as social-media fans surfing the web. But they say they don’t use social media for three basic reasons: They don’t have the time, they don’t think it’s secure or they think it’s stupid. While the first two groups — which Anderson labels “time-starved” and “concerned” — may be swayed to join eventually, don’t hold out much hope for the last group: 94% said they will never use social media.

About 22% of time-starved people said they’ll be using social media within three months, and another 27% said they probably will within a year — when they get the time that is; they’re more interested than all others in pursuits such as exercise, entertaining, music and movies.

The concerned non-users are an older demographic (one-third are retired) who don’t use social networks because they’re worried about their privacy. However, they do recognize value in social media and may join as they become more comfortable with it.

Non-users in general don’t shop online as much as social networkers, but they are much more likely to visit online retailers Amazon and eBay. They also named IAC’s IWon and HGTV as favored web destinations.

Facebookers
There are 77 million Facebook users, according to the study, and Facebook users were almost completely average in their level of interest in most areas when compared with users of Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn. Out of 45 categories, only national news, sports, exercise, travel, and home and garden skewed even slightly higher than average, and then by only one or two percentage points.

“Facebook is average because it has the most users. When stat testing, anything near the average is less likely to be significant,” Mr. Anderson said. “They are also capturing a wider range of users for various reasons, from high-school and college fun, leisure user to business and parents and grandparents.”

They are more likely to be married (40%), white (80%) and retired (6%) than users of the other social networks. They have the second-highest average income, at $61,000, and an average of 121 connections.

Facebook users skew a bit older and are more likely to be late adopters of social media. But they are also extremely loyal to the site — 75% claim Facebook is their favorite site, and another 59% say they have increased their use of the site in the past six months.

Twitterers
This is the super-user group. Twitterers are more interested than the others in many subjects but skew particularly high in all news categories, restaurants, sports, politics, personal finance and religion. They also especially like pop culture, with music, movies, TV and reading, ranking higher than average. And their buying habits mirror that. They’re more likely to buy books, movies, shoes and cosmetics online than the other groups.

Twitterers are also entrepreneurial. They are more likely than others to use the service to promote their blogs or businesses. How do they keep going? Coffee, apparently. Some 31% buy coffee online, far above the average 21% of other social networkers.

They’re more likely to be employed part-time (16% vs. 11% average), have an average income of $58,000, and average 28 followers and 32 other Twitterers they’re following. They’re not particularly attached to the site, though — 43% said they could live without Twitter.

MySpacers
They are the young, the fun and the fleeing. While MySpace users skew younger, they also said they’d used the site much less in the past six months.

The 67 million who are still there are into having a good time. They’re more likely to have joined MySpace for fun and more likely to be interested in entertaining friends, humor and comedy, and video games. They’re less into exercise than any other social group but seek out parenting information more than any other.

The content MySpace users put up is most often about specific hobbies, or pictures of family and friends. Their average income is the lowest, at $44,000, and they have an average of 131 connections. They’re more likely to be black (9%) or Hispanic (7%) than users of the other social sites. They are also more likely to be single (60%) and students (23%).

LinkedIn users
It’s probably no surprise these guys are all about business. We say guys because LinkedIn has the only user group with more males than females (57% to 43%). They have the highest average income, at $89,000, and are more likely to have joined the site for business or work, citing keeping in touch with business networks, job searching, business development and recruiting as top reasons.

Their interests reflect that as well. They like all kinds of news, employment information, sports and politics. They also more likely to be into the gym, spas, yoga, golf and tennis.

Excluding video-game systems, they own more electronic gadgets than the other social networkers, including digital cameras, high-definition TVs, DVRs and Blu-ray players.

How do they unwind? Here were two surprises among the things they’re more interested in than the others: gambling and soap operas. Some 12% seek gambling information online (vs. an average of 7%), while 10% go online for soap-opera content (vs. an average of 5%).

Consistent branding for social media marketing

Interesting piece from examiner.com that identifies five steps in creating a consistent brand in social media. http://tinyurl.com/lh6vbb

Congrats to WRKI's Ethan Carey

In an era where radio station ownership is traded like stock shares, it's amazing, make that unheard of that a radio DJ could remain on the air at the same station for 30 years. Ethan Carey of Brookfield/Danbury CT-based WRKI has done just that. Ethan has been on the air at I-95 for 30 years. He's been holding down the morning show for a gazillion years, and could probably get elected mayor of Danbury CT if he wanted to run! He's that well known there. I was fortunate to have worked with Ethan earlier in my career, and he's one of a kind. Hey Ethan - congratulations!

Red Wolf Broadcasting Purchases Hartford Radio Station

Congratulations to John Fuller, owner of Red Wolf Broadcasting on his purchase of WURH-FM from Clear Channel. It's good to see this station in the hands of a local Connecticut broadcaster. Fuller has even purchased the rights to the station's old WMRQ call letters. The station is streaming at www.radio1041.fm, although with a 50,000 watt signal you can hear it virtually all over Connecticut. John visited us here at BAM yesterday and shared some of his plans for the station with me. Keep on rockin' John!

Consumer confidence posts biggest jump since 2003

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence soared in May to its highest level in eight months as severe strains in the labor market showed some signs of easing, though Americans' mood remained depressed by historical standards.

KEY POINTS: * The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes jumped to 54.9 in May from a revised 40.8 in April, the biggest one-month jump since April 2003. * The consensus forecast was for the index to rise to 42. Fewer Americans said jobs were "hard to get," the survey found, with that measure slipping to 44.7 percent from 46.6 percent. Those saying jobs were plentiful climbed to a still meager 5.7 percent, but that was still higher than March's 4.9 percent. * "Consumers are considerably less pessimistic than they were earlier this year," said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board's Consumer Research Center.

New Ad-ology Study: Reduced Advertising During Recession Negatively Impacts Consumer Perception

WESTERVILLE, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 48% of U.S. adults believe that a lack of advertising by a retail store, bank or auto dealership during a recession indicates the business must be struggling. Likewise, a vast majority perceives businesses that continue to advertise as being competitive or committed to doing business. more...

Consumer Sentiment Trending Up in May

Despite the rising unemployment rate, tempering pump prices and the 8K+ DJIA appear to be bolstering consumer sentiment in May…nearly one in three (31.2%) consumers is confident/very confident in chances for a strong economy over the next six months, rising five points from April (26.0%), nearly 12 points from a year ago (19.5%) and the highest reading since January ’08 (33.5%). See this month's full Executive Briefing here

I DARE You to Watch This Without Smiling!

From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music," comes the first of many "songs around the world" being released independently. This amazing version of “Stand by Me” brought a smile to my face, and I hope it will do the same for you.

Watch it from beginning to end—you won't regret it. This cover of Stand By Me was recorded by completely unknown artists in a street virtual studio all around the world!

It all started with a base track—vocals and guitar—recorded on the streets of Santa Monica, California, by a street musician named Roger Ridley. The base track was then taken to New Orleans, Louisiana, where Grandpa Elliott—a blind singer from the French Quarter—added vocals and harmonica while listening to Ridley's base track on headphones. In the same city, Washboard Chaz's added metal percussions.

From there, it just gets better and better: The producers took the resulting mix all through Europe, Africa, and South America, adding new tracks with multiple instruments and vocals, which were assembled into this final final version -- all done with a simple laptop and some microphones. Amazing!

Use the Email Post link to share this with friends.

