NBC Taps Knowledge Networks for a First in Olympics Research
Overnight Multiplatform Measurement of Exposure to Olympics Media
Will use KnowledgePanel(R) to quantify exposure to Olympics coverage, advertising across six major media during Beijing games
A crucial element of NBC Universal’s unprecedented effort to understand consumer exposure to the Olympics in all media will be provided by Knowledge Networks, which will be delivering overnight data for six media — TV, Internet, mobile, newspapers, magazines and radio — and over a dozen NBC Universal properties throughout the 2008 Beijing Games.
With this information, NBC Universal will better understand when and where consumers are interacting with the Olympics across many platforms, providing daily tactical guidance as well as strategic insights for serving advertiser partners in future Games.
Through roughly 500 interviews per day with members of KnowledgePanel(R)
– the only online consumer panel that is representative of the full U.S. population — Knowledge Networks (KN) will measure time spent watching, listening to, or reading about the Olympics across multiple media platforms. The study will capture use of all NBC Universal properties covering the Olympics at home and away from home.
Results will be reported on a daily basis using KN’s exclusive multiplatform reporting application, Total Touch Tabulator(TM), which gives quick access to time spent and unduplicated “Olympics cumes” for any combination of the measured platforms. NBC Universal will also gain insights about respondents’ demographic and product purchase and use characteristics.
“Knowledge Networks has proven itself to be a highly innovative, quality-focused partner as we seek out new ways to understand and define the value that NBC’s multiplatform Olympics coverage delivers to advertisers,” said Alan Wurtzel, President of Research and Media Development at NBC Universal. “KN is unique in its ability to provide overnight multiplatform measurement using a probability-based sample. We are happy to continue building on our 20-year Olympics research partnership with Knowledge Networks.”
Knowledge Networks has been conducting Olympics media research for NBC since 1988 and has been pioneering the study of how consumers interact with new media platforms, such as mobile media, online TV content, DVRs, and HDTV. Its MultiMedia Mentor(R) is the definitive syndicated source of information on consumer time spent with nine key media, from TV to videogames, and KN has been delivering custom multiplatform measurements to key media companies for years.
Knowledge Networks specializes in solving complex, high-impact problems, providing extraordinary quality and service to leaders in business, government and academia. We work closely with clients to create healthy consumer-brand connections, effective marketing and advertising, sound public policies, and accurate social science research. We have established respected practices in media, marketing, advertising, and government & academic studies. KN excels in study design, analytics, and custom panel creation; we deliver affordable, statistically valid online research through KnowledgePanel(R) — the only available probability selected, nationally representative Internet panel.
For more information, contact David Stanton (Vice President, Marketing Communications) at dstanton@knowledgenetworks.com or (908) 497-8040.
Source: Knowledge Networks
Funny Golf Moments
Hop-on Continues Successful Marketing Campaign at 90th Annual PGA Championship
Hop-on, Inc. (Pink Sheets: HPNN) announced today that it will continue the promotion of its New Disposable phone, the HOP1800, at the PGA Championship Golf tournament next week. This round of the PGA Tour is set to take place in Bloomfield Hill, Michigan at the Oakland Hills Country Club. The events are set to begin with practice rounds on Monday, August 4th and the final round taking place on Sunday, August 10th.
Peter Michaels, President and CEO of Hop-on stated, “The Purpose of our attendance at this event is to increase our exposure and to capture the attention of the PGA’s Patrons and Sponsors. We will be among some the most Prestigious Fortune 500 companies in the world. All of these companies could potentially use our product as a premium for their businesses and co-brand our phone with their logos. The HOP1800 is a consumer product. We have created a phone that meets the basic phone needs of everyone from the most prestigious of consumers, to the average blue collar worker.”
Michaels went on to say, “We have done the research and our phone sells itself. Our goal at this event is to gain exposure with major corporations, so that our phone simply becomes an effective method of marketing and business for them. By branding their logo onto the HOP1800 2″ x 3″ screen, they create a walking billboard. This not only allows them to further meet the needs of their clients, but also continues mass advertising for their company. We have received an overwhelming amount of both interest and orders from corporations around the world since the introduction of this phone began earlier this summer. It is realistic to expect that we will obtain the business of at least two of these Fortune 500 companies at next week’s events. We will be featured in this year’s program with a full-page colored ad and sample phones will be handed out at press venues and media gatherings. We have been working hard to secure a ‘hole in one’ with this event and have already lined up a series of marketing and advertising presentations with this year’s sponsors that are set to take place during the first few days of the tournament. Our HOP1800 is just the beginning of a series of phones that will be introduced this year, and it’s exciting to see the new heights that Hop-on is reaching and the potential for our Company’s growth.”
Hop-on’s new series of phones include the HOP1801 Smart Phone, the lowest cost Smart Phone on the market. The HOP1803 is an Ultra Low Price GSM Tri Band phone, and the HOP1805 is an Ultra Low Price cell phone for emerging markets. All three phones will be available for distribution in North and South America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Available in North and South America is the HOP1808 a Dual Band phone, and the HOP1809 3G mobile phone with Camera. And finally the HOP1800, the Lowest Cost mobile phone is a GSM Dual band simple phone with no display that features a Braille keypad and built-in flashlight.
Source: Hop-on, Inc.
Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman Makes History with On-Court Appearance with Detroit Shock
Holiday Builders’ Ambassador Comes Out of Retirement to Assist WNBA Team
Holiday Builders, an award-winning homebuilder celebrating 25 years of quality building, today celebrated its most visible ambassador, Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, and her exit out of professional basketball retirement. WNBA’s Detroit Shock team signed Ms. Lieberman to a seven-day contract, taking her out of the ESPN broadcast booth and back on the court as the team looks to her to help make up for the absence of forward Cheryl Ford. The moment Ms. Lieberman took the court in Thursday night’s game, playing nine minutes, she broke her own record as the oldest player ever in the WNBA — a record she originally set in 1997 with the Phoenix Mercury at age 39.
Ms. Lieberman was selected to serve as a Holiday Builders ambassador in January of 2008 to help the company and its Employee-Owners promote the benefits and timeliness of homeownership throughout the communities it serves. Since then, Ms. Lieberman has worked with Holiday Builders to educate consumers about why now is the time to reach out and grasp the dream of homeownership.
“Holiday Builders is very excited to see Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman back on the court,” said Kim Shelpman, CEO of Holiday Builders. “Nancy’s passion for the sport and true skill is remarkable. Her moxie both on and off the court mirrors Holiday Builders’ dedication to fostering the development of every community we serve.”
Holiday Builders is currently offering a ‘Rate Buy Down’ program where prospective homebuyers purchase a home at a 30-year fixed interest rate of 5.25 percent. Holiday Builders then “buys down” the rate to 3.25% for the first year and 4.25 percent for the second year. For the third year, and the life of the home loan, the rate will be 5.25 percent (APR 5.37%) — never to go up.
Through this program, new homebuyers’ payments are greatly reduced during the first two years, making a home more affordable, giving them time to budget for year three and beyond — after they have begun to enjoy the tax benefits of homeownership.
Holiday Builders has built more than 30,000 single-family homes throughout Florida, Texas and Alabama, with more than 50 proven floor plans and approximately 180 elevations.
For more information on Holiday Builders and what new homes are ready for move-in in your community, visit http://www.holidaybuilders.com/ .
About Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman
Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman is an accomplished basketball player, coach, two-time Olympian, broadcaster and writer. In 1975, she was named to the USA Team designated to play in the World Championships and Pan American Games where she brought home a gold medal in 1975 and a silver medal in 1979. Ms. Lieberman has provided commentary for ABC, ESPN, NBC, NBA-TV and is a contributing writer to the Dallas Morning News, the New York Times and USA Today. She is currently a full-time analyst with ESPN for men’s and women’s college basketball and both the men’s (NBA) and women’s (WNBA) National Basketball Association’s development leagues. During the summer, Ms. Lieberman hosts and coaches basketball camps for girls and boys in Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix.
Nancy Lieberman is also heavily involved with charities such as the Special Olympics, the Jimmy V Foundation (named for the late Jim Valvano), and has been the local chairperson for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s “Race for the Cure” in Plano, Texas — a support group for victims of breast cancer.
Source: Holiday Builders
Aflac Racing Gears Up for 2009 NASCAR Season With New Paint Scheme
Insurer reveals new look of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion for Next Season and Beyond
Aflac Incorporated unveiled its sleek new look for Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion driven by NASCAR veteran Carl Edwards. Beginning next season, Edwards, who has a multi-year primary sponsorship with Aflac, will race in one of the most formidable-looking cars in 2009. With the main color jet black and the secondary colors shades of green and blue, this ride will be hard to miss — even at speeds of 200 mph. Aflac revealed the new color scheme during a circuit stop in Indiana with Edwards present.
“Aflac is excited about its sponsorship of the Number 99 and Carl Edwards, and we wanted to make sure that showed through with the car design in 2009,” said Paul S. Amos II, president, Aflac; COO, U.S. Operations. “The new paint scheme exudes tremendous energy, speed and stealth, and showcases the Aflac Duck and signature feather design. We anticipate the new design to be a fan-favorite.”
“I am so excited to be racing with the Aflac Duck for many more races,” said Edwards, a three-time winner this season and No. 4 in points in the Sprint Cup Series. “Black is an intimidating color; it will be hard to miss us on the track. The Aflac Duck and I look forward to bringing the checkered flag home in style many times over the next few seasons in the new car.”
“We are thrilled to be more involved with Aflac for several more years,” added Jack Roush, Roush Fenway Racing team owner. “It is exciting to be associated with a sponsor who loves the sport as much as we do and actively participates in their sponsorship. They have been an outstanding sponsor and we’re pleased that Aflac will be a bigger part of our team. Seeing the new paint scheme gets me fired up for next season, and I look forward to seeing it in Victory Lane often.”
The new paint scheme will debut in February 2009 at Daytona International Speedway. For more information, including images of the new paint scheme, please visit www.AflacRacing.com.
Racing fans can visit www.AflacRacing.com for exclusive videos, track analysis, promotions, screen savers and other features. Racing fans can also watch Edwards and the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion at the following upcoming races:
July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug. 31 at Auto Club Speedway
Oct. 11 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Aflac is an official sponsor of NASCAR and the official supplemental insurance company for Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing. In 2007, Aflac became an official sponsor of Roush Fenway Racing and NASCAR, sponsoring four drivers for eight races. In 2008, Aflac continued its sponsorship, but chose to run exclusively with Edwards and have already taken home one checkered flag. With Edwards’ personal focus on health and wellness coupled with Aflac’s ability to pay cash benefits promptly to help policyholders with bills, this expanded relationship promises to be a win on and off the track. Some of Aflac’s insurance policies provide a Wellness Benefit for routine covered examinations and other preventive tests, such as screenings for different illnesses and conditions.
Source: Aflac Incorporated