2017 CRMA Annual Conference Highlights & Photos
At the 2017 CRMA Annual Conference in Houston, the author introduced the Digital Track featuring a fast-paced breakout session titled “60 Sales Ideas in 60 minutes” led by Mike Martinelli and a panel of regional publishers who shared actionable digital sales strategies, emphasizing the advantages of niche and regional audiences, while attendees eagerly took notes and the session’s slides were made available online.
On Monday, May 22nd, while everyone else was working from their respective office desks, I was introducing the Digital Track at the 2017 CRMA Annual Conference in Houston, Texas. I had a great time connecting with a number of local and regional publishers at the conference, and learning about what drives their business forward.
We were enjoying our coffees, while Mike Martinelli, Group Digital Publisher of Today Media, came into the room with a gong in his hand. Yes, you read that right – a gong. He sat it on the table, and after I introduced him and the rest of the panel, he told everyone to strap in and get ready. The title of this breakout session was “Digital Sales 101”, however, Mike and his crew called it “60 Sales Ideas in 60 minutes.” Each of the panelists had prepared a number of slides with quick and easy digital sales ideas that we could go home with and put into action. Each one had 2 ideas every 2 minutes, and Mike rang the gong to make sure no one went over the time limit. It was fast, fun, and informative.
Irene Peterson of Mpls. St. Paul Magazine, Frank Tarascio of Westchester Magazine, and Susan Farkas of Washingtonian were among the Sales Ideas crew. They took simple ideas and made them BIG, like using your small audience to your advantage, how being a regional publication can be advantageous to your business, and how having a niche audience allows you to charge more for prime reader engagement.
The audience at the Digital Track was furiously jotting down notes. I myself couldn’t take enough notes, as the panel kept zipping through ideas and even stopped a few times to ask questions. The gong was ringing every minute, and I kept thinking of great ideas to bring to my regional clients. The icing on the cake – the slides are all available online! Check out the slides here.
The conference also included some exceptional keynote speakers, including Larry Burstein, former Publisher at New York Media. He spoke about New York Magazine’s strategic shift to digital—which now makes up 60% of New York Media’s total ad revenue—and advertisers’ willingness to experiment with native advertising, despite its time-consuming nature. “The internet is a different way to tell a story.”
MediaRadar would also like to congratulate all of the 2017 CRMA Award winners and recipients. See the complete list of CRMA winners here.
I could go on forever about more of my favorite takeaways from the rest of the conference sessions, but for now, I’ll leave you with some fun photos using MediaRadar’s custom Snapchat event filter.
Go forth and make those digital ideas grow! Until next year!
-Howard Schecter, Director of Sales
MediaRadar
Related
Q4 Numbers: What’s Up and What’s Down in B2B Advertising
In 2018, B2B advertising spending remained flat overall compared to 2017, but digital ad budgets grew 42% to comprise 27% of total spend, native online ads surged 50% making them the fastest-growing format, only 11% of brands used multiple ad formats, and average event revenue increased by 5%, highlighting shifts in how and where B2B brands allocate their advertising resources.
Nike's Native Ad Campaign with Colin Kaepernick
In September 2018, Nike launched a controversial yet highly impactful native ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick with the slogan “Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything,” which sparked public protests but ultimately boosted Nike’s online sales by 31%, garnered 26.7 million YouTube views, increased social media engagement, and exemplified the benefits and challenges of long-term native advertising campaigns.
B2B Publication Ad Portfolio Tips: Ways to Expand Your Market Share
The article advises B2B publications to expand their ad portfolios beyond traditional print by embracing digital, mobile, social, and native advertising strategies to better reach diverse decision-maker audiences who consume content across various platforms, including major digital publications, thereby increasing market share in a competitive landscape where advertisers prefer targeted, personalized approaches over cross-platform buys.
The State of Retail Media: What to Know and Why Advertisers Are So Excited
Retail media networks are rapidly growing as advertisers invest over $3 billion since 2021 to leverage retailers' vast first-party shopper-level data—such as Amazon's 200 million Prime members—to deliver targeted ads amid the decline of third-party cookies and increasing privacy regulations, capitalizing on the U.S. retail market projected to reach $5.35 trillion by 2025.
3 Native Advertising Trends in B2B Media to Keep Your Eyes On This Year
In 2023, B2B advertisers significantly increased native advertising spending—nearly $171 million in the first half alone—while diversifying their media strategies by combining native ads with other formats like digital display and events to effectively engage complex, multi-decision-maker buying journeys.
Q4 2023 12 for ‘24 - Beauty
In 2023, the beauty sector saw a 3% year-over-year decline in ad spend totaling over $5.2 billion across 5,200 companies and 11,600 brands, with TV still dominating at 34% of spend despite a 10% drop, while online video and native ads surged by 35% and 41% respectively, driven by increased investments in deodorant (up 72%), skincare, and hair care, alongside notable spending spikes from companies like P&G, and a mixed performance with declines in oral hygiene and bath & shower advertising, as MediaRadar highlights 12 key beauty advertisers poised for growth in 2024.