Warren Berger (NPR): Radio Offers Attractive Space For Ads

Thanks to one of my radio friends (surprise) for sending this to me...

All Things Considered, April 28, 2009 · Radio offers advertisers the last captive audience.

Click HERE

Radio ads are cheap to produce and buying airtime is inexpensive, too. You can blanket the airwaves with a slogan or jingle in a way you can't with TV.

Warren Berger's forthcoming book is Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Life and Maybe Even the World.

Car Wars

First an LA Audi put up theirs, then a BMW dealer responded. Well done, BMW!

Kudos (or Bottoms Up) to CBS

Enter most TV or radio contests and you'll be in the running to win a pair of concert ticket. But win the prize in the new CBS contest and it just might save your life.

CBS Television is currently in the middle of the craziest contest ever to grace a TV screen. When I first heard about the CBS Cars Colonoscopy Sweepstakes, I though it was a goof. After all, the promo features Alan Kalter of Letterman show fame. But it's real, and it's brilliant.

The lucky winner of this contest will receive an all expense paid colonoscopy performed by Dr. Paul Miskovitz, a respected NY gastroenterologist. The winner also gets 3 nights of luxury accommodations in the Loews Regency Hotel where, according to the contest website, the winner "can prepare for the colonoscopy in luxury and dignity."

Kudos to CBS for their lighthearted approach to this serious healthcare topic. Take a look at the contest website.

So You Wanna Be in the Ad Biz?

Where Did The Primetime Broadcast Audience Go?

Ask Not Where the Broadcast Audience Went, It Went To Cable

We’ve seen that primetime broadcast network viewership has been on the decline since the early 80’s. But we’ve also seen that primetime TV viewing by household has been relatively flat from the early 90’s. Where did the primetime network audience go?

It went, and continues to go, to cable.

The chart, table and text below have now been updated with the final numbers from the 2007-8 season. Note that the percentage of US TV HHs (rating) viewing during prime-time has risen slowly over time, but the broadcast networks share of viewing has continued to drop for the entire period.

As the prime-time broadcast network audience began declining in the early 1980’s, it shifted to cable networks, and by an ever increasing amount, basic/ad supported cable networks.

Some interesting trends jump out.

Over the past 20+ years, Independent Stations have joined up and become Network Affiliates. Note the ever growing list of networks below. I am looking for good data on the number of Independent stations vs. Network Affiliates over time, but conventional wisdom is that their numbers have shrunk substantially. That’s why I colored both of those series blue. I think they should be considered part of the same viewership trend. Taken together, those two groups have gone from a rating of 54.5 to 27.9, a decline of 49%.

At the same time, Public broadcast primetime viewing has fallen from a HH rating of 2.6 to 1.4, a similar percentage decline of about 54%.

Although I was mostly coherent in the mid-80’s, it was quite a surprise that in 1984-85 audiences were watching more Premium/Pay Cable than Ad/Basic cable.

What is undeniable is that the growth of Ad Supported/Basic cable viewing was not followed by a similar growth in premium/pay cable viewing. Premium/Pay cable has seen its share fall modestly during the period. It’s hard to compare the Premium/Pay Cable numbers before 1999 with those after 1999 because of the definition change (noted below) though.

In fact, today more people watch “other” cable (shopping, music, etc) cable than watch premium/pay cable.

(source: http://tvbythenumbers.com)

A Grinchy Recipe on How to Worsen Economic Woes.

Please click the posting title above to hear the actual audio...

"Early to bed. Early to rise. Work like a dog and Advertise"

Black Friday and Thanksgiving Weekend Sales

Much has been said about the economy's impact on retail sales this weekend. Lots of doom and gloom. But there is one thing, one category, one item that I believe will turn what might have been a decline in consumer spending into a net gain. 

For the past year, TV viewers have been bombarded by a focused media campaign telling them that the digital TV revolution is coming on February 17, 2009. The networks and local broadcasters have been airing commercials that say "on February 17th 2009 TV as we know it will fade to black". 

Most people don't understand what this change will mean to them, and virtually everyone is confused. No wonder we're confused, the government is behind this campaign . There are millions of people that think that their current TVs will no longer work after February 17th. 

So, here's what will make the difference in Black Friday sales this year... TV sales will push retail sales numbers over the top, exceeding last year's numbers. 

I was in Costo yesterday and I couldn't believe the number of people with 2 or 3 TVs in their carts! I wandered through the TV aisles and listened to the buzz. An amazing number of shoppers were under the impression that unless they replaced all the TVs in the house, that they wouldn't be able to watch TV. 

Maybe it's confusion. Maybe they are looking for the right gift to put under the tree. Maybe they're just looking for an excuse to buy that great new plasma set they've been eyeing for months. But one thing is for sure, they're spending thousands of dollars on high-tech, and that will make the difference in retail sales this weekend.

9/11, 7 years later...

I started my day as I do every September 11th, at Connecticut's September 11th memorial. It is located in Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. It is an understated memorial on the shore of Long Island Sound. There is a large granite memorial that commemorates all the people that were lost, and there are 2 rows of smaller stones that contain the names of every Connecticut resident that was lost that day. People gathered there on September 11, 2001 because it has a clear view of lower Manhattan. Today was particularly emotional. There was no organized memorial planned, that was 2 nights ago with the Governor and other dignitaries. As I sat there this morning, I noticed more people than ever before coming up to pay their respects and remember. A mom with her 2 young daughters brought flowers, photos, and letters for their daddy, a guy on a bicycle rode up, took off his helmet, walked over to the memorial and immediately started bawling his eyes out. One guy was there when I arrived, and was still there when I left. He'll be there all day. And yet another guy showed up and quietly read a letter to his loved one. Other individuals and groups came and went, but everyone cried. And that's good. It was heartening to see that so many people still take the time to remember. I will never forget.

"Much Ado About Nothing" CT Free Shakespeare in Bridgeport

The Bard hits Bridgeport! Check out this 70's version of this Shakespeare classic.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
Bridgeport, CT

Frid. - Sun., July 18 - 20
Wed. - Sun., July 23 - 27
Wed., July 30 - Sat., August - 2

Main stage show begins at 8:00 p.m.

The Zoo’s Picnic Grove opens at 6:30 p.m. for people to enjoy picnic dinners brought from home, or purchased from the Zoo’s concession stands. People are also welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs. The Zoo itself will not be open for touring during the evening.

The Accidental Mayor

The Accidental Mayor
Documentary filmmaker Larry Locke explores urban idealism and self-destruction through Bridgeport mayor John Fabrizi. Monday, June 9 at 7PM at the Barnum Museum, 820 Main St., Bridgeport. $30 (to benefit the Barnum Museum and City Lights Gallery), (203) 311-1104, www.contemporarylives.com
check out the trailer on YouTube:

Bijou Square Key to Downtown Revival

There was something in the air here at Bijou Square at the grand opening party at Two Boots this past Wednesday. Something you could feel. It was a sense of amazement that hundreds of people were together eating and drinking and listening to live music on Fairfield Avenue in downtown Bridgeport. For me, it was a sense of pride that all this was happening in the same building that BAM moved to just 6 short months ago. I looked around the room as the first band started playing, I could see that others shared my sense of pride... and amazement. Others that work downtown, members of the media, city employees... we would walk past each other and say "unbelievable", "it's really happening", "this is simply amazing". 

New boots, TWO of 'em!

Bridgeport got a new pair of boots this month, Two Boots!

