Re: advertising locally

From: Havah Hope <havah_at_aperfectdealer.com>
Date: Sun 17 Oct 1999 14:19:24 +0200

JOYCE-ANN GATSOULIS WROTE:
>I think you get my point -- Advertisers and media
>publications that take payment for editorial content are
>shooting themselves in the foot.

TO WHICH HAVAH HOPE REPLIED:
>So, Joyce-Ann I take it you boycott any newspaper with
>movie or book reviews.

TO WHICH JOYCE-ANN GATSOULIS REPLIED:
> I don't read any newspaper with PAID movie or book reviews,
>no. I don't know where you're reading your movie and book
>reviews, but mine come from sources like the New York Times
>for example. I doubt very much the New York Times or any
>other publication worth its salt would even enter a
>discussion about media coverage as part of the deal for
>advertising. I used to edit a book section for a small
>magazine in Prague, and we didn't receive any income from
>the publishers for writing a review. I chose books that were
>notable for our audience, read them, and critiqued them
>honestly. Very simple. If all those reviews were positive,
>and ads appeared next to them, I should think our readers
>would have been insulted and not bothered to read them
>anymore. I simply don't understand what you are talking
>about.

TO WHICH HAVAH HOPE REPLIED:

Joyce-Ann, you and everyone else in the editorial end of the
publishing industry (I have had this argument more than once
before) may think you are "pure" and "above the taint of
advertising" but I have news for you a book review is
advertising. You may choose not to get paid for it, but
whether or not you are paid to review a book a book review
is advertising. You are advertising the book, the author
and the publisher, *everytime*.

When I was selling newspaper advertising we as a matter of
course reviewed plays at the local theaters and nightclub
acts. None of these people ever paid for advertising.
Several of the nightclubs fell in my sales territory. When
I approached the owners about ads the UNIVERSAL answer was,
"Why should I pay you. I already get my advertising for
free when you review the musicians that play here." I spoke
to my publisher about the problem and and a decree was
handed down, no more plays, movies or music would be review
without an ad. Of course the critics went nuts, but 80% of
the nightclubs and theaters had year long contracts signed
within a month.

If you think that a book review is not advertising, just see
what the publisher will do to try to convince you to run a
review. I am not saying that if a publisher regularly
advertises with a newspaper the newspaper should slant their
reviews, they should not. A poorly written book or directed
play deserves to get panned, but make no mistake about it.
You write advertising copy. Even if what you are
advertising is "do not waste your money".

The veiws expressed in this letter are NOT offical (or even
unoffical veiws) of aperfectdealer.com.


Havah Hope
Internet Alliances Manager
A Perfect Dealer, Inc.
http://www.aperfectdealer.com




Received on Sun Oct 17 1999 - 07:19:24 CDT