STRATA News

Consumers Turn to Social Media for Presidential Campaign Info

2012-02-03T16:53:18Z

Originally appearing at eMarketer.com on February 2, 2012

Candidates’ ad agencies invest more heavily in Facebook than Twitter, while Twitter wins out over blogs for more posts about the race

Social media sites play an important role in providing information about the Republican primary races and the upcoming presidential election in general. A Digitas survey conducted by Harris Interactive found that the majority of social media users turn to Facebook, Twitter and other social networks to learn more about the presidential candidates.

Media Buyers Say Ad Spend Climbing

2012-02-03T16:26:56Z

Posted by John Shelton at iMediaconnection.com on February 2nd, 2012

As some of you may already know, we survey media buying executives every quarter to identify major advertising trends. The most recent STRATA Survey, conducted during Q4 2011, provided some important bellwether points around such areas as the economy, mobile, social media and platform focus. Below are a few of the main findings from the January 2012 release, but be sure to check out the full report here.

Agencies Say Spot TV Top Ad Medium of Choice in Q4 - 2011

2012-02-03T16:14:08Z

Originally appearing at MarketingCharts.com on January 31, 2011

The top medium of choice for clients in Q4 2011 was spot TV (broadcast and cable), reported by 51% of agencies, according to a survey released in January 2012 by STRATA. Digital was second, cited by 31% of agencies, down 9% from Q3, followed by spot radio (8%). Spot TV (broadcast) continues to be an area of interest, with 28% of those surveyed saying they are more focused on it than a year ago, up 12% from Q4 2010. Agencies are similarly excited about spot cable, with 26% saying they are more focused on it than a year ago, representing 66% growth from the previous year. In fact, 38% feel that spending will never be greater for digital than traditional media.

STRATA Survey: Ad Spending Climbs; Digital Hits Plateau?

2012-01-27T19:45:14Z

Advertising Trends Identified in 4th Quarter Agency Survey

CHICAGO, IL (January 24, 2012) – Optimism returns to the media buying industry after it reports impressive growth during the fourth quarter 2011, according to a new STRATA quarterly survey of leading advertising agencies. The industry is confident that business and client spending on advertising will continue to increase in 2012. However, the STRATA Survey noted that Digital advertising was flat during the fourth quarter, but Mobile is building momentum.

Media buyers optimistic about ad spending increases

2012-01-26T21:35:10Z

Originally appearing on BtoB Media Business’s www.btobonline.com, 1/26/12

Chicago—Media buyers are optimistic that ad and marketing spending will increase this year over 2011, according to a quarterly survey of advertising agencies conducted by STRATA, a producer of media buying and selling software. Eighty-one percent of respondents said they expect their clients’ advertising and marketing spending to increase or stay the same this year compared with 2011.

STRATA Survey: More media hiring in 2012

2012-01-26T21:27:08Z

Originally appearing on Media Life, 1/26/12

It may be a better year for advertising and for media jobs in 2012. That’s according to the quarterly survey of advertising agencies conducted by STRATA, a Chicago-based media buying and selling software provider. Forty-nine percent of respondents to the fourth-quarter survey said they believe the first half of 2012 will be better than the second half of 2011 for advertising, with an increase in business compared to the same time last year.

Yahoo Readies Its Advertising Arm for Election Season

2012-01-11T17:11:30Z

Cox Digital Solutions, CampaignGrid partner with Yahoo for election ads
Originally appearing on Adweek.com on January 11, 2012 by Ki Mae Heussner

For the past few months, Yahoo has been ramping up its 2012 election coverage, with a new Web show “Remake America,” new blog “The Signal” and new ABC News partnership. Now, it’s making sure that it’s advertising arm is equally ready for the campaign season ahead.

In an announcement today, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company disclosed that it was naming Cox Digital Solutions the exclusive national seller of political, issue and advocacy advertising across Yahoo properties for the upcoming election year.

Politicians’ Spending on Digital Ads Skyrockets

2012-01-06T20:57:53Z

Originally appearing on Mashable Jan. 6, 2012 by Alex Fitzpatrick

Have you been seeing more ads for Mitt Romney or Barack Obama on Facebook and Google these days? That’s because politicians are dramatically increasing their spending on digital advertisements, according to a new survey conducted by STRATA.