Huh? Allow me to explain. The long-awaited Two Boots of Bridgeport fired up the pizza ovens and opened to rave reviews. Located right here at 277 Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport, coincidentally 4 floors below BAM's new office, Two Boots is the latest in what is turning into Bridgeport's exciting new dining, drinking and entertainment scene.

The BAM staff had a chance to sample the fare at Two Boots during 2 pre-opening events. The menu features some of the most creative pizza concoctions I've ever experienced. Try the Newman, an Italian-inspired white pie with sopressata and sweet sausage. Like it hot? Then order the Bayou Beast (my favorite) - a crispy thin crust pizza with BBQ shrimp, crawfish, andouille, zippy jalapenos, and mozzarella. It goes great with a cold IPA or a Stella.

Other specialty pizzas feature great names like Mel Cooley, The Dude, Earth Mother, and the favorite of all of us in the ad biz, the Larry Tate. Non-pizza entrees include some terrific salads, yummy Po' Boys, and a fun kid's menu. There's a great lunch special for just $6.95.

Two Boots has a funky Cajun vibe, with New Orleans Mardi Gras beads covering the walls. Head honcho and fellow Bridgeport pioneer Phil Hartman promises that the stage in the back room will soon host some great live entertainment. We're looking forward to it! Welcome to the neighborhood Phil!

NOTE - the way it's been going lately, if you're trying to reach us any time around lunch time, your best bet is to check downstairs at Two Boots. You're almost guaranteed to find at least a couple of us there. You see, once they start cranking out the pizzas for lunch, that wonderful aroma starts working it's way up the stairway and into our office, calling us like bees to honey. Considering that our old office was located just above a dumpster, this is heaven!

BAM is Bullish on Bridgeport

If you've been reading my blog, you must know by now that I'm up on Bridgeport. I've always enjoyed this city, and over the last few years I found myself here more often for dining, entertainment, etc. Finally, we packed up BAM this past summer and moved down the 25/8 connector from Trumbull to our cool new home here on Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport. We now look forward to taking a lunch break and walking around the downtown area. There's so much to discover... restaurants, galleries, museums, and lots of interesting people. We can walk to the ferry, the train station, and to the Arena to catch a Sound Tigers game! So this blog will continue to feature some newsbits on what's new, hot and happening in the Park City.

This piece ran in the Connecticut Post this week. I'l glad that we'll finally have people living in the Citytrust Tower, as well as in the great new projects under development downtown (including the condos that are a part of our new home, the Bijou Square project).

TENANTS BEGIN MOVING INTO CITYTRUST UNITS
PAM DAWKINS pdawkins@ctpost.com
Connecticut Post Online

BRIDGEPORT — Hey, you late-night downtown revelers, you folks who drive along Main Street with the volume up — take it down a notch: There are people trying to sleep here.
After years of planning and building, and four months of delays, tenants of the redeveloped Citytrust property on the corner of Bank and Main streets started taking possession of their keys Friday.
Some planned to spend the night.
It was late Thursday when the city issued a temporary certificate of occupancy for the 117-apartment building, removing the last barrier to residency. This was a large project for the city and "the folks in charge of the approval process were very, very careful," said Eric Anderson, of developer Urban Green Builders.
So far, about 83 of the units are leased. And while there's been no formal announcement, Citibank has signs up on the windows of a ground floor site, announcing plans for an office.
Anderson said Friday he hopes to announce soon plans for a grocery store; he's in talks with a couple he won't identify, other than to say they've run a grocery store with a restaurant function in New York for more than 20 years.
"They could not have a better reputation," he said.
He and Anthony Ancona, the owner of Fat Cat Joe and Fat Cat Pie — the coffee shop and pizza restaurant slated for the former bank location on the ground floor — are already planning to open a "beergarden" atop the former Arcade Mall building, which is also under redevelopment.
Ancona didn't have a specific opening day for the Fat Cat restaurant. However, he said, now that the residential portion is ready for occupancy, he expects the construction workers can concentrate on the restaurant site.
"We learned a lot from this experience, and the next building we do we're going to be a lot better at it," said Nancy Hadley, director of Bridgeport's Office of Planning and Economic Development.
Hadley's interest in the project goes well beyond the official; she moved some of her furniture into a two-bedroom, corner unit back in May but had to wait until Friday to actually spend the night. The Bank Street leasing office was busy Friday afternoon, as a stream of tenants came in to pick up keys.
"Being from New York, we want to be around things, life," said Fitzroy Daley. He and his wife, Kumiko, spent the past year in another unit, and plan to eventually move into the new apartments under development at 144 Golden Hill St.
He works in Shelton and Kumiko commutes into New York.
"Actually, all of our stuff's over there," Fitzroy Daley said, explaining the one-bedroom units in that location have tubs; only the two-bedroom units in Citytrust have tubs.
Tom Canfarotta, a teacher at the Bridge Academy, is also making Citytrust his temporary home. He's purchased a condominium in the 881 Lofts project on Lafayette Boulevard and needed a place to stay until it opens.
"They're saying February," he said.
"This is so much fun," Hadley said Friday as she lugged a mirror and box from her City Hall Annex office, across Broad Street, down Bank Street and then through the parking garage to the John Street entrance for the freight elevator.
The contractors are still replacing the parts on the main residential elevators, so everyone's using the freight elevator.
According to Hadley, the need to come up with a system for that elevator was one reason for the delay. The elevator will be staffed all day and night, and the telephone system wasn't enough. So until the main elevators are on line, residents use an intercom hookup on each floor to call the attendant.
For Hadley and other tenants in the eight-story "Liberty" building (named for the former tenant, Liberty Bank), this means a trek through the adjacent 11-story Citytrust tower.
On Friday, she passes the open door of Manuel Aranda, who's waiting for the cable guy.
Aranda spent the past 10 years commuting from Brooklyn to Stamford and his father's Aranda Carpentry Corp. Since his father drove, Aranda said, he didn't really mind the travel. But they recently moved the company to Bridgeport and his father announced his upcoming retirement. That made the decision for Aranda, who on Friday was dealing with a gas leak in the stove of the one-bedroom apartment he'll share with his wife, Vanessa.
But the bed was made, clothes were hanging in the closets and he already knew where the dresser, bench, television and desk were going to go.
They picked this building because "It's beautiful the view, and my wife loved it."
Hadley based her apartment choice on the view.
For $1,300 a month, she has two bedrooms, "closets galore" and views of the Pequonnock and Steel Point development sites, as well as the Barnum Museum.
She plans to use that view to entice other developers.
"The issue in Bridgeport is you've really got to get up to see it."
Her view pales in comparison to what can be seen from the penthouse unit at the top of the Liberty building.
That's where Anthony and Suzanne Ancona were Friday, cleaning their new apartment, which is really two units turned into one. Anthony Ancona, when asked about the rent, would only say he's a good negotiator, and that the deal was a bit complex, since they're involved with the commercial projects, too.
"We're dedicated and we're not going anywhere," Suzanne Ancona said. "It's totally exciting. We've always tried to live where we work Why don't you want to do that?"
Their apartment comes with a wraparound patio, with the aforementioned views, on which Anthony Ancona said they plan to create a home for bees, whose honey they will sell in the restaurant. The pair own the Fat Cat restaurant in Norwalk, as well as two wine and liquor stores.
"I love Bridgeport," Anthony Ancona said, pointing to the sites and the proximity to the bus and train stations. He's already discovered a $1.50 bus ride will deliver him to the doorstep of the Norwalk restaurant. "This is a real city."

