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I was honored to serve as the final judge in the 2008
DECA, International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta
this past Monday and Tuesday in the “Advertising Campaign” category. 
The events were held at the Georgia World Congress Center
and the awards session was at the Georgia Dome.
It was an awesome experience. On Tuesday, I evaluated twenty 20-minute advertising campaign final presentations from the top
high school marketing students in the world. This was a truly humbling experience and I was
impressed to say the least. It was virtually impossible to determine which of
these student teams best deserved to be in the top ten -- much less the top three
finalists! But, ties were not allowed and there had to be three top teams
selected. ALL of the students who made it to Atlanta should be VERY proud!
There was a relatively clear first place
winner. This team's "situation analysis" actually included a “SWOT” (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
& Threats) analysis based on their "secondary research." As did most of the others, they defined their primary and
secondary target markets in demographic, psychographic and geographic terms. Their objective
was specific, workable, measurable and attainable. Their budget was
realistic and comprehensive -- including development costs, production
costs, media costs and agency commissions. They
certainly showed evidence that they understood some of the basics of
the “Journey from Concept to Creation!”
Of course, I was thinking about how these high school
students could have REALLY impressed me if only they had been reading my blogs! Hopefully next year’s students are reading?
One thing that really impressed me, in addition to the SWOT analysis, was that they mentioned running television spots in
the “early fringe” time period. Plus, they actually spoke in
terms of FREQUENCY! – gasp! They also referred to radio
formats as Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR), Adult Contemporary (AC), Album Oriented Rock (AOR),
etc. They certainly knew how to impress the Adman with advertising lingo.
Regarding my blog topic -- I am convinced that there are
gazillions (possibly even googillons) of dollars totally wasted by those who
are not educated on a few basic principles of media planning and buying. I have heard comments from inexperienced prospective
clients (who could use a lesson or two from high school DECA kids) that go something like, “We
think we should buy 30 spots on WXYZ TV.” After recovering from my “client from
hell red flag alert,” I attempt to educate them. Puhleeze listen carefully -- it AIN'T about how many spots you
are buying! 30 spots on one station is NOT the equivalent of 30 spots
on another. Plus, different dayparts (Early Fringe vs Primetime for example) can
reach dramatically different numbers of viewers! It IS about how many impressions (as measured by ACNielsen) you are making on your target
market (reach). And it is also about reaching your target market a sufficient
number of times (frequency).
This leads to the basic, fundamental formula of broadcast
media buying – Reach x Frequency = Gross Rating Points (GRP’s). So,
when establishing a broadcast television media budget,
it is prudent to first determine the average cost per rating point
(CPP) for
your target market in your market(s) -- as defined by the Nielsen Designated Market Area (DMA). Then determine how many impressions you
can afford to make with sufficient frequency (generally a minimum of
three times). Then figure on the conversion
rate (generally in the two or three percent range) that is typical for
your
industry…while considering the added value of BRANDING your product or
service
in the market.
Now, when I hear something like, “We are budgeting for XXX GRP’s per week, based
on the average CPP of $XXX (according to SQAD)
in the target DMA for our Adults
25-54 demo…” I am as pleased as a DECA student after winning first
place in the DECA ICDC awards session at the Georgia Dome in the
Advertising Campaign category... celebrating by getting wet from the
fountains at the Centennial Olympic Park after visiting the Georgia
Aquarium and the World of Coke... with a front row seat at the NBA
playoffs in the Phillips Arena watching the Atlanta Hawks beat the
Boston Celtics... while enjoying Georgia peanuts and a Coke... with
tickets for the studio tour at CNN..followed by tickets for "The Lion
King" at the Atlanta Civic Center... or perhaps another show at the
Fabulous Fox Theater...or Six Flags over Georgia...or the Stone
Mountain Laser (and fireworks) Show? --
To be continued...