Not long ago RAB President Jeff Haley said in Atlanta at the yearly conference that radio must commit to posting—a comparison of what advertising was ordered and promised against the actual delivery of advertising and audience. (2/15/08 RBR #32).
Well, CBS Radio has committed—adding to promises made by Greater Media’s Peter Smyth and others: President of Sales Michael Weiss sent employees yesterday a memo on the new initiative.
Read it here:
As most, if not all, of you know, Dan Mason, David Goodman and myself are hosting a series of events for advertisers in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York detailing not only the depth and breadth of our capabilities both on-air and online, but expanding on the number of advertiser opportunities available to our clients. Similar events are scheduled in all of our local markets over the course of the next month giving everyone the chance to share our collective enthusiasm for the business.
Our first event was held last Thursday in Los Angeles to an overwhelmingly positive response from more than 475 clients. Among the news we discussed was committing to post our ratings for advertisers. In this era of increasing accountability, it is imperative we move to improve our credibility with our clients and provide them with pre-negotiated audience delivery assurances not only for PPM data when it becomes available, but with ratings information from the diary as well.
Over the course of the next 90-120 days, I will be working with Lucy Hughes, our Market Managers and Directors of Sales, and the major agencies to come up with a set of mutual guidelines that will be beneficial for everyone involved. This is an important first step not only for CBS RADIO, but for the entire industry. We would hope our brethren will follow suit in the coming weeks and months ahead.
Our advertisers count on us to help drive sales and increase their brand awareness. Posting our ratings to ensure our clients messages are delivered to the intended audience will strengthen our reliability and illustrate an advertiser’s return on investment. There are many questions still to be answered, and we will work through them in an amicable process. Look for further communication from us in the near future.
Thank you.
Michael
