Weekly Spots

POSTED: November 7, 2011

(White Plains, NY) November 7, 2011 - According to Arbitron, Washington D.C. is the 8th largest radio market with a population of 4,479,400. They were #9 just a year ago.

• Washington, D.C. formally the District of Columbia is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. It was an attempt to have the Capital in a “neutral” area between the northern and southern states.

• The District is not a state, thus residents do not have voting representation in the United States Senate and only a delegate in the House of Representatives, but D.C. is entitled to three electoral votes for President.

• Higher Education in Washington: George Washington University, Georgetown University, American University, the Catholic University of America and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. The University of the District of Columbia is a public university providing undergraduate and graduate education.

• Washington, D.C. is home to five major professional men's teams. The Washington Wizards – NBA; the Washington Capitals – NHL; Washington Nationals – MLB; D.C. United – MLS and the Washington Redskins – NFL.

• Some notable people who were born in Washington D.C. include: Marvin Gaye, singer; Chris Carmack, actor; Stephen Colbert, comedian; Duke Ellington, jazz great; Tim Gunn, fashion guru; Samuel L. Jackson, actor; Connie Chung, journalist and Maury Povich, TV personality.

WASHINGTON D.C. SPOT TEN

In our Nation’s Capital last week, the #1 radio spot was STATE FARM running 880 units. GEICO was #2 airing 829 announcements, while FOX TV NETWORK leaped into #3 with 759 spots. THE HOME DEPOT was #4 with 754 spots and KAISER PERMANENTE was #5 with 660 spots. WAL-MART was steady at #6 running 608 commercials, while MCDONALD’S was #7 with 584 spots. AUTOZONE zoomed from #93 to #8 with 412 spots and WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER was #9 with 384 spots. NBC TV NETWORK was #10 with 352 spots

TELECOM SERVICES SPOT TEN

NATIONAL STATISTICS -

The war in telecommunications today is how companies bundle TV, telephone and Internet services. In this category last week XFINITY BUNDLE, Comcast’s offering, was #1 running 3,386 spots nationwide. CHARTER BUNDLE was #2 with 2,994 commercials, while the COX BUNDLE stayed at #3 airing 2,051 announcements. COMCAST BUNDLE (same company) was #4 with 2,033 ads, while TIME WARNER BUNDLE landed in #5 with 824 spots. OPTIMUM BUNDLE (Cablevision) was in at #6 running 469 spots and BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS BUNDLE hit #7 with 395 commercials. SUREWEST BUNDLE was #8 with 383 spots, while CENTUR LINK BUNDLE held #9 airing 293 spots. In at #10 was WOW! BUNDLE with 172 spots.

NATIONAL SPOT TEN

NATIONAL STATISTICS -

THE HOME DEPOT remains in the #1 slot with 50,941 radio spots in the country last week. Coming in #2 was GEICO with 37,083 commercials, while WAL-MART continues to grow from #5 to #3 with 36,841 spots. STATE FARM drops to #4 with 33,460 spots and soaring from #35 to #5 was FOX TV NETWORK with 28,952 ads.

Posted: November 7, 2011

CLOROX has a rich history. On May 3, 1913, five California entrepreneurs invested $100 apiece to set up America's first commercial-scale liquid bleach factory located in Oakland, California. In 1914, they named their product Clorox® bleach. In the ensuing years, The Clorox Company – as it is now known – has grown into a worldwide manufacturer and marketer of consumer products.

The reason why the bay area was the birthplace of bleach was their great number of salt ponds rich with brine, which could be converted to sodium hypochlorite bleach, using a sophisticated and technologically demanding process of electrolysis.

An equipment supplier, Abel M. Hamblet, suggested a name for the new product. From the words "chlorine" and "sodium hydroxide," which in combination form the bleach's active ingredient, he proposed the amalgam "Clorox."

Between 1938 and 1956, the Clorox Chemical Company had garnered the largest share of the U.S. household bleach market and that attracted a buyer - the huge Procter & Gamble Company, who saw Clorox as a natural extension of their laundry product empire. But within three months, the Federal Trade Commission had challenged the acquisition. They saw this take-over as a monopoly in the production and sale of household liquid bleaches.

