For a few years I bought media (I had sold print media for well over 20 years) and got an appreciation for what media buyers and marketing managers had to put up with from “space reps” like myself. Of course media buyers mostly give as good as they get (and I’ve got the scars to prove it), so I suppose it comes out even, emotionally.  But media decisions ought not be emotional.
 

Herb Schiff consults with the Audio, Video, Systems Installation, Broadcast, and technical trade publishing industries.

Unfortunately, what I’ve seen happen from both sides of the buyer/seller scrimmage line, is that media buyers give up on trying to make any sense out of the seemingly arcane analysis of media as it is presented by most space reps, and base their media buys on what publication they themselves read or the space reps they themselves like.  Since the media buyer is rarely spending his or her own money, this is unacceptable.

In order to put a reasonable amount of logic back into the buying process, what follows is a number of “do’s and don’ts”, some simple rules, some questions to ask and some definitions that ought to be chiseled into the top of your desk. 

I’ve made the following specific to trade print advertising.  Consumer print, web advertising, trade shows, and direct mail, etc. would be tomes in themselves.

Definitions. 

1. A true trade publication is, by definition, one that helps someone in a particular industry do a better job within his or her chosen profession.  Logically, the more helpful the publication is to industry professionals, (the more it helps them do better work, grow professionally, and make more money), the more it will be read, relied upon and, in turn, be profitable to those whose products are advertised on its pages.

How useful is it to the industry professionals to whom I am attempting to sell my products.

Editorial content and circulation must complement each other.

2. The ideal trade publication is one in which 100% of the editorial content is germane to 100% of the readership, 100% of the time.  This simply means that, for example, a journal in which the editorial content is strictly (100%) technical, and whose circulation/readership consists solely (100%) of technicians, would have the ideal mix of circulation and editorial. A cohesive directed editorial/circulation relationship makes it possible for advertisers to “direct” their ads at the specific audience who they are trying to influence.  Also, if 100% of the editorial is germane to 100% of the readership, 100% of the time, positioning ads within the magazine to maximize visibility is far less of a problem.

3. Receivership is not readership. Since most trade publications are free to their readers, it doesn’t logically follow that just because someone in the industry receives it, they’ll read it, or its advertising.  Readership needs to be proven.    Also remember that without a legitimate audit, you have only the publisher’s word as to how the publication is distributed. 

Remember that circulation statements such as BPA’s and ABC’s don’t prove readership, only receivership.

4. In order for a publication to be 100% functional for its advertisers, its readers must be proven to have not only the interest but also the ability and responsibility to buy their product.

Proof may come in three ways: Third party surveys, in-publication surveys (circulation cards); the first class magazines (see IEEE Journal for example) have this information on their audit statements in great detail.

5.  Just because a publication carries the most ad pages or is “fatter” than the others is no reason to assume that it is the best buy for your company.

In point of fact, the “thud factor” or weight factor may be the worst reason for buying a magazine. 

Summing up all the equations:

For advertising purposes, the ideal trade publication is one whose editorial is always written with an eye toward increasing the job performance of its core readers; those readers are provably the primary buyers of your products within your target industry; the publication can prove through credible research that their publication is read (not just received) more often and more thoroughly than any competitive publication by these primary buyers.

I’ve sold advertising for publications that came achingly close to perfection

I’ve also worked for some that were so far off the ideal that I started to pray that there wasn’t a special circle in hell for space reps

If the above sounds like pie-in-the-sky, I can assure you it isn’t because I’ve sold advertising for publications that came achingly close to perfection and that gave their advertisers enormous credibility and marketing value.  I’ve also worked for some that were so far off the ideal that I started to pray that there wasn’t a special circle in hell for space reps who sold innocent advertisers into publications that weren’t circulated to anyone that mattered, and whose editorial wouldn’t have been read by anyone in the industry who did matter, even if they did receive the magazine…which they didn’t.  I certainly hope there isn’t such a circle in hell.  I’m not good with hot weather.  But just to be sure, I’m going to atone for my past sins by giving you a list of questions you just might want to ask your space rep. 

Just because a publication isn’t perfect, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t advertise in it.  It may mean, however, that once you’ve ‘splained to your rep why his publication is only marginally effective for advertising your products, that you can negotiate a more sensible price relative to its actual value to your company.

