AdvertisingWeek is a great place to evaluate the entire marketing industry from it’s past, to where we are today. This week-long event with nearly 100K attendees is jam-packed with discussions about current trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the entire industry on a global scale.
This year, Winmo had an opportunity to present on the main stage and we brought a few friends along to shed light on the weapons in their sales arsenal that helps them win new business and attract major brand budgets.
Dave Currie, CEO of Winmo moderated the panel featuring three distinct perspectives: media sales, represented by Bruce Kallner, SVP Business Development & Olympic Sales at NBC; adtech sales, represented by Tyler Kelly, President at Centro; and agency new business, represented by Nicole Souza, EVP of Growth and Marketing at The Integer Group.
Each of our panelists had a unique perspective on how to break through to major advertisers, and ultimately, attract major ad budgets. The advertising ecosystem is more complex than it’s ever been, and for sellers, that means keeping up with more players, putting more irons in the fire and staying ahead of new trends in media, technology advertising and beyond.
These three professionals who are at the top of their game shared tips and tricks on what has proven successful in their new business efforts.
Check them out below:
Frequency is Key
When it comes to sales, persistence is often key. These days, contacting prospects more than once is not only okay, but it is often necessary to attract and engage profitable leads. It takes an average of 8 touches to get an initial meeting with a prospect. It’s crucial to seek out prospects through a variety of touchpoints including voicemail, email, social media and more. Our three expert panelists emphasized why frequency must be a focus in the realm of sales.
“I’ve had clients tell me that they took a phone call from a sales rep 14 times just to see how long they’d stick with it,” said NBC’s Kallner. “It became like a perverse pleasure to see how long this person will stick with it. And then they reward them with a meeting.”
So how frequent is frequent enough to be effective? “I’d say on average you’ve got to call somebody five to 10 times, and don’t be shy about it being twice a week,” said Kallner.
Centro’s Kelly echoed that point. “What I always say to my team is you could send a hundred emails and they don’t respond, you’re just doing your job. The second they respond and say ‘please stop,’ then you’re an assh****. So it’s a fine line, but your job is to continue to have that frequency, I mean we’re in advertising, we know frequency works, so as a seller you need to have that same mentality.”
“My guidance to my team is to hit 40 different companies a week, 40 touchpoints on prospects – that doesn’t include current clients – 40 touchpoints, set 5 meetings, and two demos.”
This all of course works best when you actually know you have something of value to offer the potential partner. “As long as you’re convinced you can be of value to them, persistence is key,” said Kallner.
Breaking through can get a little trickier in the agency space, where “sales” is a dirty word. “It’s less about pushing a product and more about building a relationship,” said Integer’s Souza. “Speaking engagements are a big thing for us. We really focus on trying to drive awareness and demonstrate thought leadership as opposed to telling someone we’re thought leaders and to meet with us. And so it’s a lot about marketing and awareness for us.”
Hunters vs. Farmers
Sales is all about timing: pitching a prospect when they’re ready to buy. Finding that golden opportunity isn’t easy, especially with so much competition out there. When it comes to reactive prospecting, everyone is reacting to the same industry news that already happened, and crowing the same prospect’s inbox. Getting in front of leads first is what separates the hunters from the farmers.
With respect to proactive versus reactive prospecting, Kelly noted that at Centro “I actually want all of them to be hunters. If you’re a salesperson and you’re getting paid as a salesperson, I need you hunting.” Client services is where he sees the more reactive technique come in. “I also manage a 300 person services team and that’s where you see the farming. That’s an area where we always look to strive, how to train our account services team to look for opportunities at our existing clients. But for my 150 person sales team, I want them knocking on new doors.”
From the agency perspective, Souza echoed the need for account services to be actively looking for expansion opportunities. “One of the major shifts we made a few years ago at Integer is to really broaden who are the hunters at our agency. We’re not selling a commoditized product so we try not to lean too hard into ‘we’re prospecting, we’re hunting’ but that means that your account leads have to become the hunters and the people who really nurture and grow. The account leads know those organizations better than anyone, so there is a focus there from a business development standpoint. We do things like try and bring our clients, the actual individuals, into market – something like this, like an Advertising Week panel. Just to do something where we start to think differently about our relationships with them.”
Cutting Through the Clutter
Last but certainly not least, the panelists addressed how to rise above the noise when it comes to prospecting, and stand out from numerous pitches. Cutting through the clutter has a nice ring to it, but how exactly do you go about it?
“There’s too many companies like Outreach, Salesloft, that are creating these cadences, and we all get inundated. I mean when I had a title change and became President like two years ago I was like wow, where did all these people come from?”
To break through that clutter, the panelists are using innovative ideas that stick in the mind of prospects they’re sure would be a good fit.
“My wicked cool idea that we just started doing, and now of course everyone is going to copy it, because I’m sharing it here, is working with a company called Cameo, out of Chicago,” said Centro’s Kelly. “They have a group of celebrities or even local celebrities that you can pay to do a 30-second snippet to send to whoever. So we actually had a win in Louisiana – there was a running back who was huge at LSU, and he did a quick 30 seconds, I think we paid $75 for it, and told the agency that basically our idea was the best thing since sliced bread and that they had to take a meeting with Ross because he’s such a great guy. And they did.”
“The more that you can tailor and customize things the better. It’s not something, from a scalability standpoint that you’d use for your spray and prey, but if you know it’s a perfect target for you, spending a little money goes a long way.”
Kallner noted the importance of remembering something about people and using it in a touchpoint to fuel a relationship – and he doesn’t just mean the college they went to or other publicly available information on their LinkedIn profile. “Remember that someone has a bulldog, or if they have a specific passion – just file that away. And in the future, if you come across something in your daily life that reminds you of it, it takes all of eight minutes to send them a note saying ‘hi, I just saw this and it reminded me of you.”
In Conclusion
AdWeek’s worldwide gathering of marketing, advertising, technology and brand professionals did not disappoint. Some of the brightest minds in the industry came together to share knowledge and experiences to improve the industry as a whole. AdWeek is a one-of-a-kind experience, providing insight on how to navigate the ever-changing landscape of marketing, advertising, technology, and creative spaces.
The Attracting Ad Budgets panel consisted of actionable tips and takeaways to help you and your team win new business. We hope you enjoy the prospecting secrets and find them valuable for attracting new high profile clients!
Digital Ad Prospects: Rising Display Spenders
in Ad Sales, Marketing Techby Anna CrochetAs you approach the end of the year eager to crush your goals, the last thing you want is to waste time on leads that aren’t ready to buy or don’t have the budget to advertise with you. That’s why we’ve put together a list of four digital ad spenders with significant spend increases, signaling opportunity for you and your team.
Ad spending continues to rise across the globe, with digital driving most of the growth. In 2019, worldwide digital ad spending will rise by 17.6% to $333.25 billion, with digital accounting for roughly half of the global ad market.
