Weekly Spots

POSTED: November 5, 2012

(White Plains, NY) November 5, 2012 – According to Arbitron, Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, North Carolina is the 24th largest radio market with a population of 2,071,600.

• Charlotte was settled around 1755 when Thomas Spratt and his family landed near what is now the Elizabeth neighborhood. Within decades, the area grew to become "Charlotte Town," incorporating in 1768.

• Charlotte is nicknamed the Queen City in honor of the German Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg, who had become queen consort of British King George III the year before the city's founding.

• A second nickname comes from the American Revolutionary War, "a hornet's nest of rebellion," leading to the nickname The Hornet's Nest and is the reason the NBA team is called the Hornets. They were the Charlotte team before they moved to New Orleans.

• Charlotte has become a major U.S. financial center and is now the second largest banking center in the United States after New York City.

• In the region, there are over 240 companies directly tied to the energy sector including AREVA, Babcock and Wilcox, Duke Energy, Electric Power Research Institute, Fluor, Mets Power, Piedmont Natural Gas, Siemens Energy, Shaw Group, Toshiba, URS Corp., and Westinghouse.

• Among the most notable universities and colleges in Charlotte are the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Johnson & Wales University, Queens University of Charlotte, Johnson C. Smith University, and the Charlotte School of Law.

• In pro sports: NFL’s Carolina Panthers; and the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats. It is the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame as well as the site of many NASCAR offices.

• Famous faces from Charlotte, North Carolina include Air Force General and NASA astronaut, Susan Helms; CBS sportscaster, Jim Nantz; anthropologist/author, Kathy Reichs; actress, Sharon Lawrence; and rapper, DJ Flash.

CHARLOTTE SPOT TEN

In Charlotte, NORTH CAROLINA, the #1 advertiser on the radio last week was BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT with 1,355 spots. GEICO was #2 running 796 commercials, while WSOC-TV 9 was #3 with 788 spots. WAL-MART moved from #13 up to #4 with 656 ads, while STATE FARM soared from #20 to #5 with 472 spots. LOWE’S landed at #6 with 397 ads, while ABC TV took #7 with 377 announcements. FOLGER KIA kept pace at #8 airing 371 spots and NORTH CAROLINA EDUCATION LOTTERY came up at #9 with 324 spots. AUTOZONE came in at #10 with 323 spots.

HOME IMPROVEMENT PRODUCTS & SERVICES SPOT TEN

NATIONAL STATISTICS -

In the Home Improvement category, the #1 company was WAVE HOME SOLUTIONS with 2,880 spots. FERGUSON was #2 airing 1,894 spots, while SEARS was #3 running 682 commercials. LEAFGUARD blew into #4 with 581 spots and WINDOW WORLD was clearly #5 with 546 commercials. ROCK SOLID COUNTERTOPS & MORE moved from #13 up to #6 with 377 ads and BUILDDIRECT hit #7 with 373 spots. ROOF LIFE OF OREGON topped off at #6 with 290 spots, while ROSATI WINDOWS closed at #9 with 226 spots. RENEWAL BY ANDERSEN dropped from #3 to #10 with 218 spots.

NATIONAL SPOT TEN

NATIONAL STATISTICS -

GEICO soars back to #1, like a witch in a broom factory, with 47,913 spots. MCDONALD’S moves up to #2 with 26,718 ads, while BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT takes #3 with 26,232 spots. THE HOME DEPOT pulls back from #1 to #4 with 24,345 spots and AUTOZONE zooms from #11 to #5 with 21,428 spots. Of note: MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT came in #9 with 18,083 spots.

Posted: November 5, 2012

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 2012 report, they show revenues of $5.5 billion and they have 8,400 employees.

On Local Cable, Clorox ran 383,788 spots in the last 12 months. Their biggest month was April 2012 when they ran 40,874 spots.

On the Radio, Clorox ran a total of 79,884 spots in the last 12 months. The hottest month was January 2012 when they cleared 16,134 spots.

On Broadcast TV, Clorox ran 268,543 spots in the last 12 months with the biggest blast being last month, October 2012, with 31,821 ads.

POSTED: November 5, 2012

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 became a public company in 1971 and three years later, did the opposite of what most big companies do, when they moved their 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. A

ccording to their annual report, Progressive earned revenues of $15.50 billion in 2011 with a net income of $1.02 billion representing 3.6% growth in sales. They have 25,007 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 2011 had revenues of $143.69 billion with a reported net income of $10.25 billion. That was an increase of 5.5%. They have 270,000 employees.

These two giant discount insurance companies buy tons of advertising. On Local Cable, Progressive ran 1,251,328 spots in the last 12 months, while GEICO held a slight advantage with 1,252,505 spots in the same period. Progressive was hottest last month, October 2012 with 120,135 spots, while GEICO’s biggest month was January 2012 with 127,302 ads.

On the Radio, GEICO is way out ahead with 2,500,680 spots making them one of radio’s biggest advertisers in the last 12 months. Progressive ran a very healthy 609,512 spots in the same time range. Progressive’s biggest month on radio was February 2102 with 72,202 spots, while GEICO blasted out 284,908 spots in January 2012.

On Broadcast TV, GEICO ran 455,082 spots in the last 12 months, while Progressive cleared 461,593 spots. Progressive ran hottest in January 2012 with 47,792 and GEICO cleared the most spots in August 2012 with 47,721 ads.

Posted: November 5, 2012

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