Righteous Excitement in Bridgeport

For the last few weeks, Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino have been in town shooting scenes for a new crime drama called "Righteous Kill". In this film, scheduled to be released next year, two veteran New York City detectives hunt a vigilante who may be one of their own. The Righteous Kill cast is layered with stars... Donnie Wahlberg, 50 Cent, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy, and Martin Scorsese, to mention a few. The film's Bridgeport locations include interior scenes at Joseph's Steakhouse and other spots right here on Fairfield Avenue, across the street from BAM's new office, as well as other locations around town, including a transformation of the Mechanics and Farmers Bank building into "Club 404 of Harlem" (above). I couldn't resist having some Photoshop fun with the "Bob and Bob" photo:

How People Sense Media

The use—and limitations—of eyeballs and ears

Erwin Ephron

The following ray of sunlight is from a copy- testing company (name delicately withheld): "There is an open battle for the eyes and ears of consumers... and a silent battle for their hearts and minds."

I think they got it right the first time. Checking eyes and ears can make our media dollars smarter. Hearts and minds I leave to Beth Israel.

Clark Gable had big ears when small ones would have done. He learned his movie roles by listening while he slept. The often overlooked point is that eyes can close, but ears cannot. Which brings us to the subject: our different media senses—how they work and how well we measure them.

The Media Senses

Media exposure is defined by our senses, not by research. The key media senses are seeing (TV, print, Internet, out-of-home) and hearing (radio, TV, Internet). Print also has an underrated touch dimension, which allows us to skim the pages.

When the Advertising Research Foundation was a frisky five years younger, it constructed a model for measuring media. The critical behavior for TV audience is eyes on the screen. This is worth some thought.

Seeing is a voluntary or conscious sense. We turn or point the head to see things (some frogs don't have to). And we close our eyes not to see things and to sleep (some fish can't do that either).

Hearing is involuntary in that we may not be listening, but we cannot shut our ears.

A Peeping TV

The words "viewing," "seeing" and "watching" all have slightly different shadings, but that's smoke. When the words are used in TV research, they should mean seeing, or eyes are on the screen.

The people meter is coy. It claims to report watching, but it doesn't measure seeing, although the technology is available. The short explanation is people think having a peeping TV in the bedroom taking pictures is an invasion of privacy.

To report TV exposure, the people meter asks respondents to push a button when they start and stop watching TV. Watching is a vague term. They don't push the button when they turn their head, or close their eyes or multitask or leave the room briefly. In those cases they are continuously recorded as watching, even though they do not see the screen.

This minor malfeasance—widespread during commercial breaks—significantly inflates commercial minute audience. It makes advertisers pay for viewers who do not see the screen.

Radio's Value Is Hearing

Just as an ideal TV currency measures seeing, an ideal radio currency measures hearing. The difference, is hearing is involuntary (or unconscious).

A noisy neighbor is annoying because we cannot close our ears. When sound is present, we may not focus on it, but we are aware of it. All of us can hear without listening.

The radio portable people meter is a passive system that measures hearing. When respondents carry a PPM, they hear any carrier signal the PPM records since the PPM registers a radio exposure only when it is audible to the human ear.

That is the key sensory and measurement difference between TV and radio. Even when listeners are not listening, they still hear radio. But when viewers are not viewing, they do not see television. Why is this important?

The Basement of the Brain

Brand awareness is the hard currency of advertising, but a second kind of awareness has bubbled up from the basement of the brain. It's the kind that Gable used when he learned his lines while sleeping.

Neuroscience shows the brain processes things unconsciously as well as consciously. Advertisers see value in this unconscious, or "low-involvement" processing of advertising. They find it helps consumers remember brands and can influence their brand decisions.

Hearing, as distinct from listening, is a good example of low-involvement processing.

The Surround of Sound

What does this mean to radio advertisers? In addition to conscious awareness (listening), radio is the poster child for low-involvement awareness (hearing). This combination gives radio the most complete attentiveness package of any medium.

Listeners when not listening still hear radio. But when viewers don't see television, viewers don't see television.

Is that why we call both audience?



Erwin Ephron is a partner of Ephron, Papazian & Ephron, a leading consultancy to advertisers and the media industry. He can be reached at ephronny@aol.com or at ephrononmedia.com.

9/11. Six Years... Pause and Remember

Welcoming Jeanne Back to BAM

It is my pleasure to welcome Jeanne Rolston-Csejka to BAM as our Senior Art Director.

This is a homecoming for Jeanne. She originally joined BAM as a graphic designer in 2002. Her outstanding design ability allowed her to advance into the role of Art Director. Now, after spending some time working on national brands at a large agency, she's back and better than ever!

This is an exciting time here at BAM. We're getting settled in our new office here in Bridgeport, we're fortunate enough to be working with some terrific new clients, and now Jeanne is here to be a partner in our growth and success.

Sarah's Destination: Dublin

Sarah Churchill has been accepted into a graduate art program at the University of Dublin, and will be moving to Ireland in a few weeks. This is an amazing opportunity for her, and I congratulate Sarah on her acceptance into this internationally renowned program.

Sarah came to Bob Abbate Marketing as an advertising assistant in 2004, and quickly advanced to the position of Graphic Designer. She was promoted to Art Director last year, and has been instrumental in the creation of many of our most successful campaigns.

Sarah's last day at BAM is this Friday. I wish Sarah much success and happiness as she follows her dream.

You can send your best wishes to her at Sarah@BobAbbateMarketing.com

I'll miss you Sarah.

Trendy Block Takes Shape in Bridgeport

BA: BAM has a new home! As of July 1st we're ensconced in our new digs in downtown Bridgeport. Some say we're crazy, we say we're right where we want to be. We love this city, the vibe, the beauty, the energy. Here's an article from The Connecticut Post about our building.