We dug into Winmo’s Adbeat integration to find out which brands are escalating digital spend – the movers and shakers, if you will – so you can set your sights on brands rising in the digital space. In order to assist you in capturing this revenue, we’re highlighting a few of them below, and incorporating insights on the opportunity and how you should approach.
If you’re ready to get a view of the entire digital landscape, and the decision-makers who own the budgets, request a Winmo demo today.
1. Rakuten
+3.3 M spend versus August 2019
Winmo Opportunity Analysis: Loyalty rewards company, Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, has launched a new brand campaign “Let’s Talk Rakuten,” developed by it’s newly-named AOR Standard Black. This agency shift replaces Rakuten’s previous relationships with Duncan Channon and Pereira & O’Dell.
The first TV spot, starring the NBA’s Stephen Curry, launched in time for the 2019-20 NBA season. The campaign has rolled out across broadcast, cable and streaming networks, as well as social, OOH, and earned media.
Adbeat Intel: During the past 12 months, Adbeat reports that Rakuten has spent $183.5 million on digital display ads placed primarily site direct on sites such as buzzfeed.com ($11.7 million), shareably.net, americanow.com, answers.com, and glassdoor.com. The company had only spent $400,000 on this channel during the prior 12 months, so we should see spend stay high here.
Despite the male skew this particular NBA-partnered ad has, Rakuten also tends to target women in general.
For agency and martech readers, keep an eye on Rakuten since reviews tend to follow one another. Its possible Rakuten may decide to switch media from Ocean Media.
Request a Demo for Access to Rakuten Decision-Maker Contact Info
2. Nordstrom
+1.3 M spend versus August 2019
Winmo Opportunity Analysis: Executive members of clothing retailer Nordstrom mentioned in a Q2 earnings call that the company has continued to prioritize loyalty and digital marketing. Co-president Erik Nordstrom mentioned that Nordstrom is boosting marketing efforts to drive traffic for initiatives such as a new Nordstrom Rack TV campaign.
This focus on Nordstrom Rack marks an effort to increase popularity among millennials, who tend to flock toward off-price retailers. Nordstrom Rack also recently released a sustainable style line that will reinforce this audience.
Nordstrom also expanded its experiential NYC flagship hubs. Nordstrom’s target demographic primarily consists of female consumers, with an increased focus on digital and e-Commerce signaling that this demographic is skewed towards millennials.
Adbeat Intel: According to Adbeat, Nordstrom Rack specifically spent $1.1 overall on ad spend in the past 12 months. The ads were majority video placed on sites including youtube.com ($517K), bustle.com (126.3K), and yahoo.com (116.8k).
Request a Demo for Access to Nordstrom Decision-Maker Contact Info
3. CBS
+2.9 M spend versus August 2019
Winmo Opportunity Analysis: In preparation for its merger with Viacom, CBS shook up its marketing leadership. The network named Mike Benson it’s president and CMO, effective October, to succeed longtime marketing head George Schweitzer.
After the merger, CBS may try to modernize for a younger audience, so sellers should offer digital display space. Spend tends to rise during the summer over Q2 and Q3. Agency and martech readers, CBS’s chances of conducting agency reviews rise significantly under new leadership. Competition will include Viacom’s roster, digital AOR Beyond and media AOR Carat, and CBS’s media AOR, OMD West. Keep an eye out for an agency review likely within the next 9-12 months.
Adbeat Intel: Adbeat reports CBS has spent $17.2 million on digital display ads in the past 12 months placed primarily site direct on sites such as dailymotion.com ($2.6M), comicbook.com ($1.6M), and youtube.com ($2M).
Request a Demo for Access to CBS Decision-Maker Contact Info
4. Jenny Craig
+$675.8 K spend versus Aug 2019
Winmo Opportunity Analysis: Gadi BenkMark started as CMO at Jenny Craig in August. According to reports, automation and machine learning are the backbone of the business and marketing strategies. Therefore, digital strategies will likely continue to be most important with Jenny, even under new leadership. J
Jenny places less ads in Q4 due to the holiday, so make plans for Q1. Spend has seen consistent increases, and we will likely continue to see shifts from TV to digital display as a result. Sellers are encouraged to keep an eye out for more spending dollars to come your way at the start of 2020, and keep in mind the top demographic is millennial and Gen X women looking to diet. With new leadership in place, agency reviews are likely within the next 9-12 months. Competiton will include Generator Media + Analytics on media buying/planning and digital AOR, and LRXD on creative, media buying/planning, digital and social AOR.
Adbeat Intel: According to Adbeat, digital display spend has been increasing this year since January. Over the past 12 months, Jenny has spent $11.1 million on this channel, which is a 94% increase from the 12 months prior ($700k). $8.7 million has been spent in the last six months, so this increased spending trend should continue for a while longer, especially in Q1 2020. Most ads have been placed site direct (66%) in the past year onto sites such as spanishdict.com ($2.9 million), washingtonexaminer.com, nickiswift.com, dailymail.co.uk and worldlifestyle.com.
Request a Demo for Access to Jenny Craig Decision-Maker Contact Info
This is just a small glimpse into the insight available within the Winmo platform, and our integration with Adbeat specifically. Within Adbeat, it’s simple to see which brands are rising in digital spend, which publishers a brand is working with, or which brands a publisher is selling to, as well as the spend amounts for each buy, keeping you one step ahead of the competition. Add to that the in-depth opportunity analysis from WinmoEdge, and you’ve got a full picture of who to talk to, and what to say to get their attention.
Winmo Employee Spotlight: Joe Winter & C4 Atlanta
in Breaking News, Marketing, Salesby Anna CrochetEach Winmo employee challenges themselves daily to improve our platform and bring more value to our clients. However, there are also a lot of #WinmoWins taking place outside of the office right here in our community, and we’re proud to shed light on these efforts. With 100 employees under our roof, we like to recognize those who are putting in extra hours outside of their 9-5 with us to make a difference in our community.
With 100 employees under our roof, we like to recognize those who are putting in extra hours outside of their 9-5 with us to make a difference in our community.
Meet Joe Winter.
Joe has been with the team for just over a year and a half and works on our development team as a Software Engineer. Outside of Winmo, Joe is a leader within the Atlanta nonprofit community. Keep reading to hear how C4 impacts the Atlanta arts scene:
What is C4 Atlanta’s mission?
Joe Winter: C4 Atlanta connects arts entrepreneurs to the people, tools, and skills they need to build a successful artistic career in metro Atlanta. We accomplish this mission mostly through the classes we offer. Class types include business planning, marketing, financial literacy, fundraising, and teaching artists how to work with communities. These criteria were created to help artists to earn a living making art.
How did you get involved with C4 Atlanta?
JW: Back in 2010, my co-founder Jessyca Holland and I were laid off from a previous organization when the economy was still hemorrhaging jobs like crazy. We were familiar with Atlanta’s arts community enough to know many needs were not being met. We saw this moment not only as an opportunity to fill this vacuum of need, but also create jobs in a desperate time. What better time is there to create jobs than when the economy is down?
