Ad rep fails; sports writer likely punished

DRydell's on the right road . . . and much of what LBS is spouting sounds like sour grapes, re effort from the ad-sales side. It stands to reason that the ad boys (singular, in this case) may not be too eager to follow empty wagons. Given the business yield produced, it sounds like the guy faced a slow, teeth-pulling process. If the Boss of All Bosses thought there was real potential for a sales bonanza, he should have more than one guy working it.

Bottom-lining it: LBS may think there was a party going on, and I sympathize, but maybe . . . just maybe . . . the business side quickly discerned the lay of the land and figured out quickly that killing yourself in a futile effort to support a 28-page effort was a significant waste of time and energy.

JMO.

 

True, but they tend to push for their own commisions at the expense of the paper's bottom line, which should be unacceptable to the publisher.

For years I heard the "sports doesn't sell ads" from our ad manager and all of our special sections would be practically void of advertising. The ad manager finally retired and somebody new was brought in, somebody who didn't have the "sports doesn't sell" mentailty and I'll be damned if our sports tabs didn't start making money.

I think LBS has every right to bitch. He did his job and should expect the ad department to do theirs, instead of a half-assed one-person effort.

 

I wouldn't blame it all on the ad rep. At our shop, we special section the advertisers to death, and most can't afford to be in the football section and the main section and the home and garden section and whatever other crap they are selling. This year they sold a package -- football and basketball -- to advertisers, but I'm not sure it sold any better.
Also, somebody should have tightened the section considerably before it was given to editorial. did the ad rep dog it? probably. But somebody higher up dropped the ball on the No. of page. Still, it's not the writer's job to sweat it -- that's the sports ed's job.

 

It's funny how this is a hot issue at the smallest weeklies all the way up to the highest-profile television networks.

A friend of mine produces shows for a network. His work is amazing -- the critics always love it. But he did a show recently that wasn't sold, for whatever reason. It did a respectable rating, it got great pub, but it was a money-loser... so he probably won't be doing it again. He calls the ad guys "liars" and "lazy." I actually have a lot of respect for ad people -- it's a tough way to make a living.

For you, I think the only suggestion might be .... When a reader gives you a compliment of any sort, say, "Thanks, can I ask a favor? Can you put what you just told me in a quick e-mail and send it to our reader feedback person?" (Or whomever.)

It's unfortunate that journalists now have to be our own publicists, but you'd be surprised at how 3 measly e-mails can turn something into a raging success.

 

Before we go shooting all ad reps - and trust me, they are no friend of mine - selling special sections is tougher than it sounds.
The difficulty is in getting existing clients to double their ad buy - one for the special section to go with their usual buy - otherwise, the client just puts his ad in the special section and doesn't put another in the regular paper. There's no new money there. It's only been shuffled around.
The problem with special sections is many businesses know that they often get chucked without being read. Not everyone is dying to read about high school football - especially women, who are the driving force behind the purchases of most households.
The make the special section work, the ad rep has to drum up wholly new clients and I think we can concede that that is not an easy task.
Add to that the existing clients they must service (and no wisecracks necessary) just to keep them buying into the daily, and I think we see the other side of the coin.
I'm no ad guy, but I had to work with them a lot over the years and while I hate most of them, I can understand their difficulties.

 

At least you got to put out your magazine.
We had our football tab all planned out, stories written or in the process of finishing up, we took a ton of preseason photos and the Monday before the deadline, we were informed ads didn't sell enough so they scrapped the whole thing.
Then our publisher bitched about our five ours each of overtime and why was it necessary, without realizing we've been working 50-55 hours a week and not getting paid for it.

 

I love these condescending and ignorant comments about the advertising people. Try it some time, folks.

Most of you'd be out of a house and a job in six months.

The fault for this lies directly in the publisher's lap. He's the guy/gal who is ultimately responsible for the financial side of things. If the ad revenue wasn't going to be there, she should have known that BEFORE the damn section ran and not bitch about it after the fact.

 

I'm surprised the publisher let it go out at all if there was that kind of ad shortage. I had a football tab that was killed a week prior to publication date because no ads were sold. No ads as in zero. So I had to make do with a shitty situation and put the previews in the regular section while holding out the player features for future issues. Not ideal, but you do what you do. If the ad people can't/won't sell ads, I have no hope for a special section. Simple economics -- I don't make money for the paper, I lose it for them. I'm a necessary evil, and pretty much anyone can do my job for what they want out of it. So I don't complain except in private. Well, and the board, but whatever. I've learned my place in the last few years, I tell you what.

Whoops, didn't mean to go there. Eh. Anyhow, I'd drop the winter sports tab idea for now and work with the SE to work on the publisher about keeping support for the football tab. Maybe now that you have two football tabs on paper, prospective advertisers will see it and think "I gotta get me some of that". One can only hope. But you're thinking above your expectations where you are, and that's not a bad way to be for making professional progress.

 

If the ads aren't selling, shrink the damned tab. It's a tough market, and sometimes a tab is a tough sell (although if the rep didn't make an effort to drum up new business, shame on him/her). But blaming the writer or the sports department just because the tab didn't make money is ridiculous.
It's not like the writer or sports editor see any of the profits if the tab's a hit with advertisers, either.

 

As a vet of two sales jobs who'd never go back to that world, couldn't agree more. Most people making the "ad fucks" comments couldn't sell a gallon of water in the desert.

 

We're adding a little something to this month's sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado.

Anybody want to see second prize?

Second prize is a set of steak knives.

Third prize is you're fired.

 

fucking ad fucks