Articulon Making News

Articulon Wins 2012 ADDY Award

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Articulon has received an ADDY® award from the American Advertising Federation Raleigh-Durham Chapter.

The agency has been recognized in the interactive category for its work with the North Carolina Guardian ad Litem program.

“We are honored to have our work recognized by industry leaders,” says Cindy Stranad, APR, Articulon founder. “Meeting the goals of the campaign and sharing this recognition with our clients is a great achievement.”

Articulon was recognized with a Bronze ADDY® for creating a social media campaign to engage a non-traditional, 18-35 male and minority demographic. The volunteer recruitment campaign is titled “Be the Voice for a Child” and showcased the personality and diversity of children and teens in need of a court advocate. Celebrity testimonials were also used to bring the story to life with voiceovers and videos.

“From concept to production, the entire Articulon team strives to reach each client’s audience in a way that emotionally resonates with them,” explains senior account manager Mike Gauss.

Nagoya University Names Articulon AOR

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Branding and public relations firm Articulon announced that it has been named the agency of record for Nagoya University’s NU Tech Regenerative Medicine Roundtable. This is the third time Nagoya University has retained the firm to assist with event promotion and materials.

“We are proud to continue making NU Tech events a success,” says Cindy Stranad, APR, Articulon principal and founder.

 

Ratings System Change has Radio Execs in Guessing Mode

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RALEIGH – Changes to the method used to collect radio ratings data are expected to significantly alter the ratings of some Triangle stations, which will influence both formats and advertising prices for years to come. “The way they’re gathering is totally different than before,” says Dick Harlow, general manager for Clear Channel Communications Inc.’s local stations. “We don’t know what to expect.”

It’s the biggest transformation in decades for the local radio business, as Columbia, Md.-based Arbitron abandons the diary method it’s used for about a half-century. Under that system, the company recruited people in the area who promised to write down what stations they listened to for a week, then send that information to Arbitron.

Arbitron is replacing that pencil-and-paper data gathering method with a electronic system called the Portable People Meter, or PPM for short. The PPM, a device about the size of a cell phone, automatically detects terrestrial radio signals that are playing within range of the person wearing the device. At the end of the day, the wearer docks the device – much like one would do with an iPod – and it transmits the data back to Arbitron.

Arbitron spokeswoman Jessica Benbow says the firm is recruiting 733 panelists for the initial data-gathering period in the Triangle – and more than 80 percent of those have already signed up. Arbitron already has rolled the technology out in more than 30 markets around the country. While the old diary method was used to develop quarterly reports, the PPM data will come out 13 times a year. That’s a report for each month and an extra one for the holiday period at the end of the year.

The Triangle has already had its last diary data reported. The PPM technology will go live later this month. There will be a test run, and then the first official PPM data, which will be for the month of September, will be released in October.

PPM is supposed to be a more accurate measure of people’s true listening habits. While the diary method kept track of the stations that a person remembered listening to, PPM will record all the stations they really hear and for what amount of time.

“People listen to more stations than they actually think they do,” says Carol Lewis, a media buyer who works at Raleigh advertising agency Articulon. Some diary participants also tend to report listening to a favorite station longer than they actually do.”

There’s no consensus of exactly how the change will impact the Triangle, as markets sometimes react differently to the switch based on their demographics. But based on data from some other markets, Phil Zachary says that stations with a passionate following – such as some talk shows, urban music-centered stations, gospel and Hispanic stations – don’t tend to do as well in PPM as when they were reported by loyal diary trackers.

Zachary, president and chief operating officer for Raleigh-based Curtis Media Group, says the price that radio groups pay for PPM will be in the high six to low seven figures range annually – about 60 percent higher than the costs for diary information.

Limbaugh Gone, WPTF Ratings Dive. Articulon Chimes in.

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RALEIGH – Rush Limbaugh long has been capable of altering a politician’s future, for good or ill. Now he’s demonstrating similar power in business – at least in the short term – at two Triangle radio stations.

Curtis Media Group’s WPTF 680 AM plummeted in the latest radio ratings after competitor Clear Channel Communications Inc. launched a conservative talk format on WRDU 106.1 FM at the beginning of 2010.

While there have been many repercussions of the move, the highest-profile change involved Limbaugh’s syndicated show moving from WPTF – where it had anchored that station’s afternoon offerings for more than two decades – over to WRDU.

Conservatives, as a rule, aren’t seen to be big on that change thing. But they didn’t have much trouble flipping stations to find their main man Rush. And their liberal “friends” may have joined them there as well.

“People just can’t get enough of him – even if they can’t stand him,” says Carol Lewis, a media buyer with Raleigh-based Articulon.