What is your role in the organization?
JW: My title is the Secretary of the Board, meaning I take minutes during the board meetings. I also maintain the technical infrastructure. We just created a website called Opportunity Arts that lists jobs, trainings, and other opportunities for artists. While the website still needs some work, it has generated a lot of engagement thus far.
How can people in the community, and even other Winmo employees, get involved?
JW: C4 is always looking for board members. With C4 Atlanta, becoming a board member is probably the best way to get involved and show your support. We have a few committees also, most notably an advocacy committee. There are also events throughout the year that we always need volunteers for. Specifically, our unified auditions, which is a city-wide call for actors, require a lot of extra hands. Imagine 250 actors auditioning in front of 50 companies in a matter of two days!
To learn more, visit https://c4atlanta.org/support/.
What are you most looking forward to in the coming year for C4?
JW: The organization just launched a new program, the Warner Media Creative Residency. C4’s office is also a co-working space for artists, called the Fuse Arts Center. We just launched an incubator program, and Warner Media came in to support the program, which now consists of six artists. C4 gives these artists space within the Fuse Art Center for a year. This group functions as a cohort, and C4 assists in steering their career paths for a full year. This is a great opportunity for the artists, and highly impactful for the organization’s mission as well.
What advice do you have for those looking to get involved in nonprofit work?
JW: If you’ve never volunteered, every city has an organization of some kind that aggregates opportunities. United Way, Hands on Atlanta, and other similar types of organizations are the easiest way to find small volunteer opportunities that help get your feet wet when it comes to the idea of nonprofits.
Most of all, I encourage people to find a cause they really believe in and find an organization that is working toward that cause. Simply reach out and ask the best way for you to show your support.
I think joining a nonprofit board is one of the most meaningful things you can do. It’s a way to contribute to an organization very deeply, not just on a monetary level. As a board member, you can really have an impact on the mission and think through big issues strategically. If there’s one thing nonprofit boards could always use, it’s people familiar with the sales process. Asking others to give is one of the hardest sales jobs, but also one of the most fulfilling and rewarding.
How does Winmo support your volunteer efforts?
JW: Winmo has an incredible volunteer time off policy, encouraging employees to prioritize giving back to the community. Several of my Winmo coworkers have given personally to C4 financially. In our new space, we have a wall set up with names of people who gave, and it’s so encouraging to see names from the office on it.
One of the most meaningful things that I will never forget is our CEO Dave Currie providing a contribution that allowed the Development team as well as our HR Manager Barrett Corona to attend C4’s Spark Awards event last year. That really meant so much to me.
Is there anything else you’d like to include?
JW: C4 Atlanta moved to South Downtown over five years ago and in that time it’s been such a privilege to see how the community and neighborhood around us have flourished. With other artists moving into the area it’s sparked a level of creativity that has been contagious for this part of town. Now, the Gulch is even being redeveloped. While we don’t credit ourselves for being the sole contributor to this transformation we are thrilled to be a part of it and see it continue evolving into something great!
Click here to learn more about C4 Atlanta and how you can get involved.
If you liked this blog post, check out:
Five Brands with Sponsorship Sales Opportunities
in Sponsorshipby Anna CrochetThroughout 2018, sponsorship spending increased by 3.6 percent to $23.1 billion. In 2019 the success continued and sponsorship spending was projected to grow 4.5 percent in North America to $24.2 billion, and 4.9 percent globally to $65.8 billion.
More dollars equal more opportunity, but also heightened competition. With everyone fishing in the same area, you need a way to cast your line more strategically. That’s why our team of in-house analysts unveils opportunities with brands allocating more dollars to sponsorship spending.
Check out five brands that are showing signs of opportunity in the sponsorship space.
If you find these opportunities valuable, download our eBook to scope out some seriously under-the-radar prospects, with analysis on why we predict emerging brands will spend big in sponsorships in the coming year.
1. Victoria’s Secret Launches Diversity-Focused Campaign Amid CMO Search
After executives making negative comments last year about plus-size and transgender models, Victoria’s Secret is now launching an inclusive campaign featuring women from both backgrounds in an effort to rebrand. The brand may also see a spike in spend with the holidays approaching.
Sponsorship Opportunity: With Victoria’s Secret moving into new target markets, focus pitches on how your opportunity can get them in front of female consumers, especially diversity-focused millennials and Gen-Z. VS also recently teamed up with women-owned luxury lingerie company Bluebella as part of a new collaborative strategy, and could be interested in similar partnerships in the future, especially once new leadership is in place.
Request a Demo for Access to TripAdvisor Decision-Maker Contact Info
2. Candytopia Finds New CMO
Marcy Davis, Candytopia CMO of roughly six months, has stepped down and been replaced by Nikki Emmans, effective September. Candytopia is an interactive experience, a pop-up, candy-themed museum, currently available in Philadelphia and Phoenix. It mostly relies on word-of-mouth, social media and experiential marketing.
Sponsorship Opportunity: Regional sellers able to get the brand in front of Gen-Z and millennials should start reaching out. Despite drops in spend in recent months, we should see spend pick back up under new leadership. Its target demographic has a slightly female skew, especially including moms looking for family-friendly activities. With a new leader in place reevaluating strategies, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Request a Demo for Access to Candytopia Decision-Maker Contact Info
3. Lagunitas Beer Lands New CMO, Plans to Expand Millennial Market
The Heineken subsidiary managed to snag Kelly Murnaghan from Vans Shoes in July, where she served as marketing VP. Murnaghan will help the founder-built brand expand globally and reposition it to better fit an international millennial audience, improving the communications strategy across all channels. The company typically utilizes digital, social and music-experiential marketing strategies to remain top-of-mind among millennials in the US, so it will likely continue in these efforts.
Sponsorship Opportunity: Target health-conscious millennials via digital and experiential local venues. See the music festival calendar here, and remember that most of these, if not all, will take place out West. It also hired Ian Jacobs as concessions and sponsorship director in August, so more sponsorship opportunities may be coming your way.
Request a Demo for Access to Lagunitas Beer Decision-Maker Contact Info
4. Jagermeister Hires Global Creative, US Media AOR Amid Focus on Younger Consumers
Jagermeister concluded it’s global creative review and hired Engine. With several strategy shifts taking place, don’t hesitate to reach out. Keep in mind Jagermeister has been trying to increase engagement among millennials and Gen-Z. In order to do this, it has been shifting around its spend strategy.
Jagermeister typically spends the most during Q2 and Q4, especially during October because of Oktoberfest. It holds planning conversations in Q3 and buying conversations in Q2. As noted, it has been trying to increase engagement among millennials and Gen-Z. This demographic has a male skew.
