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BEST SELLERS
Sales Executive Hall of Fame: Chuck Gabrielson, Publisher, USA WeekendWednesday, June 17, 2009When Chuck Gabrielson arrived at USA Weekend—the weekend magazine complement to USA Today carried by newspapers in all 50 states—in 1990 to serve, initially, as EVP, the publication was at a standstill. Circulation was stuck at 13  million, ad pages were down and staffers were content with the status quo. The Bronx native was nonplussed. He needed to ratchet up some excitement in this sterile environment. A Marketplace Shift Leveraging skills honed in an extensive publishing career that included fruitful stints as marketing sales director for Ad Age and advertising director of Bamberger’s/Macy Co., Gabrielson quickly repositioned and retargeted USA Weekend to appeal to more advertisers and a wider readership by making sure the edit and design was revamped and “infused with a younger spirit.” USA Weekend eventually rose in the mid-90s to the top of the food chain, nabbing the No. 1 position in ad pages in its category; circulation climbed to 23 million. Gabrielson feels the success of USA Weekend has served as an inspiring business model for the competition. “We felt that we were solving a problem for the newspapers—giving them a product that was targeted for readers of today and future readers, and that audience would match the target of advertisers,” he explains. Countering a Precipitous Decline About the downward spiral of the newspaper industry, Gabrielson, who initially joined the Gannett Company (owner of USA Weekend) in 1971 following college graduation, says he has felt insulated from the turmoil because his publication is still performing so well. He believes USA Weekend fills a void. “We’re probably the last to feel it,” he says, referring to both the recession and the decline in print. “Throughout my years here, when business got very tough, USA Weekend did well, and the reason for that is because we’re a mass medium—the mass medium is very efficient for the advertiser. So when advertisers decided to change their media strategy and reduce budget [as a result of the difficult economy], they needed some kind of mass coverage to fill what they lost. USA Weekend was a good fit for them. The publication has a direct ROI: People can measure their response from their ad in USA Weekend via URLs, contact information, etc. They can instantly see the response rates.” The latter proved beneficial to Wal-Mart, currently USA Weekend’s No. 1 advertiser, as opposed to two years ago, when “they weren’t even in our top 10.” Gabrielson’s team was able to show them how the combined impact of the publication’s circulation, readership and high response rates would produce rapid ROI. The discount retailer listened, and now “it’s one of the few businesses today doing well because they’re delivering value to the consumers.” Gabrielson’s Words of Wisdom How has digital/social media changed advertising sales? “Digital is a whole brand of dynamic; it’s a way of life. I truly believe that we’re not walking away from print. But digital is a fine complement to what we do. What we strive to do is address digital as a separate business; we’re retraining our staff to sell digital in a different way.” Tips for surviving the current economic tsunami: “You have to think beyond the printed page. I think integration with digital is critical, and it has to be custom fit to the needs of the advertiser. You have to go back to the basics: Listen to your clients closely, do your homework and really think it through what you’re telling. Develop a clear solution for them because they’re not going to buy off the shelf anymore. It has to be customized and meet their needs.” Back to Best Sellers page
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