The butcher’s bill for WPTF came in Arbitron’s winter ratings book, the first since the format flip, and it wasn’t pretty. WPTF’s top-line rating fell by 58 percent, from a 6.2 share in the fall to a 2.6 in the winter.

WRDU, whose ratings had languished in its previous incarnation as a country station branded “The Rooster,” saw its ratings rise by 124 percent, from a 1.7 share in the fall to a 3.8 in the winter.

That gave local Clear Channel General Manager Dick Harlow plenty to crow about. “We’re very happy with the way things have turned out so far,” he says. “The ratings impact of that change was significant.”

In addition to Limbaugh, WRDU’s new lineup includes right-wing firebrands Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck. Hannity, like Limbaugh, previously had been a staple at WPTF.

The folks who run WPTF clearly didn’t want to lose Limbaugh and Hannity, but in the end they had no choice. The decision to shift the talent to a different station was made by executives at Premiere Radio Networks, a Clear Channel subsidiary that syndicates Limbaugh and Hannity.

The move forced WPTF to overhaul its entire lineup, and executives decided to go with a harder news format with a greater emphasis on local issues.

“We’re about where we thought we would be,” Curtis Media Chairman and CEO Don Curtis says of the latest ratings.

What will be the financial impact of losing Rush and having to rejigger the format? Curtis Media President and COO Phil Zachary says WPTF typically generates around $6 million per year in revenue. He projects that, at worst, the station will be down by 10 percent in 2010.

Zachary says he’s been encouraged by first quarter sales, which he says were actually higher than a year ago. There are several possible reasons for that, including an improved economy and the fact that some advertisers avoid Limbaugh’s show because of its polarizing nature.

Despite the stark differences in this first ratings report card, the truth is that both stations have work to do. While it’s obvious that WPTF is in rebuilding mode, Clear Channel also will want to see even higher ratings out of a 100,000-watt station like WRDU – and the station also will have to show consistency in reaching those ratings.

The ratings news wasn’t all bad for Curtis, whose country station, WQDR 94.7 FM, scored the top spot in the market with an 8.5 share. Clear Channel also scored a Top 5 station with WDCG G105 FM, which landed in fourth place with a 7.1 share.

Top station honors have to go to Lanham, Md.-based Radio One, which landed three stations in the Top 5: WQOK K97.5 FM (No. 2), WFXC Foxy 107.1 FM (No. 3) and WNNL103.9 FM (No. 5).

“We always do well, and we should do well,” says Gary Weiss, the local Radio One general manager.

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Magnificent Mile Organization Partners with Articulon for Marketing

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Magnificent Mile, which puts on fund-raisers to support research into upper motor neuron diseases, is partnering with Raleigh-based Articulon for media relations.

The organization will put on its fourth annual event in Raleigh on Sept. 13.

“The Articulon team is helping us take The Magnificent Mile to the next level,” said Sarah Roberts-Witt, founder of The Magnificent Mile. “Through the use of new communication tools we are seeing an increase of awareness for the event.”

Roberts-Witt was an avid runner and marathoner until developing primary lateral sclerosis in 2004. She is confined to a wheelchair and is unable to speak. Since the diagnosis of the disease, she has dedicated her time to trying to find a cure-one step at a time.

The press release:

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Magnificent Mile, a fundraising event that includes one-mile runs and walks, has selected Raleigh-based Articulon as its communication agency of record. Proceeds from The Magnificent Mile help fund research grants awarded to find a cure for upper motor neuron diseases.

Articulon is managing marketing and public relations efforts, including advertising, social media and media relations. The fourth annual event is Sunday, September 13, 2009 in downtown Raleigh. More than 750 runners are expected to attend.

“The Articulon team is helping us take The Magnificent Mile to the next level,” says Sarah Roberts-Witt, founder and inspiration behind The Magnificent Mile. “Through the use of new communication tools we are seeing an increase of awareness for the event.”

Articulon’s work with The Magnificent Mile further strengthens its commitment to working with nonprofit organizations to promote cause-related initiatives. In addition to this event, Articulon has partnered with Special Olympics North Carolina, the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities, MS Events, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Eastern North Carolina Chapter and The National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina.

“The Magnificent Mile is a great way to encourage people in the area to support programs that directly affect and improve the lives of those living with motor neuron diseases,” says Cindy Stranad, Articulon principal. “We’re proud to help in raising awareness of this event and this disease.”

The Magnificent Mile includes men’s and women’s competitive one-mile races that serve as the USATF North Carolina State one-mile championship. In addition, it offers a one-mile recreational run/walk and kids’ races. This event is the first of the eight-race Second Empire Grand Prix Series, and will also include entertainment, food and other fun activities. Additionally, organizers seek to encourage sustainable and environmentally conscious activities. The Magnificent Mile is part of Endurance Magazine’s Race Without a Trace initiative.