Business & Advertising Workshop

College Media Conference 2008

• Ad managers / director / team (hourly and compensation)
• Compensation directly from sales and advertising

• Recruit members through classes (Communication, Journalism, Marketing)
• Underwriting
• Make newspaper a class to take (compensation = credit hours)
• Online Sales!
• Rate card for other newspapers à ad designers

Know Your Product

• Features & benefits
• Media Kits
• Readership vs. circulation
• Be aware of local competition
• Features & benefits of other papers (SLU, Canton, Clarkson)
• Feature = fact

• Soduku, crossword puzzles, games (put advertisements underneath)
• Advertise free distribution
• Call in forum (put message in paper)
• READERSHIP SHOULD BE DOUBLE CIRCULATION
• Work with MediaMate for national ads
• Alloy survey – benefits of local news
• Have departments assign work out of the Racquette
• Readership surveys – CMA list serve
• CNBAM.org
• Mustangdaily.net
• Charge for online advertisements
• Written ad policy (ex. no alcohol, drugs, adult entertainment)
• Keep client information on file – ask about budgeting
• Banner ads ($120 per month, “3’2 for $30)
• Special issues (open house, sex issue, welcome back from semester)
• WOW (week of welcome)
• Broad sheet vs. tabloid à sell color
• Do we charge to design ads?
• SPEC advertisements (make ad before trying to sell it)
• Best of Potsdam issue...
• Commission for designers
• Marketing slogan (free and reliable) à tee shirts
• PDF file – email
• Cody Wilson à LSU media kit

Sales Presentations

• Client research
• Go into the business and potential customer
• Use the internet
• Browse competing media
• Research the competition
• Network – friends, classmates… etc
• Get the right contact information

• Find out who is the business manager at a potential ad site and only ask to contact them so that the sale is not lost
• Chamber of commerce members
• Business expo à make table
• Table hours (list all the possible jobs and benefits)

• Customer analysis (important times of day, week, month, year)
• Budget time
• Fiscal year
• New product introductions (something the business wants to push)
• National promotions à co op advertising
• Strengths / weaknesses
• How do companies measure success?

Making the Sales Call

• What to take with you & when:
• Newspaper
• Potential advertisements (spec ads or prior advertisements from company)
• Advertisements from competition
• Go when that business is least busy (mid-afternoon or early morning)
• Appearance (dress code)
• E-mail for guidebook & face-to-face flyer
• Be confident
• Make list of things to do face-to-face
• Calculator
• Bring gifts!

• Newspaper Christmas cards (staff photo) à print online
• Thank you cards for new customers
• Rate cards / media kit
• Tee shirts for business strategies (work with Great Northern)

Presentation Exercise

• Sales plan & business strategies
• Restaurant/bar located near campus (Firestone Grill)
• Happy Hour (Mon – Fri, 5-7pm à no discounts on drinks, but all appetizers are half price)
• Biggest competition (Downtown Brew)
• Walking distance from campus (mile from campus)
• Wednesday, Friday, Saturday nights (live entertainment)
• Increase wanted for Monday nights
• Large student population (high percentage)
• Slow business due to economy
• Alternative Rock Wednesday, Techno Saturday
• Discount available for students (will look into)
• Running advertisement on the radio (four different stations), New Times (1/4 page weekly, lists upcoming events)
• Improvement for ads: not positive about ad success
• Most popular item: Tri-tip sandwiches
• Budget: 5,000 per year
• Budgets every December for next calendar year
• Top & bottom shelf alcohol
• Would like to improve food business because they sell alcohol
• Thirteen TV screens (projection screens: sporting events, college football)
• Backroom can hold special parties
• Sandwiches, salads, seafood, tacos, vegetarian options (veggie burger)
• Food price ranges from $6-$8 (under $10)
• Really wants to increase Monday night traffic and food offerings
• Make campus departments pay but make it at a discount

• Paychecks through campus? Business account?