Study: Digital political spending will soar

2012-01-06T20:43:48Z

We’re now in election year 2012, and the early indication is what most people suspected: political ad spending will be up versus previous years. Sixty percent of executives at political media buying and ad agencies believe political advertising budgets for this presidential election will increase versus previous years, according to a STRATA survey,

92% Of Political Ad Buyers Choose Facebook: Report

2012-01-06T20:22:18Z

Originally appearing on All Facebook by David Cohen on January 3rd, 2012

With the Iowa caucus today marking the official start of election season, Strata, which provides software for media selling and buying, conducted a survey on how political advertisers are spending their budgets, and Facebook dominated the social category.

STRATA found that 92 percent of respondents said they

President/CEO Shelton Details Better is Better

2011-12-30T15:05:21Z

STRATA President/CEO John Shelton comments on his recent op-ed commentary “Better is Better”.

Uneven Campaign Metrics Make Multichannel Advertising More Challenging

2011-12-05T16:28:12Z

Originally appearing at eMarketer.com on December 5, 2011

Marketers report difficulty making sense of online metrics

Companies can no longer ignore the growing online population, and many have already found ways to successfully reach both online and offline audiences using multichannel advertising.

Still, a number of brands shy away from multichannel advertising. One often-cited reason is the lesser audience reach of online when compared to traditional mass media, such as TV.

But difficulties associated with integrating and measuring the integration of online and offline advertising are also to blame. According to media buying software provider STRATA, merging traditional and digital advertising into one campaign was a challenge for 38% of US ad agencies in Q3 2011, down from 46.4% in Q2 of the same year.

Retailer Ad Spends Near Flat for Holiday

2011-11-30T16:16:15Z

Originally appearing in Women’s Wear Daily, on Nov. 29, 2011 by Vicki M. Young and Lisa Lockwood

’Tis the season for advertising spending.

For the crucial holiday selling season, retailers appear to be armed with advertising budgets equal to, or slightly larger than, last year. According to a spot check of ad agencies, consulting firms and retailers, stores are employing a combination of digital, print, TV and outdoor advertising to drum up holiday business. While gift-giving appears to be the dominant trend, many are using newspapers, inserts and online ads for promotional purposes and to encourage self-purchases.

Better is Better

2011-11-28T14:58:17Z

Originally appearing November 28, 2011 in MediaPost

When CapCities acquired ABC back in the 1980s, CapCities’ CEO was asked about the new organization being bigger and better. As the story goes, the CEO’s reply was a classic. “Bigger isn’t better,” he said. “Better is better.”

I’m especially mindful of that story as I see a rush to digital and watch a wave of consolidation in the media-buying software industry. The media-buying industry is rapidly evolving, and yet many agency systems providers are still struggling to keep legacy reporting systems up to date.

Even as many media buyers rush to incorporate digital demands into campaigns, their systems often fall short of providing solid core offerings that can organize and manage the entire advertising roster, including traditional. This raises another concern: How can advertising be aligned with the times, if it is supported by old systems?

Put another way, I see many system providers taking a Band-Aid approach. They want to say they offer digital and claim to understand the new media world, but struggle to find a place for digital in their legacy systems.

Using Excel? Really?

Some agencies have even abandoned systems and moved to Excel. Let’s be honest, Excel isn’t a digital system. There is no reporting, no security and no reliability. Because of this, account executives are incorrectly billing clients and organizing digital purchases because many are still utilizing programs (like Excel) for their buys…

Ad spending-wise, a solid holiday season

2011-11-22T18:28:14Z

Most marketers will spend as much or more than last year

Originally appearing at Media Life, by Diego Vasquez on November 22, 2011

Yes, the economy is struggling, and yes, second-half advertising numbers trickling out over recent weeks have been sobering.

But most advertisers still plan to spend at least as much this holiday season as they did last year, and some are even increasing their budgets.

That’s the finding of a new survey of media buyers conducted by STRATA, a Chicago-based media buying and selling software provider.