Matrix Blog

Media Sales Symposium Showcases Key Media Sales Insights

Written by Brenda Hetrick | February 8, 2017

When it comes to media operations, there is no question that sales is a critical department – one that carries a heavy weight for impacting the bottom line. Matrix has been immersed in media sales since its inception, giving us a front row seat to witness the ebb and flow of the industry. Today, more than ever, there is a need to have a full understanding of the media sales ecosystem to operate effectively. Media companies need to sell integrated media advertising campaigns consultatively and use data as a not-so-secret weapon. We all know this leads to increased revenue and/or reduced operational costs, of which both produce improved bottom line ROI.

Last week, industry leaders, technology experts, sales executives, and decision-makers descended upon Orlando to meet for the very first Media Sales Symposium. The symposium proved an opportune venue for candidly discussing today’s media sales opportunities and challenges.

Being the first of such a gathering, you never quite know how these things are going to go. A few of the comments overheard at the symposium, include:

“The sessions and speakers were amazing.”

“This is exactly the information I was looking for.”

“The symposium exceeded my expectations.”

“Will you be doing another symposium next year?”

And with that, the answer is “yes” stay-tuned for our 2nd Annual Symposium!. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the need for bringing together media sales professionals and presenting such content for discussion was apparent. We are humbled to have been able to produce the first Media Sales Symposium and are greatly looking forward to Symposium 2.0 raising the bar even higher.

The symposium sessions, an assembled mix of keynote presentations and panels, covered a broad spectrum of media sales topics from market fragmentation and the state of the media landscape, linear versus non-linear and how ATSC 3.0 will play a role in workflows moving forward, to changing the way we sell with more a more effective process.

Dennis McCarthy of Paradigm Group shared a great analogy stressing the significance of the sales process which is prevalent to share based on the New England Patriots last-minute win at the Super Bowl. Dennis’s analogy articulated how Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots’ head coach, believes in process. He expects his players to implement the plays called per the book. Why? So that every player on the field knows what to expect. Quarterback Tom Brady backed this theory when quoted in the Boston Globe (Oct. 2012) “I have to trust in Deion and Wes [Welker] and all those guys out there to be in the right spot so I can play fast and anticipate what they’re doing,’’ Brady said. “If everyone is not on the same page, then it doesn’t work. A lot of what these [off-season] practices are about is everybody getting on the same page. The faster we can get up to speed and get better as a unit, the better we’re going to be.’’ Going against the grain effects the outcome and not always in a good way, as Chad Ochocinco experienced after being dropped from the New England Patriots after just one season. This panel highlighted the significance of getting sales teams on the same page when it comes to adopting and implementing sales processes and workflows to be more effective.

The leading keynote presentation was presented by Gordon Borrell. Not only did this presentation set the stage for the 2-day event, but it provided a wealth of statistical data to support where the industry is going. 2017: the year that traditional TV and digital advertising will intersect. John McMenamin, of MediaVillage.com, articulated the fragmentation of the media landscape, focusing on how Facebook and YouTube have emerged as vital media revenue sources and acknowledged the need to keep an eye on Snapchat. Social media revenue proved a consistent theme throughout the event, especially with Georgia Beasley, of Beasley Media, and Elisa DeFoe, of Social News Desk getting candid about its adoption in the last panel session of the symposium. Although Georgia and Elisa concurred there are bumps in the road when it comes to digital ad workflow, they also expressed the need to keep at it, smoothing out the bumps over time. They emphasized this point by sharing a few of the success stories of incorporating digital and social as an effective component to various integrated media campaigns.

These are just a few of the key insights from the Media Sales Symposium. Our team is diligently working to produce a comprehensive composition of all insights from the event, so stay tuned! Additionally, thanks again to everyone who attended and contributed to the first Media Sales Symposium’s success. Be on the lookout for save the date announcements for our 2018 symposium!

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