• Advertise to read the news and for meetings

Monday Night:

• Mustang Daily business managers
• Paper is published five days a week and these are our ad rates ($9.50 per column inch for local businesses, but if you continue to advertise, a discount is offered)
• 15,000 daily readership at a 6,000 a day circulation (83% of students read the paper and their average age is 21)
• Average student spending is $172 million
• Sports section placing (5x8 is suggested at a price of $47.50 per day, at a weeks cost of $237.50)
• We need ad information by 11am on Thursday if you want the ad placed by Monday

v Proposal:

• Football on the big screen
• Bring a friend, one person eats free (each pays half of meal)
• Waiters can keep a tally by student ids (will measure success of advertisement)
• Discount does not apply to appetizers on Monday nights because it is during happy hour
• Within walking distance of campus
• “Come to the Firestone Grill to heat up your taste buds!”

Other group’s ideas:

• Wear your jersey and get a discount
• Graduation issue à party space
• Repeat customer card with paper’s name on it (have to go to news office to get the card)
• Buy 10 entrees, get one free (stamp/punch card)
• Total investment instead of total cost
• Monday night “tailgating” with an earlier happy hour
• Friday preview
• Banner ad
• March madness
• Turn advertisement into a coupon (if I didn’t work in the newspaper, would I cut this ad out)
• Show student id/mention paper for a discount
• Calendar of events as an ad (Casbah)
• Advertise menu and prices
• “I’m a new advertising manager and I am looking for ways to help you increase your business."

• Objections (why people say no)
• Have empathy
• Get to the heart of the objection
• Answer it
• Move on
• Practice makes perfect

• Business card à “I’ll think about it.”
• You have to ask for the sale in order to get one.
• Sales calls (make an appointment) vs. calling them
• It is too easy to say no over the phone.
• Drop in and leave papers a couple days after if they say no over the phone, or say they don’t know when a good time to meet is.
• Don’t disagree with the customer, just give them more information.
• “I do not have the money to advertise.”
• Have empathy about this!

• University of Pennsylvania
• Hand out objections on cards
• Answer the objection
• Group will answer what is the best way to handle it

• “We already set our budget for this year.”
• When do they advertise
• Where do they advertise
• How much is their budget
• Discuss success of current advertising
• Bring a proposal à reallocate part of budget

• “Students don’t read newspapers anymore; we are going for online advertising.”
• Campus readership is higher than ever
• Show media kit
• They don’t know this for a fact, they have only been told.

• “I don’t like dealing with student reps; they do not know what they are talking about and once they do they usually quit.”
• Newspaper will always be here even if they student reps are.
• Dynamic in student reps
• Keep one person on a business for as long as possible.

• “Your newspaper is more expensive than other sources.”
• Ask if they are advertising with a weekly, bi-weekly or daily paper.
• Direct market dealing with students and if you put it in a daily newspaper with twice the circulation, it does not mean that twice as many people will read it.
• “Skinny market” à (mattress store example)

• “Word of mouth is the best form of advertising.”
• It is beneficial if customer base is constant and staying the same, but we are switching students on a semester basis.
• “Why McDonald does have so many ads and how many people don’t know about this customer; they want to keep a market share.”

• Research how many students use webpage vs. print.
• Pre-payment discounts
• Don’t run restaurant reviews, it can be harmful for advertising (those people writing it are not food critics.)

Potsdam students track ghosts.

Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: A&E

On October 25, renowned ghost hunter and demonologist, John Zaffis, made an appearance at Hurley's. Student Entertainment Services (SES) sponsored the event.

Zaffis has over thirty years of experience and has been featured on shows such as "Unsolved Mysteries," Fox News Live and Discovery Channel's, "A Haunting in Connecticut" and "Little Lost Souls."

Over 100 students filed into Hurley's to listen to a presentation by Zaffis. He spoke about how he got started in the field and talked briefly about his interest in demonology. Other topics discussed included exorcisms and parapsychology in relation to various religious affiliations. At the conclusion of the presentation, students were presented with the opportunity to ask Zaffis questions. There was an immense amount of participating in the crowd and a solid half hour of Q&A.

After the question and answer session, Zaffis led students on a "ghost tour" of the campus and used equipment to detect the presence of spirits. The group went to the Blackbox Theater where Zaffis used his electromagnetic stud detector to scope for spirits. "We were in communication with a spirit that said it was a female theater major," said sophomore psychology major Alice Sorensen. "I was skeptical, but other students were really affected and into it."

Overall, the event was seen as a success, and students gave a lot of positive feedback. Experiences are talked about in Zaffis' book, Shadows of the Dark, and more books are to be expected in the future. For more information about ghost hunter, John Zaffis, check out http://www.johnzaffis.com/.

