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May 2012

Political TV Ad Spending Picking Up After A Slow Start: Analyst

The conventional wisdom holds that the 2012 campaign will set records for TV spending. But that’s not how things have gone so far, says Wells Fargo Securities analyst Marci Rivicker — who follows political ads closer than just about anybody on Wall Street.

Campaigns have spent $275.5M on TV ads through April 15; nearly 66% went directly to broadcast stations while the rest went to national TV and cable. But spending and fundraising through February was 20% below the average in presidential year campaigns from 2000 through 2008. The large number of GOP presidential debates “dampened the need for advertising,” Ryvicker says, adding that there wasn’t “a clear path to the Republican nomination.” But spending in March was 12% over the average for the month in the previous cycles. That leaves Ryvicker unsure of whether 2012 political TV spending will come in ahead or behind her forecast of $2.7 billion.

Wearable devices track people via wireless network

Mobile technology is opening new channels for remotely monitoring family members and others who need to be tracked.

Several companies, including medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific, have struck deals with major wireless carriers to support a new generation of products that incorporate sensors, accelerometers, GPS and technologies that use cell towers to help triangulate positions and locate people. ABI Research, a research firm, estimates the market for GPS personal tracking devices will grow 40% or more annually and exceed $1 billion by 2017. Family members use them to track toddlers or parents with Alzheimer's. And doctors and military medics have adopted the technology to remotely track the health conditions — EKG readings, body temperature, heart rate, and stress or dehydration levels — of recently released patients or soldiers on dangerous assignments.

CTIA Boss Steve Largent Aims To Keep Conference From Being Lost in the Shuffle

While the U.S. mobile industry is thriving, its annual trade show has struggled to stand out.

Coming on the heels of both January’s Consumer Electronics Show and February’s Mobile World Congress, the CTIA event in March had become something of a rehash of products announced at those earlier events. In response, the show’s producers have pushed this year’s event back to May, a move aimed at creating some separation from the other conferences. This year’s event takes place next week in New Orleans, at the end of that city’s popular jazz festival. By changing the timing, CTIA is also hoping that some companies may be ready to announce products due to ship by the back-to-school shopping season.

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