Sponsorship Opportunity: The alcohol brand has been known to use outdoor, sponsorship, print, earned media and experiential. With shifts taking place and a focus on a new target market, reach out for partnering opportunities.
Request a Demo for Access to Jagermeister Decision-Maker Contact Info
5. Hungry Planet Names First CMO
Planet-based meat company Hungry Planet (HP) has named Brad Johnson it’s first CMO, effective September. Previously the CMO at Nature’s Variety, Johnson brings additional marketing leadership from companies such as Hershey, MillerCoors, McKinsey & Co, PepsiCo, Clorox and WPP.
Sponsorship Opportunity: Decision-maker shifts, especially new hires and CMOs, are the top trigger for sponsorship sales. New hires tend to evaluate current partnerships and begin making changes within a 3-12 month window. Keep in mind HP’s focus on sustainability signals a millennial target demographic. It tends to target chefs around the States in order to be available in restaurants.
Request a Demo for Access to Hungry Planet Decision-Maker Contact Info
Ready for more insight into emerging sponsorship opportunities? Check out our new eBook: 5 Emerging Sponsorship Sales Prospects.
Prospect Watch: 4 RFPs to Target Now
in Agency New Businessby Anna CrochetWith the win rate for RFPs at less than 5% and companies spending between 20-40 hours on each RFP response, it’s critical for agencies to work smarter and more efficiently to pitch these new business opportunities.
In a process that requires an extensive amount of time, effort and resources, we want to make sure you’re pursuing the RIGHT RFP opportunities for you and your team. That’s why our team of research analysts have surfaced these four opportunities to pursue right now while the iron is hot.
Check them out below:
1. WA’s Walla Walla Comm College issues RFP for communications, marketing services
Due Date: October 31
Opportunity: Washington’s Walla Walla Community College seeks proposals to represent it in a full range of professional services, including strategic communications, crisis communications, media relations, advocacy, public opinion research, and marketing according to RFP documents.
Scope of Work: Including, but not limited to, the following:
Contract Terms: The selected vendor will be retained for 3 months, dependent upon budget constraints.
Contact: Kevin Knapp, Purchasing Manager, at kevin.knapp@wwcc.edu.
2. NM Tourism Dept issues RFP for PR services, earned media focus
Due date: November 1
Opportunity: According to O’Dwyer’s, the New Mexico Tourism Department is looking to hire a “high caliber PR agency” that is well-seasoned in national and international travel PR to increase it’s overall earned media value, while strategically positioning the Land of Enchantment as a primary destination. In order to view the RFP documents, create an account with odwyerpr.com to view the RFP documents.
Scope of Work: Including, but not limited to, the following:
Budget: Not disclosed
Contact: Ray Maestas, Procurement Management Ray.Maestas@state.nm.us. Other contacts can be found here.
3. WA’s Dept of Health issues RFP for Regional Stroke Awareness campaign
Due Date: November 6, questions due October 18
Opportunity: According to the RFP documents, the Washington State Department of Health wants to identify a qualified private or non-profit business or organization to develop and implement a coordinated stroke awareness campaign to increase the percentage of people experiencing stroke symptoms who arrive at the hospital in time for treatment. You must register through WEBS to gain access for future RFP amendments.
Scope of Work: Including, but not limited to:
Contract terms: December 11, 2019 through June 29, 2020
Budget: Not to exceed $100,000
Contact: Mitch Paris, Mitchell.Paris@dog.wa.gov
4. OHIO University issues RFP for strategic marketing services
Due date: October 29, questions due October 21
Opportunity: OHIO University of Athens, Ohio, along with its regional campuses across the state of Ohio, invites proposals for a service/consultant engagement titled “OHIO University Strategic Marketing RFP-Phase ll” as described in the RFP documents. See additional documents for further details. In order to view the Services Agreement and access other functions, you must first create an account with IUC in order to view it.
Scope of Work: The four parts of the Brand Messaging and Design Project include:
Contract Terms: The initial term of the Service Agreement shall be for approximately 1.5 years expecting to commence on or around November 15, 2019 and ending June 30, 2021. After the initial term, OHIO University reserves the right to renew the Service Agreement for an additional one-year term with mutual assent, not to exceed three renewals. Any renewal agreed upon shall occur ninety days prior to the expiration of the contract then in force.
Budget: Not disclosed
Contact: Tim Yake, Purchasing Commodity Manager, at yake@ohio.edu
Not only does Winmo help you identify RFPs, we also alert you of other important new business triggers like decision-maker shifts, product launches, spending shifts and more. Request a demo today and see for yourself!
Q4 Prospects: Brands Buying Media Now
in Ad Sales, Marketing Techby Anna CrochetThere’s nothing worse than getting to the right marketing decision-maker and hearing “I love it! But we’re out of budget, try us again next year.” That’s why Winmo tracks important data like media planning and buying periods that allow you to reach the right people at the right time.
We recently told you about brands planning media in Q4, and now, we’re bringing you brands buying in Q4, so you can focus on prospects with revenue available. Along with key contacts, we’re also noting relevant media agency partner relationships so you know everyone involved in the decision.
Using this list, you and your team can focus on securing big revenue from brands with budget to spend. Across digital, broadcast, print, OOH, and radio channels we’re bringing you brands spending big dollars.
We hope that these opportunities will help empower you to reach, and maybe even exceed those monstrous Q4 goals:
Digital/Broadcast
Note: Since digital and broadcast channels shared the same top spenders, we combined these categories into one list below.