Trendy block takes shape in Bridgeport
PAM DAWKINS pdawkins@ctpost.com
Connecticut Post Online
Article Last Updated:07/07/2007 12:23:40 AM EDT
BRIDGEPORT — The Bijou Theater ballroom is no longer a welcoming place for the swoops, twirls and dips of formal dancing, but its new occupants consider it a perfect place to design buildings.
"It's all about the pickup conversations," not the planned meetings said Paul Antinozzi — whose father, Daniel, started architectural firm Antinozzi Associates 51 years ago — when discussing good design practices.
To that end, the firm's $700,000 investment in the conversion of the two-story, 11,700-square-foot space on the theater's second and third floors included few walls taller than 42 inches. What was once the dance floor houses open workspace delineated by waist-high walls, over which designers and other employees can talk, instead of the barriers of cubicle walls. Even the few offices at the front of the building, overlooking Fairfield Avenue, will have glass walls facing into the space; a conference room at the back of the room will also have an interior glass wall.
The firm's 30 employees have moved from the Stratford office, but some construction work is still going on.
The question, Antinozzi said Tuesday, was whether to go for a "funky industrial" look, renovating the 99-year-old ballroom, which hadn't been occupied since 1950, into a completely white space. Instead they compromised, using warm colors Antinozzi said creates a friendly work environment and round rather than square forms to turn the exposed ductwork into a design feature. They kept most of the original wood floors in the main office area and three grand chandeliers with amber hanging lights, which descend from the exposed steel trusses of the 36-foot ceiling.
The third-floor balcony once offered stadium-style seating, ascending from a mid-thigh-high, cast-iron balustrade to the wall. The balcony is suspended by rods attached to beams in the ceiling and its base, said George Perham, an Antinozzi principal and vice president.
Antinozzi Associates, which had funding help from a city block grant loan, brought that floor up about 2 feet to a uniform height, and added a waist-high metal rail with thin wires that doesn't block the view from either above or below. They colored the balustrade — now another design feature — amber, to match the chandelier lights.
According to Perham, the air conditioning system adds a bit of white noise and the volume of the space helps keep the noise level down overall. They've even built a "white room," so when the company's interior designers need to pick a color they're not influenced by undertones in paint or carpet.
This type of detail is a product of the nearly four years the move has been in the works.
Developer Philip Kuchma, whose Kuchma Corp. owns the site, called Antinozzi about taking the space when he first began the Bijou Theater project. Plans call for a movie theater and in June Kuchma received planning and zoning approval for a $25 million, five-story residential and retail building for the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Lafayette Circle. This building — designed by Antinozzi Associates — will be next to the theater building's second restaurant, Two Boots Roadhouse, which Kuchma expects to open before August.
Antinozzi and Perham, whose firm has done a lot of work in Bridgeport, were already considering moving here. They looked at the old Boy's Club and CitiTrust buildings, Perham said, but "None of them were quite as artistic as this one."
"We're a little bit of pioneers," Antinozzi said. "That's what architecture's supposed to be."
"Bridgeport needs to show people that there are prominent companies and prominent organizations that want to be here," Kuchma said. "We have to push away that whole notion that Bridgeport attracts second best."
Antinozzi Associates aren't alone in the Bijou Theater building.
Cafe Roma has been up and running since December 2005 and, even though business slowed a bit during all the recent construction, "It was for a good cause," co-owner Massimo Tabacco said. Business, which includes new customers from Antinozzi Associates, is already improving, he added.
Tabacco said he and partner Pino Pace are also starting to see foot traffic along Fairfield Avenue, and customers are coming in at night just for dinner.
"We have faith in Phil [Kuchma]. We think he's really the force that's dragging [this along]," Tabacco said. Kuchma is waiting on one last lease signature before declaring the Bijou Theater project full. That lease is with a New York-based filmmaker, but Kuchma said last week he couldn't offer any more details until the deal is done.
This filmmaker is in addition to Larry Locke Productions, whose principal is filming a documentary about Bridgeport Mayor John M. Fabrizi; CardinalPointe Film Funding, another New York company that is opening a Bridgeport office; BAM, which stands for Bob Abbate Marketing; Two Boots Roadhouse; and online marketing company Big Ideas Productions LLC.
"We're trying to create a little bit of a film center here," said Kuchma, who added he deliberately went after other tenants with a creative bent.
"People who by being in a space help to bring a space to life."
"We're just in the process of moving right now," Big Ideas founder Vincent Descoust said Friday. The 10-year-old company originated in the Bridgeport Innovation Center, but Descoust, who has three employees, said, "I needed to move in order to grow the company."
He's leased about 700 square feet on the fourth floor, at the back of the Bijou Theater, which meets his requirements for something "less conventional," that is still a good place to bring clients.
"There's a great potential in downtown Bridgeport," Descoust said, comparing it to the renaissance of South Norwalk.
Tabacco, too, sees comparisons to "SoNo," at least where it was 10 years ago. "It's not just a project anymore. It's starting to be reality."
Kuchma isn't the only person to see potential in this block of Fairfield Avenue.
For seven years, Joseph Sangut's JS General Contracting LLC has worked on the four buildings Lafayette Square Associates owns in that area — 300, 350 and 360 Fairfield Ave. (including the parking garage) and 1 Lafayette Circle.
Now, Sangut hopes to open Lafayette Coffee Cafe & Gallery in the ground floor of the parking garage across from the theater in five to six weeks.
"Tenants love him. People love him," his drive and desire for perfection, said Christopher Werba, property manager of the four buildings, when asked why the owners encouraged Sangut to open a coffee shop.
The original idea goes back about seven years, to when Joesph's Steakhouse came into a spot on Fairfield Avenue that had included a deli. Werba said the owners of Lafayette Square Associates — Sheldon Goldstein and Edward Silverman — thought the parking garage and existing buildings would create enough business to make a coffee shop with a deli a success.
As for the new development at the Bijou Theater, Werba said, "That's just the cream" on top.
Sangut, who admits to tearing down the walls in the nearly 3,000-square-foot space three times before finding a configuration he likes, plans to sell coffee, high-end pastries, hot and cold sandwiches and beer and wine. In addition to a salad bar, he's building a private room just for meetings and he'll be able to roll out the windows looking out onto Fairfield Avenue, to create an open dining space.
Sangut said he hasn't yet decided on the interior decor, but isn't worried about locking in a palette.
"Whatever it takes — paint it once, twice or five times."

Conventional ads get conventional results. Are you sure that's what you want?

Roy Williams offers his opinion on why most ads are duds:

I’ve said many times, “Most ads aren’t written to persuade, they’re written not to offend.”

This goes back to chapter one, “Nine Secret Words” in my first book, The Wizard of Ads. Do you remember the nine secret words? “The Risk of Insult is the Price of Clarity.”

Clarity. Ah, there we have it.

Rare is the ad that makes its point clearly.

The customers who cost you money are the ones you never see; the ones who don’t come in because your ads never got their attention.

I was writing an ad this week and decided to insert a word flag. I chose a phrase of declarative rebuttal; “And to that, we say, ‘Piffle and Pooh.’”

Obviously, ‘Piffle and Pooh’ is just a whimsical way of saying “Poppycock.”

My client was worried that people might be offended, so he asked me to change it to something else. I hung up the phone and yelled at the walls. If you’re curious what I said, just walk into my office. I’m pretty sure it’s still echoing in there.

Would you like to know the 4 Biggest Mistakes made by advertisers?

Mistake 1: Demanding “Polished and Professional” Ads
If you insist that your ads “sound right,” you force them to be predictable.
Predictable ads do not surprise Broca’s Area of the brain. They do not open the door to conscious awareness. They fail to gain the attention of your prospective customer. This is bad.

Mistake 2: Informing without Persuading
Study journalism and you’ll create ads that present information without:
(A.) substantiating their claims,
“Lowest prices guaranteed!” (Or what, you apologize?)
(B.) explaining the benefit to the customer.
“We use the Synchro-static method!” (Which means…?)
“It’s Truck Month at Ramsey Ford!” (Come to the party, bring my truck?)

Mistake 3: Entertaining without Persuading
Study creative writing and you’ll draft ads that deliver entertainment without:
(A.) delivering a clear message.
“Yo Quiero Taco Bell” (Dogs like our food, you will, too?)
(B.) causing the customer to imagine themselves taking the desired action.
“Yo Quiero Taco Bell” (I should buy a taco for my Chihuahua?)

The best ads cause customers to see themselves taking the action you desire. These ads deliver:
INVOLVEMENT: Watch a dancing silhouette ad for the iPod and mirror neurons in your brain will cause part of you to dance, as well. This is good advertising.
CLARITY: The white earphone cords leading into the ears of the dancing silhouette make it clear that the white iPod is a personal music machine.

Mistake 4: Decorating without Persuading
Graphic artists will often create a visual style and call it “branding.” This is fine if your product is fashion, a fragrance, an attitude or a lifestyle, but God help you if you sell a service or a product that’s meant to perform.