At Wal-Mart, students trade social concerns for convenience.

Issue date: 9/12/08 Section: Opinion

On October 31, 1969, the Walton family helped incorporate Wal-Mart stores into American society. After a long period of controversy and debate, Potsdam, NY became home to a Wal-Mart "Super Center".

Over the years, Wal-Mart has come to be the largest corporation in terms of annual revenue and can now be found in countries such as Mexico and the UK. Despite the rapid growth of Wal-Mart, they are currently the reason for many ongoing human rights and fair-labor violations. Groups, such as Wake Up Wal-Mart (http://www.wakeupwalmart.com") have been formed to combat the corporation's negative synergies. The group's main purpose is to educate the general public about the Walton family's company.

According to the Wake Up Wal-Mart website, in 2006 alone, the company faced fifty seven pay wage and time clock lawsuits. Over 775,000 Wal-Mart employees are currently without health benefits, and when health insurance is provided, it is not adequate for one trying to provide for one's family. The corporation has been known to violate environmental standards and recently had a lawsuit filed against them in Connecticut for improperly storing pesticides. The company also just so happens to be the largest "storm water violator" and has been charged in nine states for disobeying the Clean Water Act. Also, Wal-Mart obtains most of its merchandise from China, and a class action lawsuit was recently filed against the company for not offering employees the legal minimum wage.

Overall, Wal-Mart is currently suffering from many lawsuits dealing with the violation of labor based human rights. The corporation has received numerous warnings saying that they are violating the fair Labor Standards Act, but have yet to change working conditions for their employees.

So, what is such a socially abrasive corporation doing in small-town Potsdam? The answer is quite clear: convenience. It is hard to argue that the new superstore has better prices than local shops and it is only a ten minute drive from campus. Even students who boycott the Walton's corporation have found themselves shopping at the new Wal-Mart since returning to school. When asked the question, "Are you an avid Wal-Mart shopper," a first year student who chose to remain anonymous replied "No, I am not an avid Wal-Mart shopper, but the new store in Potsdam is really convenient for students, despite Wal-Mart's negative reputation."

Just think: the town of Potsdam's tax dollars are now supporting the growth of the company. On the contrary, while having a Wal-Mart store is known to decrease the revenue of small-town businesses, Potsdam's placement of the corporation is not showing a grave effect on the well-being of our town. It is hard to fight the presence of the store since it already has a steady stream of customers, but if you would like more information on the ongoing battle against Wal-Mart, visit Wake Up Wal-Mart's website.

Comedian gets mixed reviews.

Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: A&E

Jasper Redd made his local comedic debut at Dunn Theater on Saturday, August 23,2008. Redd, originally from Knoxville, TN, started his career in 2004 with an appearance on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend." He is most often recognized for roles in National Lampoon's "Totally Baked: A Potumentary" (2006) and on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". Redd currently tours the country and was recently found bringing his humor and personal stylings to our very own campus.

Despite his previous stardom, the audience produced mixed reviews at the conclusion of Redd's show. According to junior Sarah Hope, "there were some things that were funny but he definitely did not have me rolling with laughter." Many jokes were racially based due to his African American culture, which made some audience members uncomfortable, but others seemed to have no problem with such humor.

Sophomore Meghan Place said she "did not go in thinking it would be funny at all, and [she] was surprised to have laughed a lot." Place, along with other audience members, enjoyed Redd's easy-going personality and light sense of humor.

Despite the mixed feelings of the audience, Dunn Hall was filled with laughter on Saturday night and the audience gave a standing ovation to the Tennessee native.

Obama-Biden ticket offers hope for change.

Issue date: 9/19/08 Section: Opinion

On November 4, 2008, our country will face the tough (or not so tough, in my eyes) decision of choosing which presidential candidate they want to fix the eight year mess that George W. Bush will have left us with.

So, will it be McCain-Palin or Obama-Biden? If you want more of the same, I would go for the first choice. McCain offers a great variety of right-wing options when it comes to restricting women's rights, enforcing the ban on civil unions, and keeping our troops in Iraq until "victory" is achieved. If that does not sound appealing, the McCain and Palin ticket encourages competition in education settings (good in theory, but not so hot in practice). Competition in education does not eliminate the problem; there will still be children who are forced into a school with no technology and outdated textbooks. McCain is basically saying that if you have a problem with the school you are in, just move, do not actually bother to try and fix the problem.

