Thursday, July 7, 2011 | Edited by Daniel Moores
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RAB Introduces 'Digital Integration' Training Course for Today's Radio Sellers and Managers New Certified Digital Marketing Consultant 2.0 Launches Certified Digital Marketing Consultant 2 (CDMC 2.0) is the latest digitally integrated training course from the Radio Advertising Bureau's Professional Development team. This newest certification course was developed to educate radio sellers and managers and to provide them with all the necessary digital tools required to succeed as professionals. RAB's newly released Certified Digital Marketing Consultant 2.0 (CDMC 2.0) training and accreditation program is designed for experienced salespeople and managers who have mastered the fundamentals of selling digital advertising. CDMC 1.0 is available for salespeople and managers who are just getting started in Interactive sales. CDMC 2.0 is the next level, with digital experts taking a deep dive into what is needed to accelerate growth of digital revenue. As a method for sellers and managers to determine which Certified Digital Marketing Certification course best suits their knowledge base of digital marketing, potential registrants can participate in a self-selection questionnaire. To determine the appropriate and relevant course, click here. This training series, featuring live and on-demand webinars, will provide a thorough examination of digital sales best practices. The certification class will educate sellers and managers with what experts recommend for all aspects of the digital world, including blogging, streaming, online video, database marketing, virtual contesting and podcasting. Beyond these digital topics, the course addresses trends and predictions to help sales executives understand and get ahead of their clients' future needs in the digital landscape. CDMC 2.0 will also be offered as a one-day, in-person course at this year's Radio Show. "Today's radio seller and manager must be fully versed in an integrated marketing and advertising landscape. Not only do they need to understand the traditional radio and media marketplace, but they must have an understanding of all of the digital attributes that are associated with the current digitally integrated radio industry," noted Sheila Kirby, SVP Professional Development at the Radio Advertising Bureau. "CDMC 2.0 is a must-have certification for all sellers and managers in a changing media environment." "Our Professional Development team is committed to providing best practices of education available to the radio industry," noted Jeff Haley, President and CEO for the Radio Advertising Bureau. "It's important for sales executives to be knowledgeable and insightful experts to their clients." The first in-person CDMC 2.0 course will be offered at this year's 2011 Radio Show conference in Chicago on September 16. On-demand and live webinars are currently available online at rab.com. For more information regarding registration and fees, log on to www.rab.com or dial RAB's Member response team at 800-232-3131. |
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To Keep Parking Lots Full, Retailers Offer Gas Deals With gas prices locked at well above $3 a gallon, some retailers and manufacturers are trying to get more shoppers back on the road by picking up some costs at the pump. Publix, the grocery chain in the Southeast, is offering $50 gas cards for $40, with a minimum purchase of $25 in other products. Kellogg's asks that shoppers send in 10 bar codes from cereals like Raisin Bran or Corn Flakes for a $10 gas card. At CVS, customers receive a $10 gas card when they spend $30 on certain items. Even shoppers at Wal-Mart, the country's largest discount retailer, are gassing up at a savings. The company announced last week that in 18 states, shoppers could save 10 cents a gallon at Wal-Mart and Murphy gas stations if they paid with a Wal-Mart credit, gift or prepaid card. Though prices for food and clothing are also increasing, gas prices are having the most direct effect on shoppers' behavior, retail analysts say. On weekdays, gas sales are down slightly from a year ago. But on weekends, when most people are not commuting and can choose how much to drive -- and when retailers want their parking lots full -- the declines are much larger, according to MasterCard Advisors Spending Pulse, which issues a weekly gas index. "When you start to see weekend pumping taking a hit," said Michael McNamara, the group's vice president for research and analysis, "retailers want to do something to combat that." The gas discounts resonate with many consumers, in part because gasoline is not an optional purchase for most people, who can often recite from memory -- and with some agony -- what their neighborhood gas station charges per gallon. "They view it as having an immediate positive effect on their wallet," Mr. McNamara said of a gas discount. "That's why so many retailers are turning to it." The gas promotions recall the summer of 2008, when gas prices were above $4 a gallon. At that time, auto-dependent industries like tourism and car manufacturing started running gas-price deals. Chrysler offered guaranteed $2.99-a-gallon gas for three years to get people to buy cars, and Suzuki gave three months' free gas, while hotel companies like Marriott also offered gas cards. With gas at about $3.62 on average in late June, according to SpendingPulse, those kinds of deals are also returning. Some Marriotts are bringing back the free-gas promotions, and tourist destinations and even casinos are giving discounts on gas, too. Last time, however, retailers generally did not get in on the discounts. The spike in prices came before the recession, and spending continued to be strong -- even when gas prices peaked in July 2008, retailers' sales at stores open at least a year rose 2.1 percent, according to Thomson Reuters. But now, with consumers feeling short on cash after the recession, high gas prices