1. Verizon Communications, Inc
Key contact: Diego Scotti, Executive VP & CMO
Email: ***.******@verizon.com
Phone: 212-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Zenith Media
Request a Demo for Access to Verizon Decision-Maker Contact Info
2. Walmart Stores, Inc
Key Contact: Steve Bratspies, Chief Merchandising Officer
Email: ****.*********@wal-mart.com
Phone: 479-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Haworth Marketing & Media, PlusMedia, LLC
Request a Demo for Access to Walmart Decision-Maker Contact Info
3. Target Corporation
Key Contact: Rick Gomez, CMO & Executive VP
Email: ****.******@target.com
Phone: 612-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Essence, Periscope
Request a Demo for Access to Target Decision-Maker Contact Info
4. T-Mobile USA
Key Contact: Matt Staneff, CMO
Email: ****.*******@t-mobile.com
Phone: 425 -***-****
Media Agency Partner: Blue 449, Essence
Request a Demo for Access to T-Mobile Decision-Maker Contact Info
5. Chevrolet
Key Contact: Steve Majoros, Director of Marketing, Chevrolet Cars & Crossovers
Email: ****.******@gm.com
Phone: 313-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Carat
Request a Demo for Access to Chevrolet Decision-Maker Contact Info
Print
1. Macy’s
Key Contact: Richard Lennox, Chief Marketing Officer
Email: *******.*****@macys.com
Phone: 212-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Digitas, Spark Foundry
Request a Demo for Access to Macy’s Decision-Maker Contact Info
2. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Key Contact: Emily Callahan, Chief Marketing Officer
Email: ****.*******@stjude.org
Phone: 901-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Haworth Marketing & Media
Request a Demo for Access to St. Jude Decision-Maker Contact Info
3. LVMH
Key Contact: Valerie Hoecke, Chief Digital Officer- LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics
Email: *.*****@lvmhpc.com
Media Agency Partner: MediaCom, Dentsu Aegis Network
Request a Demo for Access to Chevrolet Decision-Maker Contact Info
4. Citibank
Key Contact: Jennifer Breithaupt, Global Consumer Chief Marketing Officer
Email: ******.****@citigroup.com
Phone: 212-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Publicis North America
Request a Demo for Access to Citibank Decision-Maker Contact Info
5. Bank of America Corporation
Key Contact: Meredith Verdone, Chief Marketing Officer
Email: *****.****@bofa.com
Phone: 617-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Starcom Worldwide
Request a Demo for Access to Bank of America Decision-Maker Contact Info
OOH
1. Google
Key Contact: Lorraine Twohill, Chief Marketing Officer & Senior VP, Global Marketing
Email: ********@google.com
Phone: 866-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Essence
Request a Demo for Access to Google Decision-Maker Contact Info
2. Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies
Key Contact: Emily Fink, Chief Marketing Officer- Global Retail Markets
Email: *****.****@libertymutual.com
Phone: 617-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Initiative
Request a Demo for Access to Liberty Mutual Insurance Decision-Maker Contact Info
3. Kohl’s Corporation
Key Contact: Greg Revelle Chief Marketing Officer
Email: ****.********@kohls.com
Phone: 262- ***-****
Media Agency Partner: Zenith Media
Request a Demo for Access to Kohl’s Decision-Maker Contact Info
4. Hyundai Motor America
Key Contact: Dean Evans, Chief Marketing Officer
Email: ******@hmausa.com
Phone: 714-***-****
Media Agency Partner: Canvas Worldwide
Request a Demo for Access to Hyundai Motor America Decision-Maker Contact Info
5. Volkswagen of America, Inc
Key Contact: Saad Chehab, Chief Marketing Officer – US
Email: ****.******@vw.com
Phone: 703-***-****
Media Agency Partner: PHD USA
Request a Demo for Access to Hyundai Motor America Decision-Maker Contact Info
Radio
1. Ram
Key Contact: Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer
Email: *****.*****@fcagroup.com
Phone: 248- ***- ****
AOR: GSD&M
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2. The Home Depot
Key Contact: Lisa DeStefano, Vice President Brand Marketing & Creative
Email: ****_*****-********@homedepot.com
Phone: 770- ***- ****
Media Agency Partner: Carat
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3. Ford
Key Contact: Ms. Joy Falotico, Group VP – Lincoln & Chief Marketing & Brand Officer
Email: *******@ford.com
Phone: 313-***-****
Media Agency Partner: GTB
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4. JCPenney Corporation
Key Contact: Therace Risch, Executive VP, Chief Information & Digital Officer
Email: ****@jcp.com
Phone: 972-***-****
Media Agency Partner: OMD
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5. Capital One Financial Corporation
Key Contact: Marc Mentry, Senior VP of Brand Marketing
Phone: 877-***-****
Email: ****.******@capitalone.com
Media Agency Partner: Horizon Media, Inc
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First Timers: 4 Brands That Hired Their First-Ever CMO
in Ad Sales, Agency New Business, Marketing Tech, Sponsorshipby Anna CrochetIf you’re responsible for driving sales, you know that it’s crucial to track decision-maker shifts in order to beat your competitors to the pitch. There is one shift in particular you should keep your eyes out for, and that’s when a brand hires its first-ever CMO.
Why is this so significant? When a brand hires a CMO for the first time, not only is the likelihood of that brand hiring new agencies increased, it also means that a large marketing investment is coming- so ad sellers, martech vendors, and sponsorship organizations should take notice.
Following a CMO hire, a window of opportunity opens within the first 3-12 months of their tenure as they reshape strategies and redefine their marketing investments. In order to help you strike while the iron is hot, we’ve compiled a list of four first-time CMOs, plus included details and decision-maker information so you can make a strategic introduction.
1. Daily fantasy sports platform Monkey Knife Fight hires first CMO
Monkey Knife Fight, a daily fantasy sports betting platform, recently hired Danny Tawiah as it’s first CMO. In this role, he will lead all marketing efforts including platform development and affiliate partnership.
According to Adbeat, MKF has spent $96K on digital display ads in the last 365 days. Of these ads, 74% have been placed site direct on destinations including covers.com, prosportsdaily.com, rotowire.com, milehighsports.com, and fantasypros.com. MKF has yet to air national TV ads, but competitors DraftKings & FanDuel spend heavily in this channel, so MKF is likely to at least test this channel in an attempt to raise brand awareness.
Agency and Martech Opportunity: Since MKF and it’s marketing department are so new, they do not have an agency roster yet. As we know, PR hires are usually on the docket first and once brand awareness is established, more traditional agency hires will follow. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Tawiah as he prepares for 2020.
Request a Demo for Access to Monkey Knife Fight Decision-Maker Contact Info
2. Rover.com names first CMO, decreases media spend
Dog-sitter-and-walker app Rover.com named Bill Kong as it’s first CMO in July to spearhead all marketing initiatives with a focus on growth. With this hire, the brand is likely to see an increase in overall digital media spend due to his prior digital experience.
Adding to its list of products, Rover.com recently began offering other services including cat-sitting and dog-grooming services. Kong plans to build momentum on these services and expand the company’s market. This is necessary considering the overall media spend for Rover.com has gone down this year, disappointing compared to it’s higher 2018 spending trends.
Although spending this year has been far from encouraging, we should see increased spending in time. A new CMO almost inevitably leads to eventual agency reviews and shifts in media spend.
Media Seller Opportunity: Rover.com attracts millennials with pets as it’s top clientele, along with boomers. Reach out if you have the ability to get dog and cat services in front of this generation digitally.
Agency Opportunity: A CMO hire, especially a first-ever, is the leading trigger for an agency review. Creative AOR Pereira & O’Dell partnered with Rover.com in 2017. PHD currently handles media business. If you specialize in digital, now is a good time to reach out and get on the new CMO’s radar.
Request a Demo for Access to Rover.com Decision-Maker Contact Info
3. WellPet taps first CMO, restructures brands to broaden market
WellPet, a leading natural and holistic pet food company, hired it’s first CMO this July, Clark Reinhard. In his role, Reinhard will lead global growth across all WellPet brands bolstering new products, such as oral care brands and raw-infused nutrition. He will oversee brand management, marketing, advertising and PR. Those located in Massachusetts may have the upper hand considering Reinhard will be working out of the Tewksbury headquarters.
