Here is the new model of online advertising for AnnArbor.com as explained by the new content czar.
Admittedly, I know little about the advertising end of the news business so I'm not even going to offer an opinion on whether this will work or not.
But in just a quick read it seems like what the new AnnArbor.com is offering is a service for businesses that they could easily do for themselves online. In a sophisticated, connected town like Ann Arbor it would seem, but I could be wrong, that most businesses would already know how to get the word out about their businesses online.
This sounds a little like those ads selling people a book on how they can find "free" money from the government. The information is already available for free by anyone who knows how to 'google.'
But I'd love to hear what the advertising folks think of this new idea.
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4 comments:
As someone who buys and sells advertising, this is a crock. It's like going to a limited ad agency. Are they going to charge a fee for helping people get on Google? Why would anyone pay for that? Pop up ads and banner should be their bread and butter. Yes, people hate them. They also would like TV without commercials or subscriptions and rainbows on dry sunny days. The PROBLEM with their online product now is that people can see the news without ads online, unless they SPECIFICALLY CLICK ON LINKS TO SEEK OUT ADS. This is cloud cuckoo land. They learned nothing from a decade ago with they stopped paying ad agency commissions so agencies started thinking cable TV was a very attractive alternative. Then they restored commmissions to attract that business after their product was all but irrelevant and a bad buy on its face. This approach is lets repeat the mistakes of the past, but call it something brand new and act excited about it and people will fall in line. Dumb, dumb, dumb. They need someone in this discussion who owns a small business in Ann Arbor who will ask, "How does this help me," and "Why should I pay for this?"
My opinion carries far less weight than David's (who works in advertising), but here's what I've observed about advertising as a journalist who's chatted with the ad sellers at newspapers:
When they tell you their prospective and current customers are complaining about the newspaper content, that it's too negative and one-sided, that's not a very good sign.
If a newspaper can't sell ads, the only other way it'll pay bills is through subscriptions.
As a former advertising sales rep for a Booth paper, I see many problems.
First, this "model" offers nothing that the advertisers can't get themselves for little or no money. It is also outright wrong that the reason the current sales staff can't sell internet is because we were taught to sell print. The problem is that Advance set up so many roadblocks for communication and a sales rep's biggest asset is customer service and their reputation. When a "print" rep sells an ad and there is no follow up by the "online" rep, it puts our reputations on the line. The actual word for what was done by Mlive sales reps and management is "pimping". They use the knowledge, relationships and expertise of the "print" sales rep to get in the door, then take over.
The only reason AnnArbor.com will offer any print publication is in a desparate attempt to hang on to the preprint business from major advertisers. What they don't share, is that by calling or emailing your favorite retailers, you can get their weekly flyers delivered to you through the mail, or online. Are you a Kohl's shopper? Just email their customer service dept. and sign up for the service.
Second, it all comes down to price. Today's advertisers have more choices and cost is a large part of the decision making process. Mlive.com has a history of overpricing and scaring customers away. The rates for print advertising has gotten out of reach for many businesses.
Anonymous from May 5th, 10:26...I couldn't agree more. You took the words out of my mouth. I work at a different Advance paper and it is EXACTLY the same there.
Our company isn't going out of business because of the economy or the internet, its going out of business because of a business model that does not work and owners who refuse to fix it. Just because we've always done it this way, doesn't mean it best way to do it.
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