are keeping some of them from shopping as frequently. "The increase to gas prices," Wal-Mart's chief financial officer, Charles M. Holley, said in a call with reporters in May, "certainly does hurt our core customer going to the store, and they'll consolidate trips." Even when the gas deals do not save shoppers that much money -- the Wal-Mart promotion saves consumers about $1.60 per fillup for a 16-gallon tank -- they can give them a psychological lift. Cheryl Moore, 35, a mother of three in Spokane, Wash., said that when gas increased to $3.88 a gallon at nearby stations, she cut back on shopping trips. While she used to shop every day for food and other staples, she now goes twice a week. "Now it's like, well, wait a minute, let's carpool; or, maybe we can wait another day and do everything in one day, because it's just so stinking expensive," she said. Ms. Moore uses lots of coupons. But she said that somehow saving $10 on gas, as the Kellogg's promotion offers, for example, seemed much more appealing than saving the equivalent amount on groceries through coupons. "It's right there in front of you, and I don't have to do any of the other math," said Ms. Moore, who has written about some of the gas-saving deals at The Frugal Life of a Mom. But though retailers are framing the gas discounts as an I-feel-your-pain response to shoppers' concerns, some are either complicated to qualify for, or not that deep. At CVS, the qualifying items vary week to week and depend on the location; this week, Pampers and Pantene are among the included items in several cities. At the register, shoppers must use a loyalty card to get credit for the purchases. Wal-Mart's deal is restricted to shoppers who have a Wal-Mart credit card, a Wal-Mart Money Card (a prepaid Visa or MasterCard) or a gift card. Those cards are not free -- the money card costs $3 to issue, $3 to reload and $3 a month, while the Wal-Mart credit card has a 22.9 percent annual percentage rate, which is quite high. "These are fun, topical and varying degrees of clever," Brad Wilson, founder of the deal-hunting site BradsDeals.com, said in an e-mail. "But not great deals." Other stores offer deeper discounts. Stop & Shop recently expanded its gas program, which lets shoppers accumulate points toward gas discounts with each dollar spent at the grocer, up to a $2.20 discount per gallon. Kroger, which also has a points-toward-gas program, in May adjusted the rules to reflect rising gas prices. Previously, it capped gas discounts at 10 cents a gallon in many markets; now, it lets shoppers accumulate points that give up to a dollar off per gallon at Kroger-owned gas stations in several states. "The increase in gas prices is taking a bigger chunk out of families' wallets," said Keith Dailey, a Kroger spokesman. "It's a popular, and increasingly more popular, program." (Source: The New York Times, 07/04/11) |
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Consumers Returning to Restaurants for Dinner Daypart Consumers are slowly returning to restaurants for dinner after more than three years of declining guest visits for an evening meal, according to new findings from market research firm The NPD Group. Since the recession's beginning in 2007, dinner traffic had been falling, especially at casual-dining restaurants. But NPD said last week that total visits have turned positive in the past three quarters. According to NPD's CREST service, which tracks consumer use of all foodservice outlets, dinner visits increased 2 percent in the first three months of 2011, following traffic gains of 2 percent and 1 percent in the third and fourth quarters of 2010, respectively. "The improvement may reflect some easing in unemployment, a modest improvement in consumer confidence, as well as a release of pent-up demand during the periods reported," said Bonnie Riggs, NPD restaurant industry analyst. "I also believe that rising food costs in-home have narrowed the gap between the price of food at home and a restaurant meal." Recovery at quick-service restaurants, which account for 77 percent of total industry traffic, drove the growth of dinner visits, NPD said. Traffic at midscale and casual-dining restaurants remained weak. In the first three months of 2011, dinner visits rose 1 percent at quick-service brands but fell 2 percent at midscale and casual-dining restaurants. Dinner traffic rose 5 percent at fine-dining restaurants, but upscale locations account for just 1 percent of all restaurant visits, NPD noted. Over the past several years, restaurant chains have turned to aggressive promotions to maintain dinner traffic, particularly in casual dining, where the bar-and-grill brands Applebee's and Chili's ran dueling $20 prix-fixe deals. Red Lobster's $15 Seafood Feast limited time offer -- with soup, salad, dessert, an entrée and unlimited biscuits -- was credited with increasing traffic and wait times at the casual-dining chain, according to Wells Fargo research. Quick-service chains have promoted premium products for consumers trading down from casual and upscale restaurants while running aggressive offers of their own, like 10-piece buckets of chicken for $10 at KFC or a $7.99 carryout special at Domino's Pizza. "There continues to be areas of weakness in the industry, but the industry did pick up in the last few prior quarters," Riggs said. "It remains to be seen, however, if we'll be able to sustain the improvements given the current economic volatility. "All the reasons consumers go to restaurants -- convenience, varied selections, someone else doing the cooking -- are still valid and could continue to drive the industry's improvement," she said. Over the past six months, traffic on the weekends improved across all dayparts and visits from families with young children also rose, NPD found. (Source: Nation's Restaurant News, 06/27/11) |
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Daily Sales Tip: Breaking Out of a Slump |
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