In 2016, WellPet acquired the Minneapolis-based raw pet food company Sojos. The company continues to separate themselves from an increasingly saturated market of natural and organic pet foods in this predominately millennial industry.
Media Seller Opportunity: According to StatSocial, WellPet tends to reach Gen X females the most, particularly those with a HHI of $50-100k. It’s possible the company is attempting to increase millennial reach through recent digital ads. Keep in mind WellPet sells it’s brands both in-store and via e-Commerce through platforms such as Chewy.
Agency Opportunity: USIM has been responsible for media buying and planning since 2013 and SwellShark has handled media planning since 2015. As new strategies are developed with new leadership in place, there may be a need for digital and social media services. Start reaching out to lower level marketing personnel in order to stay on WellPet’s radar.
Request a Demo for Access to WellPet Decision-Maker Contact Info
4. Urban Plates taps first CMO to fuel expansion plans
In order to fuel rapid growth, restaurant chain Urban Plates has hired Steve Greer as it’s first CMO, effective July. Greer brings additional marketing leadership experience from companies such as Bloomin’ Brands, General Mills, and Nestle.
Urban Plates currently operates 17 units and plans to double in size by 2021. Most of its locations are in California and DC, but it expects to expand into the West and Northeast markets. It also recently landed a $38 million growth and working capital facility with Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group. These funds will further fuel expansion plans.
Media Seller Opportunity: Sellers with the ability to assist Urban Plates in growth should reach out sooner rather than later. The company’s locally and sustainably-sourced ingredients suggest a millennial and Gen-Z focus. It offers options for vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians and carnivores. In his previous experience, Greer did not lead Xperience into national TV ad channels, so we are unsure whether he will in his position at Urban Plates.
Agency and Martech Opportunity: As you know, newly hired CMOs often conduct agency reviews, so reach out soon for potential work. When pitching, emphasize your ability to aid Urban Plate’s expansion plans.
Request a Demo for Access to Urban Plates Decision-Maker Contact Info
3 Tips for Achieving Growth in 2020, Courtesy of ANA’s Masters of Marketing
in Marketingby Jennifer GroeseThis year’s ANA Masters of Marketing conference kicked off with Bob Liodice celebrating big news – that the Fortune 500 brands had finally hit growth in 2018!
He then posed the question to the group, “How can we institutionalize that growth so it’s not a one-time thing, but something we can recognize over the next three years?” Liodice then announced a lofty group goal of achieving $500B in incremental sales over the next three years.
In the days that followed tactics around how to achieve growth was at the top of every presentation. No surprise, right? What was different however was how brands were talking about getting there, this time through intentional and thoughtful work. Sure, we as marketers can increase sales and drive growth a variety of different ways, but can we do that while also doing good in the world at the same time?
The answer seemed to be YES, and as each CMO presenter took the stage there seemed to be similar themes on how to get there. Take a look:
Humanity for Growth
If you were to ask me what the number one takeaway from the event was, this would be it. On the first day Liodice asked the group, “If not us, who; if not now, when?” If we’re going to drive growth, let’s bring America and the world along with us. By expanding our brand’s growth, we also have a unique opportunity to expand our brand’s world view.
A lot of brands decided to take risks in 2018 and found unique ways to insert themselves into global conversations that aligned with their brand mission and core values. Marc Pritchard asked, “Where does it make the most sense for your brand to enter the conversation?” Pritchard followed by presenting P&G’s 5-year plan, highlighting Reinventing Brand Citizenship as one of their five goals. They believe their brands can be a force for good in the world, and then in return become a force for growth. Customers today want to know what brands believe in and are buying based on those shared beliefs. Pritchard went on to say, “By entering into these conversations you’re able to lead change and eliminate bias.”
Within this topic, inclusivity absolutely came up. Brands are more intentional than ever when it comes to gender and ethnicity awareness and equality. In fact, last year I mentioned the ANA CMO Masters Circle introduced GEM™ which is a gender equality measurement for all advertisement. It measures unconscious bias in ads and in its first year has tested almost 60,000 ads and the results have been impressive:
Other brands who deserve a round of applause for being inclusive would be Target. CMO Rick Gomez talked about their XXO design line, introducing designer clothing for all income levels as well as their adaptive Halloween costumes designed for children with special needs.
Be Customer-Centric & Don’t Fake It
Have you ever heard of a customer safari? Neither did I until the conference.
Anheuser-Busch’s CMO Marcel Marcondes shared this image in his presentation and said this was how his team was collecting customer data before he came on board. So often as marketers, this is exactly what we do, “Oh, look a user logged in” or “Oh wow, they referred a friend.” Sure, behavior data is easy for us to get our hands on as marketers but what if we got closer, what if we did better? What if we got out of the jeep, set down the binoculars and had a real conversation with our customers?
Maybe then we could really find out what’s important to them and how our brands can best align with them. “It’s all a game of relevance,” Marcondes said, “People won’t pay attention to us if we don’t pay attention to them first.”
Someone else who had a stellar presentation was CMO of Ally Bank, Andrea Brimmer. She came right out of the gate saying, “Don’t say you are customer-centric if you’re not serious about it!” Ally Bank had made some big strides in the last year and by using their ‘brand as a weapon’ and really leaned into being a customer-centric organization. They put their money where their mouth was and launched a campaign during the holidays called Banksgiving, and they put $800,000 in the hands of their customer support team to, at their will, disperse that money to clients in ways (and amounts) they thought would be most beneficial. After watching their ad campaign let’s just say I saw a few grown men crying around me. #tearjerker
via GIPHY
Be Brave & Take Risks
Taking risks in marketing isn’t as easy as some may think. From the approval process and internal buy-in, a lot of creative and innovative ideas can easily get nixed, and quickly. This year it seemed as if more brands were taking bigger risks. They were the first to admit they didn’t always work out, but for the ones that did – it made huge lifts in their brand awareness and sales.
Marc Pritchard specifically talked about Constructive Disruption in his presentation, encouraging us to disrupt in ways that can create value AND drive growth. At P&G they took risks by launching infomercials this past year. You heard that right – infomercials. They realized a lot of their customers didn’t understand HOW to best use their products, so the infomercial campaigns did just that while also significantly increasing their sales at the same time.
Just because you think something is taboo doesn’t mean you can’t make it work for your brand and your audience.
He also encouraged everyone in the room to give themselves permission to take risks. Wow-what a great concept, right? P&G has been turning the ship around over the past 5 years as they redefine their growth strategy. One thing they’ve done as part of their constructive disruption was studying tech startups in Silicone Valley to see where their CPG brands could operate more efficiently, and wow did it pay off for them!
Out of all the brands who presented I’d have to say Buffalo Wild Wings was one that really pushed the limits and had it pay off in the end. After years of unconsciously getting away from their core positioning and primary audience they realized it was time to go back and pay homage to the committed, crazy yet enthusiastic sports fan! Partnering with The Martin Agency, CMO Seth Freeman found ways to engage with their male-heavy demographic, particularly by launching their campaign Death to Domestication and introducing the jewel stool.
