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Scripps Networks Upbeat About Upfront

Feb 17, 2009  •  Post A Comment

Despite the slumping advertising market, Scripps Networks is optimistic about the upfront.
Scripps is preparing to launch a tour of media buyers and clients with a presentation using the new theme “Brands for Life,” starting in mid-March in Boston.
The new slogan is designed to highlight the strong brands possessed by Scripps-owned networks including HGTV and Food Network, as well as the effectiveness of advertising a client’s brands on those channels.
Jon Steinlauf, senior VP of ad sales, said it’s too early to tell exactly how the upfront will go.
But while Scripps does business with General Motors and Procter & Gamble, among the major advertisers making the biggest cuts in ad spending, there are a number of marketers who spend the bulk of the advertising dollars on the company’s networks and Web sites.
That puts Scripps in a unique place among cable networks, he said.
Most marketers are releasing their ad dollars at the last moment, but because Scripps does a lot of projects that involve product integration, branded content and multiple platforms, Mr. Steinlauf said Scripps’ ad clients still must make commitments relatively early.
Some clients have already made commitments to programming in the fourth quarter, pending the completion of upfront pricing negotiations, he said.
Scripps also will be presenting new programming to buyers, including a new home giveaway special on HGTV and more competition shows on Food Network.
HGTV is planning a special called “Urban Oasis.” Unlike the big houses HGTV usually gives away, this home is in the penthouse of a hotel owned by a major chain. The penthouse could be sold by the winner or made available as a rental.
Donna Stephens, senior VP for HGTV advertising sales, expects the show to appeal to the 18- to 49-year-old audience, on the low end of the demographic that the network’s other programming attracts.
The four-part series is expected to air in early 2010.
Meanwhile, Food Network will be airing a new show called “Worst Cooks in America.” The series was originally presented at last year’s upfront. The show’s name was a problem for some advertisers, so the show was held until first quarter of 2010, when footage was available to overcome the issue of the name, said Karen Grinthal, senior VP for Food Network ad sales.
The Scripps networks will be relying on tried-and-true values as part of the pitch, values such as quality, trust, relevance and value.
“In the current environment, we feel these brands speak more solidly to the viewers advertisers want to invest to reach,” said Ms. Grinthal.
Both HGTV and Food Network also reach relatively upscale audiences. Even upscale consumers are looking for value and trying not to waste money, and that kind of information is conveyed by the programming on the Scripps networks, Ms. Stephens said.
The economy also has many consumers in a nesting mood, another circumstance that plays into the strengths of Scripps’ channels, Ms. Grinthal said.
While the economy is dimming demand in some areas, Scripps is finding that consumers are still interested in environmentally friendly green building products and materials, and that advertisers are calling on Scripps to help deliver their green messages. That’s partly because green products save energy, resulting in lower operating costs.
HGTV is getting set to give away its second “Green Home” in April and is planning a third for 2010.
Key sponsors on “Green Home” include Sears, advertising its energy-efficient Kenmore appliances; GMC, which will be giving away a hybrid vehicle; Shaw Flooring; Kohler; Sherwin-Williams; and SC Johnson, which will be promoting its line of environmentally friendly cleaning products.
Shaw Flooring is advertising on national television for the first time.

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