Magazine evaluation

The following is one way in which to break out magazine evaluation.  There are others, but this always worked for me.  You’ll also find that it helps to have an evaluative format such as this for side-by-side comparisons among competitive publications.  I also found it beneficial to have your reps give you the answers you seek, in writing.  Finally, just as a reality check, I found it helpful to also have some of the following questions answered (in writing) by the publication’s editor, just as a reality check on what your rep has been telling you about the publication.

Editorial

1. Target audience: for whom is the magazine written, by specific job title (ex. Engineers, corporate managers, project studio owners, etc.)
2. Editorial mission: In what way does the publication benefit the reader (ex. Gives technical, how-to information; facilitates the running of a recording studio, etc).
3. How many full-time staff editors are assigned to the publication?
4. Are the articles solely/mostly/occasionally written by full-time staff?  If not, who authors most of the articles?
5. What percentage of articles are “contributed” by industry manufacturers?
6. What special editorial sections are of interest to my company?
7. What percentage of the past (annual) editorial content was directed at my target client?

Physical

1. Publication frequency:  Special issues, demographic, geographic or editorial focus.
2. Format; magazine: (8x11) or tabloid.
3. “What changes in the layout have occurred in the past year”? This is not only a sign of consistency of direction, but also helps in evaluating positioning of ads. 
4. Layout and color:  Is it easy to read and attractively presented?
5. What is the ad to editorial ratio? Publishers have been cramming excessive amounts of advertising versus sparse editorial.  It makes for diminished readership. 

Circulation

1. What is the total circulation breakdown by desirable/useful BPA categories, both job function and type of facility?  What part of your circulation will be interested in my product?  (i.e. Useful circulation vs. Waste circulation, for comparative publication purposes.  Eschew categories such as “Others allied to the field.”)
2. What is the size of the industry the publication serves versus its actual circulation to that category (1,600 TV stations, publication circulates to 1,000 readers at 500 TV stations, for example)?
3. What percentage of your readers have purchasing authority for my product (initiates the request for products, researches product’s viability, makes final decision to purchase)?
4. What is the 1^st year (audit) qualification, personal direct written request, individual by name and title, number added and subtracted numbers and percentages  (also be sure to always check paragraph 11 at the back of the statement), et al.
5. Are there any anomalies or glaring positive or negative numbers on the statement that you should be aware of and that you (the rep) wish to explain? Be sure you see the actual BPA or ABC AUDIT, not just the publisher’s statement.  If your rep doesn’t know the difference, call the publisher.  
6. What steps is the publication taking to keep its circulation current?  Newsstand distribution, circulation department’s attendance at key trade shows, association affiliation, purchase of lists, etc.

Pricing

1. Cost-per-thousand (cpm) for useful circulation  Leaving out categories such as “others in the field” etc. 
2. Special discounts offered.
3. Special discounts for advertising in other family magazines/web-sites, etc.

1. Benchmark surveys.
2. Ad readership/visibility surveys
3. Buyer/influencer surveys.
4. “Do you buy” surveys
5. Share of mind surveys
6. Other already available research
7. Free use of mailing lists
8. Tie-ins to web sites.
9. Ability to segment circulation by product interest.
10. Ability to conduct focus groups.
11. Premium position opportunities.
12. What are the publications insert capabilities and costs?  Are “out-serts” and /or wrappers available?
13. Other value-added or single sponsored programs or special capabilities?

Proofs

1. Is valid research available about your readers (conducted by third party, trade organization, etc.)?
2. Is valid reader response data available (you’ll want to see the actual report)?
3. Is ad page and or editorial page data available (ex. How many pages of management-oriented editorial have been published by this publication in the past 12 months?)

Competitive

1. What are the publication’s primary competitors?  In what ways is your publication better for my customer and for my products?
2. Are comparative reader response statistics available?
3. Are there any historical perspectives that are relevant to evaluating this publication, such as new ownership, change in editorial direction, merger with other publications, etc?
4. Are comparative ad page and or editorial page comparisons available (For instance, how many pages of technical editorial has been published in the past 12 months vs. the competition)?
5. Existing comparisons of competitors’ audit statements?
    