According to the Move On campaign (www.moveon.org), there are some simple things one needs to know before voting McCain in this upcoming election: John McCain opposes key civil rights laws, he supports the Iraq war more than Bush himself, he supported Bush's veto on a law that would ban waterboarding, he strictly opposes a women's right to terminate a pregnancy, he voted against a child's health care bill this past year and owns eight homes despite the fact that he stated people who are facing housing foreclosures should just "get a second job", and lastly, he has 59 lobbyists working for his presidential campaign although publicly speaks out against the use of special interest groups.

Personally, I believe the Obama-Biden ticket offers a more promising call for change. Obama has been the first presidential candidate since Bill Clinton to openly speak out about HIV/AIDS and is a part of the global fight to educate people on the deadly disease. Barack Obama supports a woman's right to choose despite the fact that it is highly controversial, fights for pay-equality, and strives to end gender violence abroad. While working to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2011, Obama also finds it necessary to improve transportation access to jobs. Despite his religious background, Barack Obama makes it clear that everyone deserves the right to pursue their happiness and therefore fully supports civil unions (there is even an LGBT section on his website, whereas McCain tends to tiptoe around the issue.)

My blue blood may be quite obvious here, but political parties aside, I think it is quite clear that Obama is the only presidential candidate offering a concrete plan for reconstructing our broken nation. Even if you do not agree with my views, I encourage you to get out and educate yourselves about the facts of every candidate and vote. You can register to vote or request and absentee ballot online at www.headcount.org; I personally believe it is the easiest voter form out there and HeadCount is an amazing social activism campaign which tours with bands and gets people registered to vote. The deadline for voter registration is October 10th, so get out there and express yourself.

Preacher draws crowd of protesters.

(The controversial figure has preached his message at several SUNY campuses.)

Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: News

Last week, a large number of SUNY Potsdam students gathered in response to Miles Lewis, Reverend Jim Deferio and Michelle Deferio, who came to preach their interpretation of the Christian Bible.

Lewis and the Deferios began speaking and preaching shortly after noon last Friday, October 17, in front of the Barrington Student Union. Their stances against homosexuality, premarital sex, abortion and non-Christians were met with a large crowd of students displaying their contrary positions with signs, chants and pointed questions.

Members of SUNY Potsdam's campus radio station, the WAIH (90.3 FM) joined in the protest, playing politically themed music during the time of the demonstration. Protesters brought radios and tuned into the station. While songs ranging from "It's Raining Men" to "Imagine" played, students danced and sang along, posing for group pictures and proudly holding up their signs.

According to Vice President of Student Affairs Chris Strong, the religious presentation was not an isolated incident. "To the best of my knowledge, they have been to Geneseo, Brockport, Oneonta, Fredonia, Binghamton and maybe Oswego," said Strong.

The weather was accommodating for Lewis, the Deferios and protesters alike. Despite a chill in the air, the sun shone all day and there were blue skies. Besides Deferio and onlookers, Student Government Association held table hours outside and sophomore psychology major Corey Martin stood with a sign reading "Free Hugs."

After an hour of loud protesting, Communication professor Dr. John Youngblood, intervened, offering to moderate an intellectual debate with the speakers. Students sat on the ground and engaged with Deferio in a Q&A session.

At one point, Miles Lewis, one of Deferio's speakers, said that the students were not respecting his diversity.

"They are preaching the same way that you do," replied Dr. Youngblood. "It is clear you did not take advantage of our free hugs section!"

The topic of homosexuality and sin was raised frequently. Lewis never directly answered these questions, he did state that "not all sins are equal."

When asked why he chose to come to SUNY Potsdam, Deferio said "I hope to preach as the apostles did in their day."

A vague e-mail from Christine Strong, Vice President of Student Affairs, preceded Deferio's arrival on campus. The e-mail stated: "Occasionally, campuses are visited by outside individuals who have a wish to communicate their message and distribute material to the campus community. While we may not agree with their message, as a public institution of higher education we are legally obligated to allow individuals to exercise their right to free speech," wrote Strong. "These individuals must agree to abide by our policies so that we avoid disruption of classes and provide security as needed."

At the end of the day Friday, both sides were successful. While Deferio and his associates were able to speak their mind, and those students who did not agree with the messages were able to do the same.