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| Print
negotiation |
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| The efficiency of agency cooperation |
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By Gene
Willhoft |
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| Illustration
by Tim Jonke |
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The client must get involved as well. In cases where, let’s say, group negotiations yield two fourth covers among three brands, the client should decide which brands get which position .
Magazine publishers should not interpret this concept as a way to put them out of business. True, the objective is to get concessions from each publication. At the same time, more money will be spent to get these concessions. I’ve met few publishers who won’t give preferential treatment under such conditions.
I fully realize that, in a few cases, what I am proposing is already being done. However, after canvassing both fellow media colleagues and magazine representatives, I believe negotiating in this manner to be the exception, when it should be the rule. The world of buying print has changed, and I believe this is where it is
going.
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| Mr. Willhoft is director of media services at Grace and Rothschild,
New York. |
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To get the most out of their consumer magazine dollars, multi-brand advertisers with several agencies should use the combined clout of their brands when negotiating with consumer publications. Large corporations with in-house media groups do this very thing. However, midsize companies that don’t have in-house media support or an agency of record actually negotiating for all brands should require their agencies to negotiate together. In practice, this means representatives of each agency’s media department getting together, in one room, with print media personnel. The clout of three agencies, operating together, should yield better results than negotiating separately. Obviously, this idea won’t work if agencies are in different cities, but it has applications in New York-and other major advertising areas.
There is little reason for agencies to balk at this idea. First, agency media personnel should negotiate for their particular brand anyway, so it really isn’t adding work. Second, the benefits of negotiating together (as defined by rate protection, waiving of cover premiums, greater cover availability, lower rates, elimination of bleed charges, etc.) should ultimately help brands in the marketplace. On a long-term basis this should help agencies. Third, by working together, media personnel get used to considering corporate rather than individual brand needs. This can manifest itself by keeping covers in the corporate family if one brand cannot use its assigned cover, or perhaps by having different brands work out copy splits. |
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