In This Issue

Podasts gain ears. But is anyone listening?

Candidates' open checkbook

TV "kicks off" the year on a high!

Tweet of the Month

Quick Links

Our Master Key - Roger Keys

Our Key Clients

Blog

Contact Marketing Keys

Meet our newest client:
Baker Demonstration School

We are excited to announce that Baker Demonstration School in Wilmette is the latest addition to the Marketing Keys family! Baker came to us from a referral from another client of ours -

Latin School of Chicago.

Marketing Keys will be managing an integrated multi-media campaign for Baker that will incorporate online/digital, print, out of home and radio.

Baker's mission is to provide a progressive education "which cultivates an intrinsic motivation to learn, values differences, nurtures the whole person, and encourages courageous choices."

If you reside near the North Shore and have children between 3-12 years old, Baker will be hosting an open house on Friday, March 18th beginning at 9:00 a.m.

For more information, visit

https://www.bakerdemschool.org/admissions/open-house/

CAUTION:

MADNESS BEGINS HERE

As a University of Kansas alum, this is my favorite time of the year! March Madness time. Fill out your bracket and then head out to your local Hooters to watch all the games on HDTVs. Action begins on March 15th with the First Four! Enjoy a cold beer, full bar and hot wings served by your favorite Hooter Girls while you get your game on.

Social Graces

Are you challenged to post interesting content on a daily basis on your Social Media sites?

Do you find it difficult to post to your sites consistently due to lack of time?

Do you use Social Media as a broadcast channel and not as a way to connect and interact with your customers?

Do you find it hard to come up with the right strategies to perfectly align your brand in the marketplace and grow your community?

If so, Marketing Keys can help! As a Social Media partner of ours, you will have our designated, certified Social Media expert, Lexi, managing and strategizing daily on your sites. Lexi will also coordinate all communication so there are no surprises while all of your initiatives are scheduled accordingly.

For more information, please contact Marketing Keys at (312) 291-4630 or you can email us at roger@marketingkeys.com.

Time to work on those projects?

Come on out to The Home Shows and find local tradesmen for your re-modeling and repair projects! Admission and parking are always free- Hours are Saturday and Sunday from 10AM-5PM at the following locations:

Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles

3/19-3/20

Sheraton Lisle Hotel

4/2-4/3

Darien Sportsplex in Darien

4/9-4/10

Summer at Latin

Take a class at Latin! Tech camps, credit & non-credit classes, sports camps- and more!

For more information, visit

http://www.latinschool.org/Page/About/Summer-at-Latin/Welcome

KEY REFERRAL!

Do you know a Business Owner or Marketing Director that would be open to new strategies and ideas to reach your customers through an everchanging media landscape? If so, please forward our newsletter to them. Many of our clients have come to us through your kind introductions to your friends and business associates. In return, please let us know how we can help in terms of referring business back to you! roger@marketingkeys.com.

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Welcome to the March issue of Key Notes - Marketing Keys' monthly newsletter. As our days start getting longer, the countdown to Spring is getting shorter! Our goal is for you to be informed and entertained with the latest media and marketing happenings quickly and efficiently.

What's Trump doing on Food Network?!

Televised political advertising has taken a new route in an effort to reach a more targeted audience.

In the past, political advertising had been focused on the cable news channels such as Fox News, CNN, CNBC etc. Now, candidates are airing ads on such channels as HGTV, Food Network and Hallmark to reach what they have researched to be a part of their target market audience. Compared to various campaign efforts in 2012, today's trend shows both an increase in political ad spending and an expanded market in which advertisers may choose from a wider variety of channels and networks. For example, in 2012, political ads were aired on 80 different networks, whereas the 2016 presidential candidates have utilized nearly 111 networks.

Political advertisers are also airing their commercials at "non-traditional" times. There has been a significant increase in demand for day-time slots, leaving the prime time news slots at an all time low. Ultimately, these advertisers are hoping to stretch their presence to reach a wider audience.

Burger King's

Front Page News

Burger King is important! Or at least they think they are... To promote their latest addition to the menu, Burger King has claimed the front page of seven different newspapers from the following U.S cities: New York, Chicago, and Houston. Amidst society's recent influx in Internet usage, Burger King has made a bold move by investing so heavily in print media. Though, it is certain that their efforts are being executed strategically.

BK's competitors jumped at the opportunity to promote themselves in response to the company's recent publicity events. Seven Eleven responded via Twitter by stating that their franchise offers more affordable hotdog prices as opposed to BK. Portillo's also joined in on the fun by making the proud statement that the Chicago dog will always reign as king. As a fellow Chicagoan, I have to stand true to my roots...

Podcasts gain ears: But is anyone listening?

Did you know that nearly 17% of the U.S. population listens to at least one podcast per month? This percentage has struck the interest of advertisers as they make the attempt to infiltrate another communication medium. Surprisingly, they have found that advertising through this medium is incredibly pricey and inefficient in reporting accurate performance data.

Among the thousands of different podcast channels, there are a select few who continue to dominate the market, heightening the competition among marketers who are all fighting for the same prime time spots. Ultimately, while the podcast industry has seen an increase in the overall number of listeners, there is almost no way in which the advertisers can verify whether the audience has even heard their commercial.

Candidates' open checkbook

2016 is the year for political advertising! This year's candidates are expected to spend a total of $11.4 billion on political advertising by the end of December. If this estimation holds true, the candidates will have increased political ad spending by 20% from the last presidential election held in 2012.

The 2016 candidates continue to break records by increasing overall Digital Media spending to $1+ billion. This number only accounts for 9.5% of their available spending budget, and, ultimately, doesn't compare to other areas that make up nearly 30%-50% of spending. It is also predicted that over half of all political spending will be dedicated to local campaigning through the use of various forms of media.

TV "kicks off" the year on a high!

According to media research company -Standard Media Index - the TV industry got off to a positive start in January, 2016 as ad spending increased by 1%.

Broadcast TV networks showed the biggest gain of 9% in the month. The gains were driven by healthy ratings for NFL Football, which helped CBS and NBC cross the goal line with double digit increases. Among cable networks, TBS, HGTV and Freeform also enjoyed double digit increases.

Digital media showed another strong increase of 16%. Pure play social media platforms were up 56%, video was up 39% and internet radio was up 29%.

Print media suffered the largest setback. Ad spending on newspapers were down 17% and magazines were off 2%.

Tweet of the Month
@MarketingKeys: #DidYouKnow that Hispanics account for more than 1/5th of the US population for every age up to 41? #TuesdayTracker ow.ly/i/h5NVH Follow us on Twitter!

Until next month, may all of your marketing dreams and goals come true! And - if they don't - we are here to help.

Sincerely,

ROGER KEYS
MARKETING KEYS