10-2-2012Carol Grothem is the vice president and associate director of media investments at Compass Point Media, a unit of Campbell Mithun. Grothem has been with Compass for 17 years and was recently named to her second term as a member of the national board of directors of the Alliance for Women in Media. The Compass Media client roster includes SuperValu, Land O?Lakes, Schwan?s, General Mills, and Toro, among others.
What does Compass Media specialize in?
The goal at Compass Point Media is to ?Make Everything Talk.? Making everything talk for Compass Point Media involves the seamless integration of strategic planning, tactical planning, and negotiation, resulting in greater effectiveness and efficiency for our clients. One key element in our success is the experienced depth and breadth of our team. We have more than 125 media strategists, analysts, and negotiators, covering all media forms.
All are located in our Minneapolis office to maximize integration and effectiveness across disciplines.
How do you use radio for your clients? Or do you?
We develop and execute effective audio/radio initiatives for all of our clients. Our strategy is to negotiate the best rates and best inventory available. We also secure and coordinate significant on-air, online, and at-event promotions tailored to each client?s initiatives. We have also emphasized the importance of streaming audio and online radio in our radio campaigns. We are in the top 15 in radio spend in the country.
Could you use radio more?
Yes. We have key partners ? Katz Radio Group and many major ownership groups ? across the country that create new and innovative ideas to bring to our clients. A creative idea will always sell.
What is radio?s strongest quality when it comes to using it for your clients?
Engagement. Targetability. Immediacy. Creativity. Local. Personality radio is still one of the most impactful ways to communicate a client?s message. We are strong proponents of ?radio triggers,? such as cold- or warm-weather triggers. It?s a strategy we use for two of our clients that has produced excellent results.
When do you know a client campaign is just not going to work on radio?
It all begins with our marketing/creative strategy meetings. Although our team is a huge advocate for radio, there are certainly times when a plan proposal doesn?t make sense.
Does radio play too many commercials per hour?
It depends on the format of the station. Some formats, such as News/Talk/Sports, have a more active listenership that is more apt to stay with the station during their commercial breaks. It is important for advertisers to make sure that their creative keeps listeners engaged so they won?t tune out.
Are you satisfied with radio?s ratings service?
I think PPM measurement is the way to go, but they need to have more panels in each market in order to give us a more accurate sample of listenership. We wish they could measure engagement of the listener. Satisfied? Yes. Could it be better? Yes.
What can radio reps do to serve you and your clients better?
We have some great reps calling on our agency. The reps we really respect are good listeners, proactive, creative, and they value integrity. One thing we have always encouraged is for the reps to make sure they provide us with comprehensive recaps that we are confident we can forward directly to our clients. These recaps need to merchandise the effort the stations have put into these promotions. This would include photos, videos, detailed information on schedules, and promotional mentions. In a perfect world, all reps would provide us with a glowing recap of every promotion we execute. A good salesperson needs the support from their upper management. Ownership managers need to make sure they have strong leaders in their markets. Let them lead, and give their salespeople the tools they need to get out and sell.
What should they stop doing right away?
Stop the blame game. People need to take responsibility for their actions, and that goes for both sides of the desk. That?s where being proactive and creative is so important. I also think it is very important for everyone in the industry to be aware of their own brand, both offline and online. Determine what your brand message is, and then live and work by it.
Reach out to Carol Grothem at cgrothem@compasspoint-media.com
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