For National Cable Communications, it’s a matter of supplying Madison Avenue with the essentials.
The nation’s largest spot-cable advertising sales firm, which represents systems reaching 67 million cable homes in every U.S. TV market, began disseminating a book, Essential Guide to Spot Cable, last week.
Designed to push more business to the medium, the guide is a sequel of sorts to a presentation, “Get More From Spot Cable,” that NCC and officials from MSO local ad-sales units kicked off to agencies and advertisers late last spring.
THOUSANDS AVAILABLE
The guide — of which NCC has produced thousands of copies — will be handed out to clients, as well as media planners, buyers and account managers at meetings over the next couple of months. The guide is also available upon request online (at www.spotcable.com).
Comcast Spotlight senior vice president Hank Oster called the presentation a brand-builder.
“Cable outdoes broadcast overall, with a 53% share of viewership. We need to keep getting that message across, and 'Get More From Spot Cable’ was a big step in that direction,” he said.
Added NCC senior vice president, marketing and business development, Andrew Capone: “Cable is still not getting its proportionate share of [ad dollars] to its viewership. There’s a big upside to our business.”
Capone called the presentations the “why” before labeling The Essential Guide To Spot Cable the “how.”
“There is information about the 210 DMAs, the interconnects that service markets, whether there is video-on-demand capabilities,” he said.
Also included in the guide: Information about the availability of regional sports and news networks, Hispanic and African-American viewer breakdowns, the availability of marketing segmentation technology.
The guide also provides sample plans showing the benefits to reach and targeting gained through the expansion of spot-cable budget, as well as indexing overlays about how a mix of networks in certain dayparts can take better aim at adults 25 to 54 considering an automobile purchase.
SPORTS 'GIANT NICHE’
Capone said that NCC also will continue to pound the message — as it did this year — about cable’s preeminent position with sports.
“The emphasis is that sports is a giant niche for us. From team games to NASCAR to alternative events, like sailing and timber competitions, cable offers much sports than broadcast,” he said.
While a game may generate a 2 household rating on ESPN nationally, “it can play really big in certain markets. Some games or events can generate double-digit ratings,” he said, noting that an Ohio State football produced a 30 rating in Columbus, Ohio, the home of the Buckeyes.