“Do you like the ad?” asks the graphic artist.

“Yes, it’s perfect,” replies the client, “the colors create the right mood and the images feel exactly right. I think it represents us well.”

Sorry, but your banker disagrees.

Hey, I’ve got an idea; why don’t you and Artsy go home and redecorate the living room at your house? Me? I’ll stay here and ruffle some feathers and sell some stuff. I hope you don’t mind.

But you probably will. Because you worry needlessly when people don't like your ads.

Ninety-eight point nine percent of all the customers who hate your ads will still come to your store and buy from you when they need what you sell. These customers don’t cost you money; they just complain to the cashier as they’re handing over their cash.

Do you believe the public has to like an ad for the ad to be effective? You do?

To that I say “Piffle and Pooh.”

Jack Off! (or "CBS Doesn't Know Jack", "Jack Shits", etc...)

CBS-FM is back! Today at 1:01PM, CBS Radio dumped its struggling Jack format and returned 101.1FM to its original format - Oldies! Here's an article from the NY Post:

'JACK' SHUT: WCBS-FM IS DUE BACK

By ADAM BUCKMAN

July 7, 2007 -- Hit the road, Jack!

CBS Radio will boot Jack-FM and bring back WCBS/101.1FM, the beloved oldies station that "Jack" replaced two years ago, sources said yesterday. The change could happen as early as Monday.

Millions of New Yorkers were heartbroken in June 2005 when CBS abruptly dropped CBS-FM and its lineup of legendary disc jockeys - including Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Morrow, Harry "The Morning Mayor" Harrison, and afternoon jock Bob Shannon - after 33 years as New York's oldies station.

The company replaced the station's music format with a new format known as "Jack," with no live disc jockeys or local flavor.

The news of a possible switch was first reported yesterday in the Radio Business Report, a trade publication, and then corroborated by several sources who requested anonymity.

It could not be determined how many, if any, of the station's original jocks would return. CBS officials would not confirm the format switch.

Cousin Brucie - now hosting an oldies show on Sirius Satellite Radio - was cagey when reached by phone and asked if he knew about a forthcoming switch.

"Should this happen," he said, "I would be very happy for the people of New York because it means that they won themselves a battle."

RAEL: radio ads have emotional impact equal to TV ads

According to new research based on advanced physiological testing, radio ads have emotional impact on consumers that is equal to that of television ads. The Radio Ad Lab released the new study, Engagement, Emotions, and the Power of Radio, at the Interep Mid-Year Radio Symposium today in NYC. The study was designed to assess how well Radio ads generate emotional responses and engage with consumers, compared to television ads. The study used methods of measuring emotional responses that don't require verbal responses, but work at a deeper, pre-cognitive level: CERA (Continuous Emotional Response Analysis).

Two Great Local Newspaper Groups Are Now One

BAM has terrific relationships with our friends at both Hersam-Acorn Newspapers and Hometown Publications. I'm thrilled that they're joining forces. Here's yesterday's press release:

Jun 19, 2007
Hersam Acorn Newspapers to acquire 11 newspapers, printing plants
Hersam Acorn Newspapers LLC announced today that it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire the New England publishing and printing assets of Journal Communications of Milwaukee, Wisc.

Hersam Acorn is the publisher of The Darien Times.

The acquisition consists of 11 community newspapers, five shoppers and two printing facilities (in Trumbull, Conn., and Bennington, Vt.). The Connecticut companies do business under the names Hometown Publications and Trumbull Printing.

“This acquisition gives Hersam Acorn Newspapers a wonderful platform from which to grow. We will now operate 19 newspapers in Connecticut, one of the finest printing operations in the country, as well as shoppers in New York, Massachusetts and Vermont,” said Martin V. Hersam, chief operating officer of Hersam Acorn Newspapers.

“Journal Communications has built impressive newspaper and shopper groups here. We look forward to building these businesses,” he said. Journal Communications is on the New York Stock Exchange, listed under JRN.

“Our Connecticut advertising and editorial reach now extends from Greenwich to New Haven with 180,000 readers every week,” said Thomas Nash, group publisher of Hersam Acorn Newspapers.

In 1908, the New Canaan Advertiser was founded by John E. Hersam, great-grandfather of Martin V. Hersam. In that same year, Karl S. Nash, Thomas Nash’s father, was born in Ridgefield. Nash founded Acorn Press in 1937. Hersam Acorn was formed in 1997 when Hersam Publishing of New Canaan and Acorn Press of Ridgefield merged.

Hersam Acorn is comprised of the Greenwich Post, The Darien Times, the New Canaan Advertiser, The Wilton Bulletin, The Ridgefield Press, The Redding Pilot, The Weston Forum and The Lewisboro (N.Y.) Ledger.

Trumbull Printing is a 58,000-square-foot printing facility that houses two Goss and two Tensor web press lines. Hersam Acorn is currently Trumbull’s largest customer.

“This is a fantastic printing facility and we’re looking forward to working with all the people who do such a great job for our newspapers now,” Hersam said.

Hometown Publications is comprised of the Easton Courier, Monroe Courier, Trumbull Times, Valley Gazette, Oxford Gazette, Stratford Star, Milford Mirror, Huntington Herald, Hamden Journal, Amity Observer, and Bridgeport News. Hometown also publishes two shoppers, Fairfield Today and Shelton Extra.

The acquisition also includes a publication in New York, the Country Shopper, based in Pound Ridge.

The shoppers in Vermont and Massachusetts are comprised of Tri State Pennysaver News, Vermont News Guide, Yankee Shopper and the Berkshire Penny Saver.

The deal is expected to close soon. Terms were not disclosed. DH Capital, LLC and CobbCorp, LLC served as Hersam Acorn’s exclusive financial advisers. Mark Thorsheim of New Canaan is a managing director of DH Capital.

The Media Is Not the Message

More from The Wizard...

"I'm in the furniture business. Which media should I use?"

"I'd like to target people who are afraid of the dentist. Can you recommend a good mailing list company?"

"My uncle uses television ads to attract new customers and they work really well for him. Television ads have made him rich. What's your opinion of TV?"

"No one in my town listens to the radio anymore. Everyone has satellite or an iPod."

"I tried advertising. It doesn't work for my kind of business."

People say things like this and expect me to have an intelligent response. What usually happens is that I stand there, dull-eyed, with my mouth hanging open. These are not my favorite moments.

When my brain finally recovers and I tell them the truth they need to hear, they act as though I've sidestepped their question.

Here's the truth they needed to hear. Maybe you need to hear it, too:

Relevance is what determines whether an ad works or not.
Every media fails when it delivers a message no one cares about.

Have you ever run an ad that failed?
Let's pull aside the curtain and look backstage to see what really happened:

1. The ad was so predictable that few people even noticed it.
SOLUTION: Get a new ad writer or remove the handcuffs from the one you've got.

2. Prospective customers noticed the ad, received the message and understood it perfectly. They just didn't care.
SOLUTION: Dump the irrelevant subject matter. Discover what people actually care about and talk about that instead.

3. The ad's message would have been relevant, but it was unclear.
SOLUTION: Remind your writer that creativity often gets in the way of clarity. Remind your layout artist that the prettiest ad is rarely the most effective. You're running a business, not a magazine. Make sure the dynamic duo understands that their continued employment depends on creating ads that sell the product.

