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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: Welcome to this holiday edition of PR’s Top Pros Talk. I have two very special guests who are VPs at our company, D S Simon Media, and they’ve reinforced the lesson that if you just hire people smarter than you are, things will go pretty well for the business. So, thanks to both of you for being here, and Elizabeth, what’s different than last year’s holiday season in terms of how clients are planning their holiday campaigns?

ELIZABETH: Sure. Well, we’re seeing brands being very proactive, already committing to their holiday schedules. So, significant brands are planning and scheduling, more than double the number that’s been scheduled from last year. So, we’re really excited to see that growth.

MIKE: And what we’re finding from a media perspective is following the consumer trends. A recent study by McKinsey has revealed that two-thirds of holiday shoppers are planning to start their shopping before Black Friday, so your media plans should follow that. We’ve seen brands and stations looking to do media tour interviews as early as October, leaning into that pre-shopping period, and then certainly in November, leading up to Black Friday and other opportunities in December, leading up to the actual holidays. And here’s an interesting trend that we’re seeing. It’s focusing on January, where one of the biggest gifts this time of year is going to be gift cards. So, utilizing those gift cards even into January. So, there are multiple touchpoints for brands to do media tours and reach out to the consumers and the audience.

DOUG: Mike, I have seen that data, that gift cards are really going to be the number one gift this year. So, that is an interesting sort of post-Christmas holiday marketing that will need to be done to still battle for those sales. And I know your team has surveyed station producers to find out the topics they’re interested in covering. Are many of those relevant to holiday stories?

MIKE: We found some interesting things that can help guide media plans. Station and producers are looking overwhelmingly to hit technology stories. 65% of those are looking for technology stories. Travel and health are right up there as well, so these are perfect opportunities and perfect topics for brands to focus on as we head into this holiday buying season.

DOUG: Yeah, and obviously, if anyone watching wants a copy of that report, they can just get in touch with us. Elizabeth, we know we’re also seeing a significant increase in bilingual tours, given the growing buying power. You’re also seeing some add-ons to what the traditional satellite media tour used to encompass. Can you talk about a few of those?

ELIZABETH: First, you mentioned the Spanish and bilingual. I think that’s a huge growth that we’ve seen. I think another thing that we’ve also seen with some projects is multiple spokespeople. So, whether it’s localized spokespeople from certain states or certain regions to really, really connect deeper with those local audiences, or even splitting up the media tours because they’ve been booking so well because of the strength of the content. So, recently we saw one of our clients they utilized three spokespeople to split up the day of TV interviews. And that really has been something that they’ve been leaning on, so we can maximize the amount of interviews while not exhausting one of the spokespeople out. In addition to using multiple spokespeople for tours, is hyper-localized tours as well. So, whether that’s from a statewide level or regional level, not just nationwide tours. So, we can really customize each tour based on priority markets. Another thing to really lean on that, if a certain client is really looking to reach a certain demographic, that’s something we’re able to add on to the package, streaming services. So, that’s another approach that we’ve been able to lean on. I think it’s one-third of local broadcast viewers watch via streaming services. So, that’s another way to ensure that you’re reaching those very specific target audiences.

DOUG: Yeah. And that helps the audience for local broadcast become a lot more diverse. When you talk about streaming, those are things you can control down to the zip code, the demographics, the income level, and the education level. So, especially for clients who are looking for niche customers, you can really hone in on that and be a lot more effective with your marketing. One trend, and Mike, I know this is always a tough one. People have been in the industry a long time, think, gosh, TV producers, they hate PR people. It’s tough, but from the data you’re seeing, does it appear that station producers are more open to working with PR than they’ve ever been, and dare I say, need our help? Could you maybe go into that?

MIKE: Yeah, there’s certainly a less is more mentality when it comes to TV production and stations right now. They’re doing more coverage, more shows, and more hours of local coverage. As Elizabeth was saying, everything from increasing their number of shows to streaming online and digital shows. So, there really is a strong appetite for satellite media, tour interviews, branded content, and pre-produced content. So, it’s all things that stations are leaning into and that we are advising stations on. It’s really about meeting the needs of your brand, also with the needs of the station. And that’s where we come in, in terms of targeted markets, customized messaging, and individualized pitching. And also, as Elizabeth mentioned, taking your local spokespeople and putting them in the places where they’ll have the most impact, not only for your brand, but for the station as well.

DOUG: Yeah. And, Elizabeth, this is a time of year where stations are most receptive, and this is the most client demand for being part of co-op tours, where multiple brands will participate in a holiday gift themed events, themed satellite media tour. Can you maybe compare some of the differences between a co-op tour or when a client owns their own tour? What are some of the things you’re seeing?

ELIZABETH: Well, a couple things to think about are always cost. So, for the co-op model, you’re really sharing that spotlight with 3 to 5 different brands. So, it’s going to be more cost-efficient. So, that’s a good option for organizations that might have a smaller PR budget. Another thing is that there is a third-party spokesperson already attached to it. So, that’s where the production company provides that spokesperson. So, it’s great for companies that may not be able to lean on an in-house spokesperson or may not have a brand ambassador that they can leverage for their campaign. So, for the stand alone tours, the great thing is that you’re the only brand within the tour, and it’s a dedicated segment for your brand, so you can control 100% of the messaging. We can also leverage your internal leaders, so it’s a great opportunity for thought leadership as well. And it’s also great to be able to target your own market, so we can really customize the approach. And one, you’re owning your own tour. It can be really tailored to your specific message and have more of that narrative and back-and-forth anchor interaction.

DOUG: Yeah. And Mike, you’re leading the team that’s producing about 200 satellite media tours a year. So, I’m guessing you have some guidance and suggestions about what brands should be thinking about to make sure their campaign is going to be most effective. And then we’ll give you a chance for some final thoughts.

MIKE: With any brand, at any time of year, you should be thinking about what’s the story and what’s the takeaway you want from that interview. You have a 3 to 4 minute conversation opportunity when it comes to TV interviews, and slightly longer when it comes to radio. So, what’s the news that you want to make from that interview, and what do you want the action to be that the audience is going to take? Do you want them to go to the stores? Do you want them to buy the product? Do you want them to go to the website? Those are all things that we take into consideration when we create the media pitch, work with your talent on media messaging, and ultimately get that segment on air.

DOUG: Great. And Elizabeth, any final thoughts?

ELIZABETH: Local news is one of the most trusted sources of information. So, brands that are doing SMTs are really tapping into that trust. And local outlets are just more accessible and willing to book segments, especially this holiday season.

DOUG: Great. And Mike?

MIKE: The media landscape has really changed over these last few years. The holiday shopping idea used to be from just before Black Friday to just about New Year’s. Now that’s expanded. Stations are looking to do holiday-related coverage as early as October, as we mentioned, all the way through January. So, plan accordingly, and if need be, we could help you plan multiple different touchpoints for those brands during your process.

DOUG: Great. And I’d like to thank both of you for being with us on the show and with us at D S Simon Media for all these years. Thanks so much. And everyone out there start shopping.