Yep, that’s a true story. Talk about taking risks. But it paid off for them and in big ways, bringing the hungry, fired-up male back into their restaurants.
As Freeman wrapped his presentation, he simply asked the audience, “What do you stand for, but more importantly what do you stand against? For them, it was the domestication of sports fans.
One of the last presenters of the conference and another brand taking big risks the past year was Oatly. They were the only brand to stand on stage who didn’t have a CMO. In fact, they didn’t even have a marketing team…and that was intentional.
Instead, they had been able to capture their ever-growing market share via one internal creative director and a passionate team of employees.
When starting their company, Oatly knew consumers would think a milk-type product produced by oats would be let’s say, be hard to imagine. They humbly leaned into these perceptions and weren’t afraid to call themselves out publicly, with some of their packaging even saying “This tastes like sh**” on the carton itself!
They understood the lactose intolerant trend ahead of them and strategically started courting boutique coffee shops just as Lululemon plied yoga instructors with free leggings not too long ago. Their targeting paired with their bold advertising campaigns and positioning quickly caught fire and they’re currently in a hyper-growth stage now. As their General Manager, Mike Messersmith was ending his presentation he eloquently said, “Average work is an output of decisions grounded by fear.” #preach
In summary, as marketers, we have a multitude of channels, technologies, and partners to help us achieve growth. As we plan for 2020 and beyond let’s bring humanity alongside our growth, let’s be customer-centric (and not fake it) and let’s give ourselves permission to take risks and achieve great rewards.
Prospect List: Top Beverage Advertisers
in Agency New Business, Marketing Tech, Sponsorshipby Anna CrochetAccording to reports, total US ad spend in 2018 reached $151 billion, a 4.1% increase over the previous year. A large contributor to this staggering ad spend is beverage advertisers, a trend that is likely to continue upward. Digital advertising is an increasingly important tool to engage with consumers and combat slow growth for slow beverage brand growth, and brands of all sizes are testing the digital waters.
The global beverage industry is expected to reach an estimated $1.9 trillion by 2021 and is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 3.0% from 2016 to 2021. So how do you capitalize on this growth opportunity?
We’re breaking down the top 10 beverage advertisers, the big guys creating opportunities for you and your team. Beverage advertisers such as Bud Light, Gatorade, and Dr. Pepper are making significant investments, and we’re including relevant media and creative agency relationships plus specific opportunities for you and your team to target now.
1) Bud Light
2) Pepsi
Media seller opportunity: PepsiCo has also renewed its NFL sponsorship until 2022, so those with high ROI strategies among sports fans will have the upper hand in securing ad revenue. Spend will likely stay high throughout the football season. The company’s spend typically stays high throughout the year, but spikes during Q4 ahead of the holidays. Along with national TV and digital display, it uses search, OOH, print and radio. Its target demographic primarily consists of millennials and Gen-Z. Overall spend has increased under Ramon Laguarta, CEO since October.
Agency and martech opportunity: OMD has handled media for over a decade, far longer than the average agency tenure of 3-4 years. PepsiCo brought social media in-house in 2017 and may do the same with digital. We have not heard of any digital agency shifts since they dropped their digital agency late last year. Keep PepsiCo on your radars, since new leadership could signal reviews. They work with creative agencies TBWA/Chiat/Day and BBDO.
3) Coca-Cola
4) Corona Extra
5) Coors Light
Reported in June, MillerCoors has a three-pronged approach to marketing under CMO Michelle St. Jacques, who started in February. In order to bring drinkers back to beer, it is focusing on younger drinks, bringing ideas to market faster, and building a more friendly brand. The majority of these efforts are slated to go to Coors Light and the struggling brand is finally improving.
The beer brand concluded its creative review in June and tapped Leo Burnett Chicago. The Publicis agency replaces 72andSunny, which ceased work on the account in March, and will work alongside roster shops like DDB. The multi-agency rosters will allow Coors Light to better connect with consumers.
Sponsorship opportunity: Hookit reports sponsorships include the NHL, Phoenix Mercury, the New York Giants, the Golden State Warriors, and Colorado Avalanche.
Agency and martech opportunity: Since reviews tend to follow one another, reach out for additional work. Competition will include Connect at Publicis Media and ICF Next. Keep in mind Jack Morton Worldwide picked up experiential duties for Coors Light in March.
6) Gatorade
7) Modelo Especial
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2020 Election Spend Surges: Who’ll Win The Race for Ad Dollars?
in Ad Sales, Agency New Businessby Anna CrochetWith Election Day about a year away, a significant windfall in political advertising dollars is expected, with industry analysts forecasting a record amount being spent by candidates. Kantar Media CMAG group estimates the political ads for the 2020 election could reach $6 billion. Group M, a prominent ad agency, estimates spending for political ads will reach $10 billion, an increase of 59% from the 2016 election year when an estimated $6.3 billion was spent.
No matter where the final number falls, one thing is certain: there is plenty of marketing dollars to go around. If you’ve been hoping to capture some of the revenue coming out of these campaigns, keep reading.
In a special report, our team of research analysts have detailed the 2020 presidential candidates, highlighting who controls the purse strings and how much they are spending.
Not surprisingly, the biggest gains in the 2020 campaigns are expected to go to digital media, which will nearly double to $1.2 billion in 2020 from $650 million in 2016. Digital marketing has changed everything about presidential campaigns, creating opportunities to reach voters in ways that were never possible before.
Below is a sample of the type of intelligence we cover in our Campaign 2020: The Race for Ad Dollars, including digital spend by candidate, top networks and purchase channels.
To see spend detail across all presidential candidates, download the full report today.
Spend Breakdown
Political spending in 2018 accounted for $2 billion, or 2% of total digital ad spending in the U.S., according to the GroupM report. In 2020, digital political ad spending is projected to increase to about $2.8 billion, or 2.2% of total digital ad spending.
It appears that digital is now surfacing as a dominant force, a distinction that some candidates are beginning to realize. It pays to go with what’s proven, hence the significant digital spend noted above for the top 5 campaigns. Of the $6 billion in political spending this cycle, Kantar expects 20%, or $1.2 billion, to go to digital.
Politicians are also getting savvy in the programmatic space, with some even hiring ad-tech specialists to manage their online marketing campaigns, according to sources. This move could mark a significant cultural shift in the way campaigns unfold.
Digital Marketing Election Impact
Dollars behind digital advertising are giving presidential candidates the ability to build support through direct access to voters, improved analytics and personalized messaging, just to name a few advances.
The digital strategies employed in campaigns allow more direct interaction with voters through channels such as SEO, pay per click, blogging and more. This allows candidates to ensure messaging is exactly what they want it to be, and also gives them to interact with voters online through answering questions directly and making comments.