4. You committed to an ad campaign that was shorter than your product selling cycle. If people buy your product once a week, don't expect your ads to return a profit during the first week. If people buy once a month, don't expect to break even on your advertising during the first 30 days. If your product selling cycle is longer than 2 years, you can expect to lose money on your ads – even if they're good – the first 4 to 6 months. You'll start pulling ahead during the second six months. Your real growth won't happen until you begin reaching that same group of people for a second year.
SOLUTION: Commit to an ad campaign commensurate with your product selling cycle.

5. The listener failed to be engaged because the ad was written from a cultural perspective other than the customer's own. (This is why Anglo-conceived Hispanic campaigns usually fail. Translating language is easy. Transferring cultural perspective is nearly impossible.)
SOLUTION: Hire a different ad writer to create the second campaign. Make sure the writer is from the cultural background he or she is trying to reach.

Bottom Lines:
Ads that fail in one media would usually have failed in any other.
The media is not the message.
The message is the message.
And the message is what matters most.

To deliver a pointless message powerfully is the definition of hype.

To deliver a powerful message pointlessly is the result of weak creative.

To deliver a powerful message powerfully is the first step in making a fortune.

Now go do it. And good luck.

New Report Turns Traditional Auto Advertising Assumptions Upside Down

A new report by the Polk Center for Automotive Studies shows that over 35% of first time vehicle buyers consider the Internet their most valuable information tool. In fact the Internet was relied on more than television, radio, magazines, and newspapers combined. How is your website looking?

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (Jan. 31, 2006) – Traditional mass media has been rendered nearly obsolete among first-time vehicle buyers, according to a study released today by the Polk Center for Automotive Studies. Out of considered mass media outlets, thirty-five percent of first-time vehicle buyers consider the Internet to be their most important informational tool, compared to 8.2 percent for television, 4.4 percent for magazines, 3.6 percent for newspapers and 1.1 percent for radio.

The study also found first-time buyers are independent in their decision-making and rarely are compelled to visit the dealership where their parents last purchased a vehicle. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they made the purchase without any influence from family and friends and just seven percent felt buying from the same dealership as their parents was of high importance to them.

View the report here: http://usa.polk.com/News/LatestNews/2006_0131_pcas_3rdstudy.htm

A Hurt Unhealed

Rick Green, Hartford Courant

September 12 2006

I began with Richard M. Keane and finished with Paul Curioli, following 152 names carved in stone atop a grassy altar overlooking Long Island Sound.

Nearby, a man sat quietly sobbing on a granite bench. A sister placed a framed picture of her brother between two small American flags. A brother-in-law gazed off to the south, toward Manhattan, and smoked a cigar in honor of a lost loved one.

Five years to the moment after the first plane hit, there are just a handful of us out this Monday morning at Connecticut's 9/11 memorial at Sherwood Island state park in Westport.

Visitors sit or stand silently, as if to respect a sign that reminds them that this is "an intimate place in a public setting."

The names of the dead - those who lived in Connecticut and others with family ties here - are engraved on rows of small stone tiles that line the memorial. There were no ceremonies Monday, only the music of the wind and waves from the Sound.

"I'll never work on Sept. 11," said the man on the bench, a Manhattan lawyer who was in the city that morning in 2001. "I didn't know anyone that died. Still, it hits home with me."

A small votive candle burned by the name of Joseph A. Lenihan, who grew up in West Hartford and worked in the south tower.

"I decided to come here today because it is more private," Lenihan's brother-in-law, David Smith, of West Hartford, said. He wore a red "United We Stand" cap and told me about the sad years since Sept. 11.

This place, he said, "is a very peaceful retreat."

I walked on. There was a bouquet with a pink ribbon by the name of Margaret Connor and a more formal flower arrangement by Jeffrey D. Bittner's stone. Around Stephen P. Cherry's name, pebbles made the shape of a heart.

Someone placed a Curious George trading card next to James Matthew Patrick. Alongside Eamon McEneaney, a small button asked all to "Celebrate Eamon." A colorful collection of sea glass decorated Scott O'Brien's name.

A woman with a stroller gently left a single red rose. All around there were fading yellow roses - left at an official ceremony last week - and growing piles of fresh flowers, sometimes from people who stayed only briefly.

I came to a framed picture of a smiling Michael John Simon, flanked by two small flags.

"It's my brother," said Christine Coats, of Greenwich. She comes with her two children each anniversary, and starting at 8:46, they just sit.

"We did the big things [at ground zero] but this is private and it's quiet," Coats told me. "You don't have to say anything. People are feeling the same thing."

Bob Abbate sat silently for an hour before he got up to leave.

"For weeks I'm wondering what I'd do today," said Abbate, of Trumbull. "I just couldn't see marking the anniversary sitting at my desk."

Dwight Nelson told me he comes with his wife and two young daughters to "set up a routine" that honors 9/11.

There was one more, an older woman I can't get out of my mind because I couldn't bring myself to approach her. Her grief and pain seemed too urgent to interrupt in this private, public place.

She straightened a tiny Israeli flag flying over Joel Miller's stone. She kissed her fingers, rubbed the engraved words and placed a small rock beside Miller's name.

Like images of jet planes crashing into the towers, it is painful to watch. She soon walked away, her arms clutching her sides, as if it all still hurt too much to do anything more.

Rick Green's column appears on Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at rgreen@courant.com
Copyright 2006, Hartford Courant

http://www.courant.com/news/local/columnists/hc-rgreen0912.art.artsep12,0,81937.column?coll=hc-utility-home

Connecticut's September 11th Memorial

I spent part of the morning of September 11, 2006 at Connecticut's beautiful September 11th memorial. The memorial is on the shore of Long Island Sound at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. I just couldn't think of observing the 5th anniversary of that horrible day while sitting behind my desk.

Avoid Ad-Speak at All Costs!

Thanks to Roy Williams for this one...

Avoiding Ad-Speak

Contrary to popular belief, Americans don't hate advertising.

We just hate ads that sound like ads.

Do your ads sound like ads? Are you guilty of Ad-speak?

Ad-speak is filled with polished words and filtered phrases that deliver no information and have no relevance. Ambiguous claims give Ad-speak a hollow sound.

Do your ads mention your superior service, your friendly staff, or name the number of years you've been in business?

Let me know how that works out for you.

A meaningless statement remains meaningless no matter how often it's heard. Repetition has become a blunt instrument. Top of Mind Awareness isn't enough anymore. Today's customer expects meaningful information and lots of details.

Have you heard of this new thing called the internet? It's giving people new expectations. It's allowing them to become their own expert. Knowledge lies anxious at their fingertips. Gloss over the truth in your advertising and you'll quickly be dismissed as a poser.

I apologize if that last paragraph seemed hateful or rude, but the truth is I'm exhausted, bone-weary from wrestling with advertisers who have no real message and want to compensate for it by "targeting the right customer."

Writing good ads is easy when you have something to say. Do you have something to say? Something we don't already know? Something that matters?

We're only 8 months into it, but 2006 has already marked itself as a pivotal year, a year we'll never forget. With ever-increasing frequency, we're seeing ad campaigns stumble and fail because they carry no real news to the customer.

But advertisers whose ads brim with things that matter are enjoying record growth.

Time is currency. Information is power.

Don't ask the public to give you their time and and then give them nothing in return. Pay them for their time by giving them relevant information in your ads.

The future of your business depends on it.

