Comcast and Starcom MediaVest Group Expand Addressable Advertising Trial to Baltimore

Comcast and Starcom MediaVest Group Expand Addressable Advertising Trial to Baltimore

Initial Trial Results Reveal Addressable Ads Delivered 56% More Efficiency and 38% More Effectiveness for Marketers

NEW YORK and CHICAGO, April 4, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and leading media agency network Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) announced today the expansion of their agreement to test addressable TV advertising with a trial scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2008 in the Baltimore, MD area. The companies also shared findings of a recently completed groundbreaking trial of addressable advertising technology, designed to make television advertising more relevant for viewers and more accountable for advertisers.

The initial technical trial, which began in December 2006, took place in Huntsville, AL. Comcast successfully delivered thousands of ads, across eight popular cable networks, addressed to different anonymous groups of households based on general characteristics selected by the trial's participating advertisers.

The trial was intended to illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of addressable advertising. Comcast has been offering zone-based advertising, but this was the industry's first significant effort to deliver different ads within the same commercial break to different household groupings, based on demographics and advertiser segments, but not personally identifiable information, in the interest of increased ad relevance.

"Addressable advertising gets us closer to the power of mass personalization by delivering highly relevant brand messages to engaged consumers, and this is the ideal connection in a world of scarce consumer attention," said Laura Desmond, CEO-The Americas at Starcom MediaVest Group.

Major marketers active in the trial, all SMG agency clients, included General Motors, Discover Card, Hallmark, Kraft Foods, Mars, Miller Brewing Company and Procter & Gamble. One of the unprecedented capabilities demonstrated in this trial was advertisers were able to segment the market into audiences based on demographic data, and Comcast was able to deliver relevant ads for the advertisers' products and services to each segment.

Comcast's data services partner, Experian(R) Marketing Services, assisted Comcast in segmenting the market and matching relevant messages to groupings of households. Addressable advertisements were delivered with the support of OpenTV's SpotOn(TM) advanced advertising solution, which allows for seamless switching of video ads to aggregated groups of set-top boxes. During the trial, SMG received reports and analysis based on aggregated, anonymized viewership information from Comcast and its research partner TNS Media Research.

The trial revealed that viewers who saw ads directed to households within a particular group were less likely to change channels. Comcast and SMG found that, overall, homes receiving addressable advertising tuned away 38% less of the time available than homes that received non-addressable advertising.

According to George Shababb, COO TNS Research, this 'tune away' methodology opens important new doors to understanding the effectiveness of addressable video advertising. The trial also demonstrated a 56% greater efficiency from sending ads only to relevant groupings that the advertiser wanted to reach, based on the per-spot costs of addressable and non- addressable ads.

The Huntsville market was selected to pave the way for a larger scale deployment in 2008. The next Comcast Cable market slated to receive an expanded trial of addressable advertising is Baltimore, MD using Invidi's Advatar(TM) technology. SMG will continue to be the media agency partner for an additional twelve months and will play a central role in the Baltimore area trial, expected to begin this summer.

"The shift of client dollars to digital media has largely been driven by the delivery of relevant and accountable advertising, something the online industry has built their entire business model upon," said Curt Hecht, Chief Digital Officer at Starcom MediaVest Group. "Television needs its equivalent, and our trials indicate addressability could be it. Now they need to move at online speed to make it a reality and reinvent the television marketplace."

"Cable's unique technology can make TV advertising more relevant for our cable customers while providing innovative marketing solutions for our advertising clients and maintaining cable's commitment to safeguard customer privacy," said Charlie Thurston, President of Comcast Spotlight. "We see addressability as a critical capability for the future of advanced advertising touching virtually every format from linear on-air to on demand and interactive, and eventually, even DVRs."

"Across the board, we -- like all marketers -- have increasingly demanded more accountability in our marketing efforts. In a world with increased digital resources, converging technologies and greater need for fine-tuned consumer focus, there is no reason not to demand this accountability from TV advertising," said Betsy Lazar, Executive Director of Advertising and Media Operations at GM. "We believe that this effort by Comcast in partnership with Starcom MediaVest Group is a momentous step towards the future."

About Comcast Spotlight

Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps put the power of cable to use for local, regional and national advertisers. It is focused on providing multi-platform marketing solutions to reach audiences most effectively and efficiently. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Comcast Spotlight has a presence in nearly 90 markets with approximately 30 million owned and represented subscribers. Comcast Spotlight is a trademark of Comcast Cable. For more information, visit www.comcastspotlight.com.

About Starcom MediaVest Group

Ranked one of the largest brand communications groups in the world, Starcom MediaVest Group (www.smvgroup.com) encompasses an integrated network of highly specialized consumer contact companies. SMG's global organization includes strategic marketing communication architects who are highly specialized in media management, response media, internet and digital communications, as well as multicultural, entertainment, gaming, sports, sponsorship, event marketing and media. With nearly 5,800 employees in 110 offices worldwide, SMG delivers brand-building results for many of the world's leading companies. It is part of Paris-based Publicis Groupe S.A.

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Source: Comcast Spotlight

CONTACT: Media: Dana Runnells, Comcast Spotlight, +1-917-934-1015,
Dana_Runnells@cable.comcast.com; Lena Petersen, Starcom MediaVest Group,
+1-312-220-4169, lena.petersen@smvgroup.com

Web site:

http://www.comcast.com/
http://www.comcastspotlight.com/
http://www.smvgroup.com/

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