Sara Angle
Internship Final Paper
September 1, 2010
Making the sale: Magazine Advertising from concept to reality
While interning for the advertising department at Lucky Magazine, a Conde
Nast publication, I learned about many aspects of the magazine industry. Not only
did I learn about what I do want to do in the future, writing and editing, but I also
learned about what I do not want to do within the magazine world, advertising,
sales, and creative services and marketing. I had the opportunity to meet with
staffers in all departments of the magazine and at all levels, but I worked most
closely with the sales representatives and their assistants. Although I came to
realize through my time at Lucky that I do not want to work on the business side of
magazines, I have developed a deep appreciation for sales representatives and the
others that work to make the advertising department run smoothly.
The job of a sales representative is fiercely competitive, highly stressful, and
face-paced. Essentially, they are responsible for the reputation and long-term
survival of the magazine: without advertising, the magazine will flounder. The
process of forming relationships with clients and moving from the idea of an
advertising partnership to the actual reality of the ad, however, is very complex.
From choosing a client to developing an idea to proposals, meetings, research, and
the actual sales call, there are many steps taken before an ad simply appears in the
glossy pages of a magazine. Most importantly, there is a continuous 2-way process
of communication that can make or break an advertising partnership, which
separates the mediocre sales representative from the highly valued employee that
helps to keep a magazine afloat.
Choosing a client is the first and most basic step in the advertising process. It
may seem trivial, but matching sales representatives with the appropriate clients
helps to ensure proper communication throughout the entire process. Most
magazines have multiple sales representatives assigned to various accounts in one
category, such as consumer products, fashion, beauty, sportswear, and footwear,
among others. These employees are experts in their categories, knowledgeable not
only about the products and services, but also about how these products and
services directly relate to the magazine’s target audience.
Clients are usually chosen by the Business Director and then assigned to the
corresponding sales representative. After the client is chosen, the sales
representative is responsible for reaching out to that particular company and
targeting them for an advertising partnership. Next, the sales representative sends a
Request For Proposal (RFP) to the Creative Services department, who works with
the sales representative to form a package for the client that proposes several
options for partnership, depending on their past loyalty in advertising with the
magazine. New clients are often given “extra incentives” to advertise with the
magazine so they will continue coming back, and loyal clients also gain precedence
due to their continued support.
When the proposal is returned to the sales representative, it is reviewed and
revised before a meeting is set up with the client or advertising agency that
represents the client.
The proposal itself consists of multiple parts which vary based on the client,
and may also vary from magazine to magazine. From my experience, the proposal
begins with a program overview: a brief 1-2 sentence description encapsulating the
goals of the program. The next section contains information about added value
programs—bonuses that a client can receive based on the number of ad pages they
commit to for the entire year. Added value services can include things such as event
marketing, digital assets, industry partnership, in-house market research, and other
custom programs.
Next, the proposal lists the program breakdown, based on final paging
commitment for the year. The more pages the company commits to, the more added
value programs are offered to them. Finally, the proposal goes over each added
value option in depth. In one proposal for Lucky added value programs included an
“Access Alpha Shopper Program,” Alpha Blogger Events, a Media Tour, and
Promotional Extensions.
The Access Alpha Program, unique to Lucky, consists of readers and
consumers identified by Lucky through custom research that shop often, shop
responsibly, and influence others to shop. Through this program, Lucky is able to
connect advertisers with shopping-savvy women by sending them samples from the
client and asking them to try them out, blog about them, and share their experience
with others. Alpha Blogger events, another added value program, are designed to
target select geographical markets by inviting prominent Alpha bloggers to co-host
events with Lucky that will bring in their readers and give advertisers a way to
directly connect with consumers and share their products. Lucky creates the e-mail
invites for the client and provides refreshments, gift bags, a venue, and an event
coordinator.
Other added value programs, such as a media tour, target an even larger
audience, with clients getting coverage on morning television shows to show
Lucky’s endorsement of their product(s). This is a great way for a client to reach a
nationwide clientele and drive traffic in-store both locally and nationally. Finally,
promotional extensions can include things such as extra coverage of their company
on a Lucky promotional page in-book, an online promotional listing on the Lucky
website, listing in a Lucky newsletter, or coverage on Lucky’s facebook page. Added
value programs vary across magazines and clients, but they are an integral part of
the advertising process.
When the sales representative confirms the proposal, a meeting is set up
with the client or ad agency to go over the proposal and to convince the company
about how advertising with the magazine could be beneficial. Before going on the
sales call, a “pre-call” is performed, usually put together by e sales assistant and
reviewed by the sales representative before they go on the sales call so they are
informed about the client they are meeting with.