Some other things to make your lives easier

1. Test your rep's knowledge of the industry.  He or she can’t advise you if he doesn’t know what you make, who buys it and how it’s sold.  Taking the time to train/inform him or her can be worth the bother.
2. Audit companies like BPA and ABC exist because of their customers, which are the magazines.  Don’t expect the audit company to screw the magazine to the wall, unless there are egregious excesses or omissions.  The very process of auditing is far less than perfect.  What then is the value of an audit?  They are excellent for “comparative” purposes between magazines.  Another way in which they can be used is as comparatives over the years.  You’d be amazed at how a careful study of a specific magazine’s “audit statements” over a 5-year span will tell a story.  
3. Just because a magazine carries your editorial is no reason to give them advertising.  Conversely, don’t put heavy pressure on a publication to publish your press releases if you’re not at all interested in their audience. The logic cuts both ways.  If the magazine’s readership is key to your sales efforts, then you ought to advertise and they ought to run your press releases. And don’t make advertising conditional upon editorial coverage.  It sets an awful quid pro quo precedent. 
4. Don’t be seduced into giving publications ads because they are doing a special issue on your product.  All statistics point out that if the audience wasn’t worth advertising to during the year, a special issue, which will still be read by the “wrong” people, will achieve nothing.  But, all those specials might seriously deplete your ad budget.
5. Buying the best publication in the world will avail you not at all if you don’t produce the right ad for that magazine.  An ad that is directed at influencing the general manager of a TV station will die in an engineering publication.  You must match your message to the publication’s primary readership; the readership that you bought the publication for in the first place.  The medium is, after all, the message.
6. Be careful of how much pressure you put on the publication for discounts.  You may think yourself clever to extract blood from the proverbial stone, but when it comes time to ask for favors such as placement and editorial coverage, the publisher will remember the “insult.”

7. Be fair.  Give all reps with pertinent magazines a chance to present their publications to you and the reasons why they feel you should advertise in them.  On the other hand, once you’ve made the choice to NOT advertise, reps must be firmly told that unless the publication changes substantially, they must stay out of your hair until the next magazine evaluation cycle occurs.  Likewise, reps with whom you are advertising ought to be warned away from coming at you with those never-ending special issues.
8. Lots of peripheral publications that are tangential to your industry will call with “special issues.”  Usually these reps don’t know your product, the industry, or your customers.  They’re calling because their publisher gave them a list.  Don’t be rude.  Just get rid of them.
9. Don’t get involved in wars between publications.  There are going to be reps you like and reps you hate (same goes for publishers), but it is extremely unprofessional (and will come back to bite you in the butt) to take sides.  It’s not personal.  You’re buying for the company, not for yourself.
10. Following the above, don’t share company or personal secrets with your space reps: They are not really your friends, even though they’re paid to seem so.  I’ve seen a lot of clients badly burned by leaking information they had no right to share.
11. Far too many reps look at your advertising as something they need, which of course they do.  The real question is how they can serve YOU, not vice-versa.  Your reps need to recognize that only through serving their customers will they themselves be well served.
12. Even though I think it’s madness to advertise in a publication that has no audit, there are times that no amount of preaching by people such as myself will stop you from throwing ad dollars into a “great new magazine.”  At the very least, in that case, get two things from the publication:  their mail receipts and their printing receipts.  At least you’ll know that they printed and mailed a certain number of publications, although you still won’t know where they went.
13. Professional media buyers understand audit information.  If you don’t you’re going to be like an engineer trying to build a “desk” without being able to read a schematic.  Learn how to read an audit. 

Like most other things, media buying takes some logic and organization and the ability to ask the right questions.  It’s not something you ought to do casually, or as a lark, or because you think you can easily and competently do it in addition to your other jobs.  And one final caution; Find our why you’re advertising in the first place.  Not every company needs to advertise, just as not every company needs to go to every bloody trade show.  If you decide you need to advertise, for the right reasons, go at it logically and dispassionately.  You’ll find the process a lot less painful.

Herb Schiff can be reached at haschiff@attbi.com

Phone (310) 837-6460

© 2003 Herb Schiff. All rights reserved.
 

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