|
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Working the Touchpoints
MediaCom is a magazine and newspaper investment group, working in tandem with planning teams. In some instances, it plays a strict buying role; in other cases it is more involved in the title selection process. The client list boasts such companies as GlaxoSmithKline, Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessy, Volkswagen, Audi, the former Cendant companies, including Wyndham, Avis and Budget, Diageo liquor brands, Shell, Smuckers, JetBlue – well, you get the idea.
And while Scott Kruse tends to believe that newspapers are on a "slippery slope" in terms of audience retention and, hence, ad dollars, magazines have done a much better job at moving into other platforms. The world of media is in a trial stage, says Kruse, building audiences for new platforms and creating "stickiness" to make the experience more interactive, so that magazine brands’ Web sites are not mere regurgitations of print content. At stake is a new generation of consumers that are growing up getting their information primarily from a wireless source. Magazines are in a position to demonstrate the potential business model and get investors to jump on their bandwagons.
Depending on the client’s objectives, strategy and values, MediaCom will reach for increased sales or awareness, or try to drive traffic and response rates, using many vehicles. So while automotive clients look for ride-and-drive opportunities, Diageo will look for pouring events and parties.
A great program has to hit on all the right touchpoints. "We did a program last year for Audi with a small network called Plum TV [a lifestyle channel operating locally in small, upscale markets]," Kruse recalls. "We put together some travel segments with an editor from Travel + Leisure, and we brought together Plum TV and the editor, and created segments that were owned by Audi."
Kruse notes luxury brands are more image-focused, less driven by efficiency. "For brands that are carefully cultivated, there’s a premium on positioning and on quality of reproduction," he says. A magazine proposal needs to reflect the unique qualities of Kruse’s clients to hit a home run with this Red Sox fan. e pitch should not be about a "pre-packaged program they spun a bit and put our logo on and said, ‘Here you go.’"
Moving forward, Kruse hopes to see more magazines aggregate their assets and audiences across platforms. "There’s a lot of confusion in terms of what the best ways are to take assets and monetize them," he notes. "That’s where there’s more work to be done on the research end."
Continuing Education
SCOTT KRUSE’S JOURNEY BEGAN 18 YEARS AGO with a summer job at Young & Rubicam in the media planner program. He had been a history major in the liberal arts, like many others in the communications field. "I come from a family of teachers," he says, but he was looking for something different. After playing for the planning team for a couple of years, Kruse moved into an expanded print team at the agency, which means he has spent 16 of those 18 years in a print-dedicated role. "That’s something I don’t think many people can say," he notes.
Among the other challenges Kruse enjoys is the ability to "foster a staff of people and try to teach and inform," he says, proving the teaching gene is alive and well. "The challenge is to always try to keep it fresh and stay on top of changes, and at the same time to make sure people are well versed in the nuts and bolts of what we do, understanding everything from circ to magazine positioning."
Moving targets keep Kruse going. "The minute you teach it one way, it continues to evolve. It’s an exciting time, with all the new things happening on all fronts: new platforms, research, circ audits, lots of different areas where we’ve got to stay on top of a lot of things. That’s what gets people pumped up."
He attributes his career growth to a "desire to know more, to learn, to always strive to question the status quo and figure out whether there’s a better way to do what we have been doing. That’s what makes you successful. Try to anticipate what’s coming down next, which is difficult, but that’s the driver."
- Total Integrated Program: ESPN, ESPN The Magazine's Next 2007 — October 1, 2007
- Vickie Szombathy - Vice President, Media Director, StarLink Worldwide — April 1, 2007
- Scott Kruse: EVP, Director, Print Services, MediaCom — April 1, 2007
- Brenda White - Vice President, Director of Print investment, Starcom — April 1, 2007
|
- Luncheon Keynote: Josh Quittner
How is Flipboard changing the way content is being consumed?: Flipboard editorial director Josh Quittner will tell all during his luncheon keynote.
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
Keynoter:
Erin Matts
Glam Media |
Keynoter:
Josh Quittner
Flipboard |
Join us at the Summit June 5, 2012
Please enter the following information to have a link to The Skinny emailed to your iPhone:
|
