Kudos to CBS for its willingness to try something radically new. They are about to introduce a new marketing campaign that combines outdoor advertising and wireless distribution. I think that you'll agree that they have stepped out of the box by developing video clips to preview their fall primetime lineup and are streaming them
to anyone with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile device that passes within 36 feet of a technologically enhanced billboard. Located in Grand Central Station in New York City, the billboards will enable a person to watch a clip from a number of the new season upcoming programs including Shark, Smith, Jericho, The Class and CSI. Once a viewer activates their cell phone or PDA, the clip is downloaded via Bluetooth connectivity and then played on their wireless screen almost instantly. The content then can be saved or passed on to someone else. Link: WSJ 08/24/06 - CBS Touts New Shows in Video Clips, News.com 08/24/06 - CBS to Use Bluetooth wireless to Market new Shows
According to Nielsen Media Research the total number of television households within 
the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii) is now estimated at 111.4 million, an increase of 1.1 percent since last year. They also reported many shifts in local market rankings. Notable changes are: New Orleans dropped 11 markets from 43 to 54 on a loss of 105,190 TV households, Las Vegas moves up 5 markets to 43, San Francisco climbs one to 5. Dallas up one to 6, Boston slides down to 7. Phoenix (now 13) and Seattle 14 change positions as does Miami (now 16) and Cleveland 17 and Orlando (now 19) and Sacramento 20. Link: Nielsen Press release and 2006-2007 Market Ranking
Despite YouTube's status as an emblem of online media, it's never been easy for the company to claim much of this years predicted $17 billion online advertising market.
Starting today, the video-sharing site plans to let advertisers create "channels" filled with clips they produce themselves and then in turn sell sponsorships to other advertisers. A "channel" from Warner Bros. Records dedicated to Paris Hilton's new album, which features ads for Fox Broadcasting Co.'s "Prison Break," is among the first such marketing vehicle to launch on the site. Placing ads within ads further blurs the traditional lines between entertainment and its sponsors and YouTube’s management hopes the trend develops into a lucrative source of revenue. Link: laTimes.com 08/22/06 – Video Site to Add to Ads. Past SMM Post: 07/28/06 - New "Clip Culture" Causes Advertisers to Panic and 07/17/06 - Monetizing YouTube and MySpace's monster Traffic
According to the latest data from Mediamark Research, 8.6% of U.S. adults reported having a DVR in their household. That percentage rose to 11.2% of adult households in the Spring 2006 release. The 
spring data shows that more than a third of adults with DVRs have a college degree, 17.1% live in households where average income surpasses $150,000 and 15.7% live in homes worth more than $500,000, according to new data from Mediamark Research. The report also found adults with DVRs are 81% more likely to be heavy Internet users, but 23% less likely to be heavy TV viewers. In addition, new consumer research from Leichtman Research Group found that sixty percent of all digital cable subscribers have used VOD and about 12% of households in the United States now have a DVR, up from 3% just two years ago. Links: MediaPost – Research Brief 08/17/06 – Adults in DVR Households Read More, Surf More and Watch TV More also Leichtman Research Group 07/27/06 – DVR and VOD User and Usage Continue to Grow
Kudos to CBS for its willingness to try something radically new. They are about to introduce a new marketing campaign that combines outdoor advertising and wireless distribution. I think that you'll agree that they have stepped out of the box by developing video clips to preview their fall primetime lineup and are streaming them
to anyone with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile device that passes within 36 feet of a technologically enhanced billboard. Located in Grand Central Station in New York City, the billboards will enable a person to watch a clip from a number of the new season upcoming programs including Shark, Smith, Jericho, The Class and CSI. Once a viewer activates their cell phone or PDA, the clip is downloaded via Bluetooth connectivity and then played on their wireless screen almost instantly. The content then can be saved or passed on to someone else. Link: WSJ 08/24/06 - CBS Touts New Shows in Video Clips, News.com 08/24/06 - CBS to Use Bluetooth wireless to Market new Shows