In my time at Lucky, I had the opportunity to put together a pre-call for one
of the sales representatives. No two pre-calls are the same, and the format of a pre-
call is a personal preference of the sales representative. Typically, the pre-call will
include current market research which goes over any recent press the company has
had, new product releases, and any big changes in their market sector. The pre-call
also gives a review of the company itself, including its executives, mission statement,
current goals, and their estimated advertising budget for the year. In addition, it
reviews the recent advertising pages they have had with that magazine and the
magazines within that competitive set. The number of ad pages the company has
had in the past year is important, and also the percentage of book that the ads
appeared in is crucial to know. Many sales representatives also like to review the
artwork that the company has used in their recent advertisements. Pre-call research
helps the sales representative closely target the client and anticipate any questions
or concerns they may have regarding a partnership. Keeping up with the company’s
current happenings gives the sales representative a competitive edge over other
representatives who may be less informed.
Before heading out on the sales call, the representative will prepare a media
kit with sell sheets to take on their call as well as a sales deck to present to the
client. These tools will also vary based on the client, but many will include a few of
the same basic items. A media kit is a tool left behind with the client by the sales
representative to remind them about the sales call and the benefits of advertising
with the magazine. A sales deck is a presentation given by the sales representative
during the sales call to give an overview of the proposed program, what the client
will gain by advertising with the magazine, and statistics that support the benefits of
advertising with the magazine. The media kit and sales deck are both designed by
the Creative Services team and encapsulate the purposes of the sales call into one
package.
A typical media kit will include an editorial calendar that describes the main
focus of each magazine issue for the coming year, an overview of all added value
programs, details on all of the magazines promotional events for the year, the latest
in-house research on the magazine, profiles on prominent staff members and
photographers that draw in audiences, and the rate base and rate card. The rate
base lets the client know the number of readers the magazine has through
subscription and newsstand. This provides a commitment to advertisers about how
many people their advertisement will be reaching and how much money per reader
they will be spending on advertising. The rate card lists rates for advertisements
based on the size of page, whether the ad is black and white or four color, and in
some cases, the page position in the magazine. It also gives the cost of ad per reader
(CPM) and tailors pricing for companies who advertise more often. In addition to
these items, sell sheets that target the client are also included. Sell sheets are
created to showcase the magazine’s role in a particular market such as Entertaining,
Health and Fitness, or Beauty. Using statistics, examples, and graphics, they prove to
the client that the magazine is an authority on that topic.
While the media kit is left with the client, the sales deck usually takes the
form of a PowerPoint presentation; a simple and concise version of the media kit
and proposal, as a way to aid the sales representative in their “pitch.” When these
materials are prepared, the sale representative is ready to go on their call. First time
calls usually take the form of an office meeting, while later calls are often done on
lunch dates, over drinks, or during manicures/pedicures, or massages. Some clients
will ask for interesting alternatives as well, meaning they sales representative must
always be prepared for a unique venue to present in. During the sales call, the sales
representative “pitches the product” and answers any questions or concerns the
client may have. A sales representative who is a seasoned veteran has told me that
being able to anticipate these questions and read the client right when you walk into
the room is the most important and challenging part of the call. This is a skill that
can only be learned with practice and a keen eye for reading personalities. Even
without confirmation, a good sales representative can usually tell if they have made
the sale or not when the call is over.
After the sales call is finished, continued two-way communication with the
client is necessary to maintain the relationship and secure a partnership. The
proposal is often tailored after the call and re-worked with the client to give them
more of what they want and fit within their budget for the year. It is a constant give
and take relationship to reach the final goal for the sales representative and the
client, but after a compromise is reached, a positioning request form is sent to the
magazine from the advertiser. This is another negotiation process to determine the
page the advertisements will appear on and in which issue. Even after this form is
received and reviewed, positioning is not set in stone until the magazine receives an
insertion order (IO.)
If the Creative Services department of the magazine is designing the
advertisement for the client, then the client waits to send the IO until they receive
and approve a mock ad from Creative Services. If the client is supplying the ad, they
send the IO right away and later send a tear sheet of the artwork for the ad. The IOs
must be reviewed and revised by the magazine’s Finance Director and there is
usually more negotiation involved about price and positioning. The IO must state
the product being advertised, the insert date for the ad, positioning request, and
notes regarding specific negotiated positioning. Clients will often request to have
their ad appear on the left or right hand page, opposite and editorial page, opposite
a certain category of edit, or to have a certain number of pages between their ad and
any ads by brands they are competitive with. When all these specifics have been
worked out and the artwork is completed and/or received, the ad is ready to go into
the production stage and will soon appear in the pages of the magazine.
This process may seem tedious and long-winded, but each step adds
something to the relationship between the magazine and the advertiser. Although I
came to realize through my internship that I prefer the editorial side of magazines to
the business side, I can now recognize the significance that each side has in the
making of a magazine. It is important for someone working on either side of the
magazine to understand and appreciate the work of their counterparts. Knowing the
business of advertising and partnerships with clients that takes place in the
magazine industry gives me a greater perspective on the greater workings of the
industry.
Most importantly, I learned about the role of communication in the magazine
world. As traditionally defined, this two-way process is a constant give and take for
the magazine, their clients, and even their subscribers. Maintaining sound
relationships and giving and getting feedback allow for constant improvement that
makes readers and clients want to keep coming back to the brand. In the volatile
publishing industry, communication is key and only the savvy survive.