Can we be "Upfront?"

This coming week TV Networks will be schmoozing Media Buyers/Planners from Ad Agencies all over the country with their Fall Upfront presentation. The "Upfront" is an opportunity for networks to unveil their Fall 2015 TV Lineups and to incent media buyers to lock in their media buys early. However, the actual negotiations between buyers and sellers usually don't begin until at least the end of May. The presentations originate from the New York market but many major markets will also have a local presentation. Marketing Keys will be present at selected presentations in the Chicagoland market. 

 Monday, May 11:

 NBC - Morning

 FOX - Afternoon

 Tuesday, May 12:

 ESPN - Morning

 ABC - Afternoon

Wednesday, May 13:

 Turner - Morning

 CBS-TV - Afternoon

Thursday, May 14:

The CW -  Morning

        Apple Watch: 

A "wristy" proposition!

Did you place your order yet for your new Apple watch? With a new gadget comes a new business opportunity; at least, in the Apple world. With a new platform to operate within, media companies are developing versions of their apps for the new Apple watch. With about a million Apple watches already sold, newspapers, TV news networks, magazine publishers and radio stations are competing for a place on consumers' wrists.

Tribune Publishing, for example, has developed a Watch app for eight of its newspapers. The app will be available to all of Tribune Publishing's markets and Apple Watch owners will be able to receive updates and alerts pertaining to their hometown right on their wrist. Joining Tribune Publishing with this latest opportunity are the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, along with other media companies like CNN, NPR and Bloomberg.

Why consumers buy

One of the key goals behind market research is determining how consumers make purchase decisions and their reasoning behind them. Do they purchase something because they see everyone else doing it? Or they simply see it in a store and think it looks neat? Marketers try to figure out why consumers consume they way they do, and in the process they get so wrapped up in finding the answer to "why" that they overlook the fact that it is very difficult to pinpoint why we do what we do.

Although we come up with some very specific reasons, people are impacted by stimuli that are not consciously processed. Our limbic system allows us to react to things subconsciously without having to think about them, but over time, our brains have evolved to be able to draw connections that explain these actions logically, even if it is only because we have also grown more socially aware in the process. This is where the line between human behavior and decision-making gets fuzzy, and researchers collect inaccurate data, which then misleads marketers in positioning their brands. Here are some strategies to help you get the best consumer insights:

1. Ask your team to develop a plan to tackle the issue of subconscious perceptions
2. Consider how consumers behave in other parts of their lives and draw a connection with how it pertains to your brand
3. Study consumer behavior in the actual marketplace rather than artificial settings like online surveys for more accurate insight or feedback. 

China to crack down on Advertising

For the first time since 1994, Chinese legislators have recently made some significant changes to China's advertising law to go into effect this upcoming September. From banning the depicting of the Chinese flag to limiting online pop-up ads, the goal behind the updated laws is to strengthen consumer protection. Although these laws have not been heavily enforced in the past, regulators have recently fined Crest, a popular brand of dental hygiene products, almost a million dollars for false advertising because a celebrity endorser's teeth were actually whitened using a computer software. Violating these new regulations won't only take a financial toll, but also hurt a brand's reputation. When a company deviates from legislation, they will be listed on a website, showing that the Chinese government does not condone their ad. Here are some key updates to China's advertising law:

1. Celebrity endorsers can be held responsible for false advertising, and children ages 10 and younger are not allowed to endorse products. Although celebrity endorsements provide an easy way to connect with the target market, consumers have evolved to be skeptical. This new regulation will force advertisers to re-think about how they are using celebrities and to utilize different methods in connecting with the consumer.
2. Baby formula drinks and food are not allowed to "claim to replace a mother's milk, fully or partially." With a small percentage of women breastfeeding their infants for six months, the government wants restrict the booming baby formula business and encourage breastfeeding.
3. With China being home to almost a third of the world's smoker population, the new legislation will ban tobacco ads targeted to the underage market and the appearance of ads in mass media or public places. Tobacco use has caused about a million deaths in China every year, and ads are often targeted towards the younger demographic. This update intends to protect younger generations from tobacco ads.