If you’re looking for an assessment of how local media companies are faring in their digital efforts – or if you want to know how your operation compares to peers – this is the definitive report.  This 43-page research paper offers 30 charts and graphics, as well as appendices listing online ad spending broken out by the amounts spent on untargeted banners, targeted banners, paid search, email, video and audio advertising for each of 210 U.S. markets.  The research is culled from Borrell’s database of local media companies who report their online revenues, expenses and related information.  This year’s survey encompasses 5,756 local media companies.  Chapter 1 lays out the landscape and discusses the transition of yellow pages companies and media companies becoming digital agencies.  Chapters 2, 3, and 4 take deep dives into benchmarking for newspapers, TV and radio stations’ digital sales efforts.  And a Conclusions & Recommendations chapter offers analysis and a “best-practices dashboard.”  The dashboard displays the metrics unique to best-practice local media companies a they utilize digital media to grow their market share four times to as much as 10 times that of their peers.  A free executive summary includes the full Table of Contents.

User Reviews:

You guys did a great job in putting together yesterday’s Benchmarking Local Online Advertising report. Particularly where you highlight the
“agency approach” and the shift to Digital Services. I actually spoke at ILM last week on this topic (my post recapping the session from last
week is here: http://johnhdenny.com/705/ilm-east-view-services ). Was not sure how “on top of it” analysts outside companies would be about this
major shift but you guys are clearly on it and have nailed what is happening….

John Denny
Advance Digital
VP Marketing