Kathleen Ramirez
Executive Vice President, Corporate Media Director
Kathleen Ramirez has spent over 15 years identifying the most effective ways to reach target audiences. Leading the media group for Fahlgren, Kathleen identifies new and emerging advertising opportunities constantly. Her natural curiosity, creativity and thorough understanding in identifying the right target audience for the right message keeps Fahlgren on the cutting edge of our industry.
There is no denying that what was once called the traditional media landscape is fast becoming an antiquated term. Most discussions surrounding the changes with media inevitably make their way back to something related to digital applications and technology.
Our view is that technology has morphed from an additional vehicle to a great enabler and equalizer. We know Americans are more and more adept at multi-tasking. A recent Experian Simmons report revealed that approximately 90% of us watch TV in a typical day and upwards of 70% use some other media while doing so. Surfing the web, using cell phones and emailing were cited as activities most often done while watching TV.
What does a traditional landscape really mean to today’s overly connected and overscheduled consumer anyway?
Ask a different person….you’ll get a different answer.
So here’s the point of the title of this article….it’s not necessarily the technology or explosion of choices people have today. It’s understanding where it all fits in the hearts and minds of consumers.
Read the rest of this entry »
This post is part two in a series written by Emilie DeLong, Chrystie Reep and Bobbie Termeer. If you missed part one, it makes sense to start there.
The start of the TV upfront market may be as soon as this week or as delayed as post-July 4 or longer. What’s the hold up? Well, both broadcast and cable networks are still in the midst of mapping out their pricing indices. Network budgets are likely to see declines in spending anywhere from 5%-10%, if not more. Cable will most likely realize a slightly smaller adjustment.
As we mentioned in part one of this two part series, we spent three days in Detroit watching presentations and wondering what key points the TV networks were going to try and make advertisers and buyers “feel good” about spending money again.
What was consistent across all presentations was that the networks seem to recognize the challenges ahead of them. What they still have to work on explaining is how they are going to continue to adjust their sales strategy and philosophy. Three themes that seem to surface in all of the presentations are as follows:
Read the rest of this entry »
This post is part one in a two part series written by Emilie DeLong, Chrystie Reep and Bobbie Termeer
One of the many benefits of living in Columbus, Ohio and working with some of the leading brands in the Automotive Aftermarket is that we get to partner with the Detroit advertising community. We attended the network TV upfront presentations to get a taste of what is coming in the world of primetime TV in the upcoming year. Our goal was to not only to get a sneak peek of programming, but also to glean insights as to how the networks are adjusting to the changing economic environment, evolving use of technology and ultimately the consumer’s wants and needs.
During our three-day visit to Motor City, we attended the FOX, ABC, CBS and Turner presentations. There were lots of things that we expected:
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the writing styles of our Associate Media Director, Chrystie Reep. Chrystie is the backbone of many of our digital media programs in place today. Those of us who get to work with her everyday know how knowledgable, passionate and dedicated she is to the continued evolution of how to really connect with consumers. Enjoy….and look for future posts from her in the future. Great job, Chrystie!!!
A good friend of mine recently bought an iPhone.
Since then I’ve heard him say how much it has “changed his life.” My first thought was….seriously?
I laughed off the comment and attributed it to being stuck with a wireless plan sans uber-cool devices. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was not an exaggeration.
Mobile devices (you know they aren’t just phones anymore) have become the center of most consumers communication universe. PDAs, digital cameras and MP3 players are on their way to becoming obsolete as stand-alone devices. For that…we salute you iPhone!
As marketers, our passion is to ensure that our clients’ messages are reaching the right consumer at the right place and time. Mobile is on the verge of being a true player in terms of achieving a balance of reach and accountability. The speed in which mobile has evolved is nothing short of remarkable. Equally remarkable is the ability people have adopted this technology as part of their own personal media mix.
Check out this presentation demonstrating the impact of mobile as a viable marketing channel.
Curious minds want to know-how has your device changed your life?
They say that the first step in beating an addicition is admitting you have one.
Well…here it goes. I am a Facebook addict. I love to read it. I love to write posts. I love playing Word Challenge. I love having real time chats with friends. I love that none of this requires me to pick up a phone. I came to this realization last night while I tried (unsuccessfully) to post an update, watch Big Love and give the baby a bottle simultaneously. While the baby eventually won this tug of war taking place on the sofa, I realized that I am hooked.
I am obviously not alone in this. In November, 2008, Facebook drew 200 million unique worldwide visitors. To put that in perspective, 1 in 5 people who accessed the Internet that month visited the site. While Facebook might be king of the world, MySpace is still dominating the U.S. Whether that will continue to be the case….who really knows for sure? Trends indicate that Facebook might surpass MySpace in the U.S. by 2010.
Read the rest of this entry »
Inspiration for sharing ideas, opinions and epiphanies
It’s December 31, 2008.
Almost 3pm.
Almost time to go.
My office is relatively clean and organized.
The to-do list has been done.
Despite a productive holiday workday, I can’t help but regret the fact that I have lacked in being able to generate interesting, thought-provoking posts for our Agency blog.
I was doing my daily reading when I came across a post by famed blogger Chris Brogan. He is, in my humble opinion, one of the mavericks (needed to get this word in one more time this year) and gurus among the many social media zealots.
Anyway…his most recent post 27 Blogging Secrets to Power Your Community, reignited my desire to raise my voice, pass along interesting info and pose a question or two in 2009. I won’t list all 27 secrets. You can do that on your own. I will say that the one point that is most important in my mind is #5.
Write something useful for people.
An initial list of ideas that I will commit to writing about in 2009 include, but are not limited to:
But you know….it’s not about me.
What do YOU want to read about in 2009? Curious minds and writers want to know….
Happy New Year!!!!