AT&T Media Services is set to announce the repositioning of its San
Francisco interconnect by touting 'PrecisionCast,' the moniker for its enhanced
research capabilities.
In new advertising and promotional materials, the Bay Area interconnect
describes PrecisionCast as 'SuperCharged Television Advertising' and 'Powered by
ADcom.'
'It's less a rebranding than a repositioning,' AT&T Media Services San
Francisco Bay area vice president and general manager Fred Yeries said. AT&T
Broadband has trademarked the PrecisionCast name, he noted.
ADcom Information Services Inc. executive vice president of sales Dick
Spooner described his research firm's inclusion in the promotional materials as
akin to the 'Intel inside' advertising in the computer field.
Yeries described PrecisionCast -- the formal promotion of which kicks off
Tuesday -- as 'a new system to manipulate ADcom data for our clients.'
'PrecisionCast will make our schedules [for clients] more targeted and more
effective than ever,' he said. 'This will reinvigorate cable advertising in this
market, and this is definitely the time to do it.'
The move was not inspired by Los Angeles interconnect Adlink's positioning as
'Targeted TV,' Yeries said.
ADcom has long called attention to its position as the only research company
with the ability to supply metered household viewing statistics cross-referenced
with product-consumption information.
According to Yeries, the Bay Area interconnect -- which reaches nearly 1.7
million cable households -- sells to advertisers in 11 main zones in the DMA, as
well as 23 subzones. With PrecisionCast data, it can now pinpoint the most
efficient cable networks, programs and dayparts for specific advertisers' needs,
he added.
Initially, ads in trade publications and the interconnect's avails will make
business decision-makers aware of the sales tool, Yeries said. He later plans to
promote PrecisionCast via its own Web site, as well as through the San Francisco
Chamber of Commerce. Subsequently, broader business publications and direct mail
may become part of the campaign.
A 30-page manual will help the interconnect's account executives to explain
PrecisionCast to the advertising community, Yeries said.
