I’m closing up shop for the holidays here at Response today — and one of the last things on my to-do list is this blog post recapping our recently delivered December issue. It’s a pretty power-packed edition of the magazine, with our cover feature on Boingo Wireless, stories on the consumer electronics space, the advancement of over-the-top (OTT) TV, a second annual look at the 2016 media calendar, and a Web exclusive feature on DR radio. So, without further ado, let’s jump into the issue!
- In a fortuitous bit of personnel change, long-time Response PR contact Lauren de la Fuente (formerly of Pearl Street Marketing) joined L.A.-based Boingo, a global leader in enhancing wireless access for consumers, during the summer. After chatting through the early fall, it became clear that a cover feature on the business’ B-to-C and B-to-B marketing efforts would make a lot of sense for our readers. I visited the company’s new digs near Brentwood in late October for an in-person interview with CMO Dawn Callahan and VP of consumer marketing Scott Ewalt — as personable and thoughtful a duo as I’ve come across in recent times. Boingo’s marketing story is much deeper than I imagined from my touches with their services as a consumer — if you travel half as much as I do, you’ve experienced Boingo’s wireless services at an airport. If you missed the link above, and want to read more about the business, click here: A Spring in Their Steps
- For the second year in a row, we’ve teamed up with Irvington, N.Y., media agency Lockard & Wechsler Direct to take a look at the 2016 media calendar. Chock full of the biggest TV events for marketers of all types to consider, the timeline also includes analysis from Eddie Wilders, LWD’s senior vice president of research and analytics. Eddie’s done
stellar work for Response over the years, contributing in the past to our E-newsletters and website. His expertise works well with this timeline piece. If you missed the link above but want to check it out, click here: ‘You Are Looking Live …’ - A piece that got held from the print edition for space, our Web exclusive on DR radio talks about a media outlet that’s been discounted by marketers in recent years but that’s enjoying a major comeback due to its reach and technological expansion. Leaders in the space — and impartial analysts — are all saying the same thing: radio’s audience is bigger than ever and its segmentation allows marketers to drill down to reach certain demographics even more clearly than TV. If you missed the link above, click here: Radio Rising
- Our monthly direct response TV and radio media billings recap backs up the positive vibes in our radio feature, as DR radio’s 2015 second-quarter results were the outlet’s best in eight years. National spot radio, long an afterthought, saw its total billings expand 10-fold compared to 2Q 2014, helping the radio market jump more than 29 percent overall. Additionally, success in the household and drug-and-toiletry categories drove the expansion. For a full look at 2Q 2015 DR radio media billings, click here: DR Radio Billings Register Best 2Q Since 2007
- Finally, in my Editor’s Note, folks who know my snarky, sarcastic side might be shocked at my end-of-the-year plea for a better informed and more collegial conversation around Response‘s content and, well, everything else online. Yes, unfortunately, “Don’t Read the Comments” has moved from an amusing aside to a hardened rule around these parts. Can we hope for better? Can we create a better conversation? As a voracious consumer of news and social media, I certainly hope so. If you missed the link above, here’s my take — and a call to action — on the topic: ‘Don’t Read the Comments’: A Commentary
Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response! Happy Holidays and all the best in 2016!