As we approach the 5th anniversary...

Bob and Bob Sr. Featured in Article in Connecticut Post

Father knows best
Readers share their dad's word of wisdom
AMANDA CUDA acuda@ctpost.com
June 18, 2006 (Father's Day)

Do good. It's a simple phrase, consisting of only two words. On the surface, it may seem like nothing more than just a gentle admonishment to approach life with the best you have to offer.

But to Bob Abbate, 51, of Trumbull, these words were heard so often on the lips of his dad that they became a kind of family motto. His father, also named Bob Abbate is 79 and lives in Baiting Hollow, N.Y.

Throughout the years, dad was constantly advising Abbate and his sister to "do good," whether talking about work, school, social situations or anything else. The younger Bob Abbate said the words of wisdom originate from his dad's own desire to excel at everything he did.

His dad worked making furniture and "when he would build something, he'd take three times as long as anybody else, because he's such a perfectionist," Abbate said. "His philosophy is 'If you're going to do something in life, be the best you can be.' "

Dad still offers this bit of wisdom, said his son, and the family still listens.

"It's taken on a life of its own, he's been saying it for so long," Abbate said.

The Coast Hits The Coast

Bye, bye oldies. at 10pm last night, less than a year after the demise of legendary New York oldies outlet WCBS-FM, Connecticut's Fairfield County lost one radio station and gained another. Cox pulled the plug on oldies Kool 96.7 and launched 96.7 The Coast.

With the slogan "Fairfield County's Greatest Hits", The Coast claims to be born of "micro-targeted research" that showed a programming hole in the Fairfield County marketplace. Cox claims that this research was conducted in the gold coast towns of Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Weston and Wilton.

On my drive back to the office today, I heard Earth, Wind and Fire, The Bee Gees, Todd Rundgren, Otis Redding, Eric Clapton, Tommy James and the Shondells, and The Four Seasons. Clearly, The Coast didn't toss their oldies library into the dumpster, and is trying hard not to alienate their remaining Kool listeners while adding enough classic hits to win over listeners from WEBE-108, Lite-FM, Jack, and even some from Cox-cousin Star 99.9.

The Coast is starting off with lots of music, a minimun number of commercials, and no air personalities. We're told that an air staff will be added, but talk will be kept to a minimum.

By superserving Fairfield County's gold coast with "micro-targeted" music, and local news, weather, and traffic, 96.7 The Coast should garner a larger audience than it's predecessor did, and will offer the listening public with another easy to listen to choice.

Check out the live stream at http://www.967thecoast.com

Daily Newspapers Will Survive - Commentary

My daughter rushes home from school each day and races to the mailbox, hoping to find that the mailman (er, postal carrier) has delivered yet another acceptance letter from one of the 4 universities she is still waiting to be accepted to. She is a budding journalist, with dreams of some day assuming the role of Editor of a major magazine or newspaper. This commentary from UCONN's Daily Campus made me think about the student who penned it, wondering in the back of his/her mind if there will be any newspapers left to employ him upon graduation.

Daily Newspapers Will Survive - Commentary

Hartford: It really doesn't suck all that much

from AdWeek's Adfreak blog...

Since we’re on the topic of tourism slogans, let’s ponder this rallying cry for Hartford, Connecticut: “Come to Hartford. I swear, it’s fun.” A ringing endorsement bordering on the pathetic, the words were first uttered by one Lyndsay Stephenson in an article on Hartford’s supposed resurgence in a January New York Times piece. Now they grace a billboard along the southbound side of Rte. 91. While not the official city slogan (that would be the nowhere-to-go-but-up themed “Hartford. New England’s Rising Star”), “I swear, it’s fun” still has a peculiar appeal as one of the few statements made in tourism marketing that’s actually honest.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

This has absolutely nothing to do with advertising or branding or business at all. I'm a huge Beatles fan, as well as an old hippie who still thinks Clapton is God. I just came across this old video, and just had to include it on my blog. George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Phil Collins, Jeff Lynne, all on one stage. Talk about marketing synergy! Enjoy.

BAM Clients Rally to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina

The coming weeks and months will show that Katrina's devastation is far greater than anyone can imagine. The financial, physical, and psychological damage that the Gulf area has and will continue to receive is far beyond the scope of anything this country has ever experienced. This is truly our country's greatest natural disaster, and it calls for our greatest individual response.

I don't want to single anyone out, that's not what this is about. This past week I've received calls from many BAM clients. The question is always the same. "What can we do to help?" One retailer is donating 10% of gross profits and matching donations. Another is holding a benefit with all admission fees collected going to hurricane relief.

I've always said that BAM clients are an incredible bunch. Thanks for confirming that.

If you're a BAM client and have not yet come up with a plan to help out the relief effort, please give me a call. If you're one of BAM's media partners, our clients are receptive to your ideas and are anxious to participate in your hurricane relief efforts. No matter who you are, please participate by donating whatever you can to The Red Cross or the relief agency of your choice.

The Day The Music Died

Anyone who grew up in New York will be saddened by this news. CBS-FM is no more. Cousin Brucie has been silenced. Here's more from The NY Daily News:

Oldies suddenly a thing of past in WCBS shift
BY RICHARD HUFF
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR
Saturday, June 4th, 2005

Oldies radio is dead in New York City.

After more than three decades as the top oldies station in the country, WCBS-FM (101.1 FM) abruptly scrapped its format yesterday for a concept called Jack.

As Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" trailed off at 5 p.m., a voice intoned: "Why don't we play what we want? There's a whole world of songs out there."

The first song under the new format was the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right." Soon after, CBS played Bruce Springsteen's "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" and James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)."

The station had been home to some of the most famous names of New York radio, including Cousin Bruce Morrow, Harry Harrison, Dan Ingram and Ron Lundy, many of whom shifted from WABC-AM when it went from music to talk.

"I've expected something like this," Morrow said yesterday. "They have every right to try what they want to try. My audience won't be without me for long."

The move stunned longtime listeners.

"I came home and I turned the radio on and it was not there," said Pamela Hall, who lives in the Bronx. "I thought I was going to faint . . . I really am sick. Part of my family is gone."

"This is the largest, the biggest abandonment of a loyal market segment in the history of New York radio," said listener Howard Bailen, of Manhasset, L.I. "I tuned in and heard a song you'd never hear on CBS. It's the last thing New York needs."

But officials at Infinity Broadcasting, which owns the station, said the new format was right for New York. "We did a lot of market research and found a hole in the market that wasn't being served by any other station," said Chad Brown, CBS' vice president and general manager.

No personalities will be heard on the station at the start. Oldies fans will be left to satellite or Internet radio; www.wcbsfm.com still will offer oldies programming.

The Jack format blends hits from the past four decades, creating what the company claims is the "most expansive" playlist heard on radio.

UPDATE - July 12, 2007: see my blog entry above. Jack is off, CBS-FM is back!

BAM Creates Billboard to Promote Valley Lighting's House of Lights Contest

BAM Creates Billboard to Promote Valley Lighting's House of Lights Contest,
originally uploaded by bobabbate.

As the most visible media used to promote Valley Lighting & Home Décor's "Win A House Of Lights" contest, this billboard on Bridgeport's 25/8 Connector helped generate a significant increase in store traffic for the Ansonia Connecticut-based retailer. Thousands of entries have been received for the June 4th drawing. The lucky winner gets their choice of $5000 in lighting, furniture, and home décor for thier home.