Ten years of litigation ended with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Procter & Gamble must shed The Clorox Company. On January 2, 1969, the company gained full, formal autonomy as a publicly held corporation with its shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Clorox Co. manufactures various brands, including namesake bleach and cleaning products, Green Works natural cleaning and laundry products, Poett and Mistolín cleaning products, Armor All and STP auto-care products, Fresh Step and Scoop Away cat litter, Kingsford charcoal, Hidden Valley and K C Masterpiece dressings and sauces, Brita water-filtration systems, Glad bags, wraps and containers, and Burt's Bees natural personal care products.

It operates through four reportable segments: Cleaning, Lifestyle, Household and International.

Clorox has become a major corporate presence throughout the world. The company's laundry additives and home cleaning products are sold in more than 100 countries and are manufactured in plants in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

In their latest report, they show revenues of $5.23 billion with net income of $287 million. They have 8,100 employees.

On Local Cable, Clorox ran 478,689 spots in the last 12 months. They had their biggest month in April with 52,017 ads.

On the Radio, Clorox tends to buy certain months heavier than others. They ran a total of 64,688 spots in the last 12 months with January holding 14,563 ads, while December only cleared 320 spots nationwide.

On TV, Clorox ran 237,166 spots in the last 12 months, with April heading the pack with 25,495 spots.

POSTED: November 7, 2011

Progressive (NYSE: PGR), is one of the largest auto insurance groups in the United States thanks to innovations, including comparison rates and 24/7 customer and claims service. Originally called Progressive Mutual Insurance Company, Progressive was founded by Joseph Lewis and Jack Green in 1937 in Mayfield Village, Ohio.

By 1951, Progressive's growth prompted a move to new offices in downtown Cleveland. After the death of Joe Lewis in 1955, Jack Green became CEO and Peter Lewis, Joe's son, began his career with Progressive. In 1956, Progressive Casualty Company was formed to write auto insurance for high-risk drivers. Today, the company insures all types of drivers.

Progressive become a public company in 1971 and three years later, did the opposite of what most big companies do when they moved its headquarters back to the Cleveland suburb of Mayfield Village. In 1987, Progressive surpassed $1 billion in premiums. That same year, the New York Stock Exchange listed Progressive stock under the PGR symbol.

In 1995, when the Internet was just gaining popularity, Progressive stepped ahead of the competition and became the first major auto insurer in the world to launch a web site.

In the early 2000s, Progressive changed its claims focus to provide a better overall experience for every party involved in a claim, including the customer and the body shop.

According to their annual report, Progressive earned revenues of $14.96 billion in 2010 with a net income of $1.07 billion representing 1% growth in sales. They have 24,638 employees.

GEICO originally called, Government Employees Insurance Company, and now known by the acronym GEICO, is an auto insurance company that was founded in Fort Worth, Texas in 1936 by Leo Goodwin and his wife Lillian Goodwin to provide auto insurance directly to federal government employees and their families. .

GEICO became a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway in 1996 and as of 2007, provided coverage for more than 10 million motor cars, trucks and other motor vehicles owned by more than 8 million policy holders.

GEICO has its headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland and writes private passenger automobile insurance in the District of Columbia and in all U.S. states except Massachusetts, where they employ a managed insurance rate system. GEICO has applied for status in this state.

The company is notable for its television advertising, with several prominent campaigns running simultaneously in national markets. Their at times, off-beat spots have featured angry cavemen or a loveable Gecko.

GEICO’s parent company Berkshire Hathaway in 2010 had revenues of $136.19 billion with a reported net income of $12.97 billion. That was an increase of 21%. They employ 260,000 people.

On Cable, these two discount insurance rivals are fighting tooth and nail. Progressive with their goofy-gal Flo – played by Stephanie Courtney – ran 1,043,570 spots in the last 12 months, while GEICO with their animated-talking Gecko – voiced by Jake Wood – ran 1,147,805 spots. Progressive’s biggest month on Cable was August when they ran 101,145 spots against GEICO that also ran hottest in August with 110,857 ads.

Radio, GEICO clobbers Progressive. GEICO ran 2,653,316 spots, while Progressive ran 602,567 spots in the last 12 months. GEICO’s biggest month was January with 301,232 spots and Progressive ran hottest in March with 67,574 ads.

On TV, they both ran fewer spots than the other media. Progressive ran 412,936 spots against GEICO’s 379,554 spots. GEICO’s biggest month was this last November 2011 with 39,138 spots to Progressive’s March when they cleared 67,574 spots.

Posted: November 7, 2011

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