With direct access and the ability to customize messaging instantly, presidential candidates now have the luxury of personalizing the content they send out. As these efforts are made throughout the race, digital marketing also provides actionable analytics in order to judge the success of any campaign.
Analytics makes it possible to see what’s working and make shifts quickly and implement different strategies that will lead to more success in the campaign. With an extended reach and the agility of digital, it’s no shock digital efforts are ramping up for the 2020 election, gearing toward earning the individual vote.
Adweek Wrap Up: Attracting Ad Budgets
in Ad Sales, Agency New Business, Marketing, Marketing Techby Marilyn Mead BrutocoAdvertisingWeek is a great place to evaluate the entire marketing industry from it’s past, to where we are today. This week-long event with nearly 100K attendees is jam-packed with discussions about current trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the entire industry on a global scale.
This year, Winmo had an opportunity to present on the main stage and we brought a few friends along to shed light on the weapons in their sales arsenal that helps them win new business and attract major brand budgets.
Dave Currie, CEO of Winmo moderated the panel featuring three distinct perspectives: media sales, represented by Bruce Kallner, SVP Business Development & Olympic Sales at NBC; adtech sales, represented by Tyler Kelly, President at Centro; and agency new business, represented by Nicole Souza, EVP of Growth and Marketing at The Integer Group.
Each of our panelists had a unique perspective on how to break through to major advertisers, and ultimately, attract major ad budgets. The advertising ecosystem is more complex than it’s ever been, and for sellers, that means keeping up with more players, putting more irons in the fire and staying ahead of new trends in media, technology advertising and beyond.
These three professionals who are at the top of their game shared tips and tricks on what has proven successful in their new business efforts.
Check them out below:
Frequency is Key
When it comes to sales, persistence is often key. These days, contacting prospects more than once is not only okay, but it is often necessary to attract and engage profitable leads. It takes an average of 8 touches to get an initial meeting with a prospect. It’s crucial to seek out prospects through a variety of touchpoints including voicemail, email, social media and more. Our three expert panelists emphasized why frequency must be a focus in the realm of sales.
“I’ve had clients tell me that they took a phone call from a sales rep 14 times just to see how long they’d stick with it,” said NBC’s Kallner. “It became like a perverse pleasure to see how long this person will stick with it. And then they reward them with a meeting.”
So how frequent is frequent enough to be effective? “I’d say on average you’ve got to call somebody five to 10 times, and don’t be shy about it being twice a week,” said Kallner.
Centro’s Kelly echoed that point. “What I always say to my team is you could send a hundred emails and they don’t respond, you’re just doing your job. The second they respond and say ‘please stop,’ then you’re an assh****. So it’s a fine line, but your job is to continue to have that frequency, I mean we’re in advertising, we know frequency works, so as a seller you need to have that same mentality.”
“My guidance to my team is to hit 40 different companies a week, 40 touchpoints on prospects – that doesn’t include current clients – 40 touchpoints, set 5 meetings, and two demos.”
This all of course works best when you actually know you have something of value to offer the potential partner. “As long as you’re convinced you can be of value to them, persistence is key,” said Kallner.
Breaking through can get a little trickier in the agency space, where “sales” is a dirty word. “It’s less about pushing a product and more about building a relationship,” said Integer’s Souza. “Speaking engagements are a big thing for us. We really focus on trying to drive awareness and demonstrate thought leadership as opposed to telling someone we’re thought leaders and to meet with us. And so it’s a lot about marketing and awareness for us.”
Hunters vs. Farmers
Sales is all about timing: pitching a prospect when they’re ready to buy. Finding that golden opportunity isn’t easy, especially with so much competition out there. When it comes to reactive prospecting, everyone is reacting to the same industry news that already happened, and crowing the same prospect’s inbox. Getting in front of leads first is what separates the hunters from the farmers.
With respect to proactive versus reactive prospecting, Kelly noted that at Centro “I actually want all of them to be hunters. If you’re a salesperson and you’re getting paid as a salesperson, I need you hunting.” Client services is where he sees the more reactive technique come in. “I also manage a 300 person services team and that’s where you see the farming. That’s an area where we always look to strive, how to train our account services team to look for opportunities at our existing clients. But for my 150 person sales team, I want them knocking on new doors.”
From the agency perspective, Souza echoed the need for account services to be actively looking for expansion opportunities. “One of the major shifts we made a few years ago at Integer is to really broaden who are the hunters at our agency. We’re not selling a commoditized product so we try not to lean too hard into ‘we’re prospecting, we’re hunting’ but that means that your account leads have to become the hunters and the people who really nurture and grow. The account leads know those organizations better than anyone, so there is a focus there from a business development standpoint. We do things like try and bring our clients, the actual individuals, into market – something like this, like an Advertising Week panel. Just to do something where we start to think differently about our relationships with them.”
Cutting Through the Clutter
Last but certainly not least, the panelists addressed how to rise above the noise when it comes to prospecting, and stand out from numerous pitches. Cutting through the clutter has a nice ring to it, but how exactly do you go about it?
“There’s too many companies like Outreach, Salesloft, that are creating these cadences, and we all get inundated. I mean when I had a title change and became President like two years ago I was like wow, where did all these people come from?”
To break through that clutter, the panelists are using innovative ideas that stick in the mind of prospects they’re sure would be a good fit.
“My wicked cool idea that we just started doing, and now of course everyone is going to copy it, because I’m sharing it here, is working with a company called Cameo, out of Chicago,” said Centro’s Kelly. “They have a group of celebrities or even local celebrities that you can pay to do a 30-second snippet to send to whoever. So we actually had a win in Louisiana – there was a running back who was huge at LSU, and he did a quick 30 seconds, I think we paid $75 for it, and told the agency that basically our idea was the best thing since sliced bread and that they had to take a meeting with Ross because he’s such a great guy. And they did.”
“The more that you can tailor and customize things the better. It’s not something, from a scalability standpoint that you’d use for your spray and prey, but if you know it’s a perfect target for you, spending a little money goes a long way.”
Kallner noted the importance of remembering something about people and using it in a touchpoint to fuel a relationship – and he doesn’t just mean the college they went to or other publicly available information on their LinkedIn profile. “Remember that someone has a bulldog, or if they have a specific passion – just file that away. And in the future, if you come across something in your daily life that reminds you of it, it takes all of eight minutes to send them a note saying ‘hi, I just saw this and it reminded me of you.”
In Conclusion
AdWeek’s worldwide gathering of marketing, advertising, technology and brand professionals did not disappoint. Some of the brightest minds in the industry came together to share knowledge and experiences to improve the industry as a whole. AdWeek is a one-of-a-kind experience, providing insight on how to navigate the ever-changing landscape of marketing, advertising, technology, and creative spaces.
The Attracting Ad Budgets panel consisted of actionable tips and takeaways to help you and your team win new business. We hope you enjoy the prospecting secrets and find them valuable for attracting new high profile clients!