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What Do Advertisers Want?
Thursday, April 17, 2008

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It may have been income tax day for the millions of deadline-strapped Americans but for 300 magazine industry professionals who gathered at the Grand Hyatt on April 15 for the min day Digital Media Summit, the focus was on something else entirely.

At the “What Advertisers Want” session, Uncle Sam was nowhere in sight as moderator (and min’s digital media reporter/editor) Steve Smith kicked things off by asking his panel, comprised of Irene Grieco, print media manager of Unilever, George Janson, managing partner/director of print for mediaedge: cia, Jeff Ratner, managing partner for MindShare INTERACTION and Steve Greenberger, president and CMO of SLG, Inc., how marketers and magazines can bring special value to the online extensions of the brand.

Ratner cited as an excellent example an integrated program that National Geographic has been doing called “Life Dreams,” which targets Baby Boomers. Here vignettes relating to what Boomers are doing in retirement are shot for online and supplemented with written content for the magazine. So far, it has garnered great buzz.

“We know Boomers aren’t retiring traditionally,” explained Ratner, who described the features of the Life Dreams program as emblematic of the demographic it is aiming to reach.
Janson lauded a program his agency has done with Maxim, dubbed “Get Irish,” which he says is consistent with the magazine’s “babes and boobs” mantra. “It leverages the brand’s essence with Maxim,” said Janson, summing up the reason for the program’s success.

All the panelists conceded that the economic downturn is presenting enormous challenges to them this year. “With the budgets flattening and reducing, [magazines and marketers] are going to reach the heavy core consumers,” staunchly maintained Greenberger. “If you have a product that’s relevant to reach them, this is the time to do that.”
Is pricing for digital soaring out of control? “It’s a challenge when there’s a lot of miscommunication and people are going behind each other’s back to get a better price,” conceded Janson. “Clients come to the realization that they’re not thinking in silos but publications are still thinking in silos.”

Although the digital space has become increasingly complicated, Greico did have some valuable advice to impart to magazine professionals that pertained to the theme of the session.” Be cognizant of the brand you have,” she said. “Just because we’re asking for certain things, that doesn’t mean we’re asking for the kitchen sink.” See our Best of the Web Winners and Sweet Sixteen Marketing Honorees.

                                        
 George Janson, Director of Print, Mediaedge:cia        Irene Grieco, Print Media Manager, Unilever
 



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COMMENTS
1.
Nice headline - weak article. Especially since you own the event.

Question: what do advertisers want?
Answer: 1) integrated programs (duh), 2) reach heavy core consumers, 3) be cognizant of the brand

I'm certain there were better answers than those - sure wish I could have read about them.

Jeff Miller
WATT Media Group
Posted by Jeff Miller on Monday, April 21, 2008 @ 02:52 PM
2.
We are a small , but powerful magazine (in my opinion!) And I know what advertisers WANT! I believe you may have given better answers to the question 'what do advertisers want?" if you were given more time. I also believe we live in an unreasonable time, whatever we do will NOT satisfy most advertisers! Then we must turn our MOJO upside down, backwards, and every which way to GIVE them what they want!
Posted by Harvey Keye on Monday, April 21, 2008 @ 03:37 PM
3.
More information about what advertisers want in the mix of traditional print AND didigtal ad-ons would have been helpful. Any ideas out there?
Posted by Tom Brock on Monday, April 21, 2008 @ 07:33 PM
4.
Why do you use 8pt. type across an 7 in. span? You'd think web-designing magazine authorities would columnize their type, to, as we all know, make reading easier.
Posted by darek Johnson on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 @ 09:23 AM

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