Questions to Help You Get Your Best Advertising Deal

By Lorrie Baumann

When the Restaurant Daily News staff heads for Chicago for the NRA Show, we'll be flying Southwest Airlines, an airline famous for leaving its competitors choking in the exhaust of its Boeing 737s. If you're going to emulate the airline's success as you market your show exhibit, you need to be as nimble about taking advantage of every available opportunity to meet your goals in the most cost-effective way. Do that by being ready with your questions when you're considering your ad buy in the show daily you'll count on to draw traffic to your booth.

No matter which publication you're talking to, there are a few questions you should always ask. Start with this one: Do you have a media kit that I can look at? The media kit will give you details about the publication, including its page size, rate card prices, and distribution, so that you'll know what you can expect to get for your money.

Your next question should be: Where is this publication being distributed? Even though this question should be answered by the media kit, ask it again to make sure that you understand exactly what is and isn't being promised. No publication can promise that it'll be distributed everywhere during the show, and each publisher has a distribution strategy that its representatives should be able to discuss with you.

Next ask for a look at last year's publication. Your publisher should have this available for you in a pdf format that you can either download or look at online, and it'll give you a good idea about the respect with which the publication is regarded in the industry and how your competitors are likely to be represented in it.

Once a publication has passed your initial review, there are some other questions to ask that'll help you get the most bang for your advertising dollar. Start with this one: If I jump on board with this, how far forward can you put me? Follow up with, What's the first righthand-read available? The righthand-read is the page on the right side of the magazine after it's been opened, and most readers will look at it before they turn to the lefthand page, so it's considered a slightly better position. And then ask, What editorial opportunities are available?

The earlier you talk with the publisher about your advertising, the better the answers you'll get to these questions. Don't worry, though, if you're talking to the advertising representative late in the publication's sales campaign: the positions that are still available will be limited, but you'll have a bit more leverage to negotiate for a bargain price. Just like with airline travel, we all know that the passengers in the front seats may have paid more for their tickets, but we all get to the same place at the same time.

Call Oser Communications at 520.721.1300 today to start your conversation with the Restaurant Daily News. When you take off for the show, you want to be on the jet that's going places, not left behind on the runway.