By Holland Cooke
Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — National media does well selling products, most of which aren’t manufactured locally. Local media does best selling services, which are inherently local. National advertisers selling services are disadvantaged, because the Help Wanted sign is everywhere, the U.S. Postal Service is crippled by politics, and supply chain issues haunt every industry.
Example? One of network radio’s biggest advertisers, currently disappointing me and countless others. And I see opportunity.
FIFTEEN weeks after I sent my stuff, I inquired, and Legacybox’s “Brad” told me: “Thank you for reaching back out to us. I’m sorry that your order is taking longer than estimated. Currently, we’re experiencing our peak processing time — meaning that most orders in our facility will be here for up to 17 weeks. I anticipate another 3 weeks till it is completed and ready to ship.”
Tip for local sales reps: Prospect local businesses that do what Legacybox does, digitizing precious memories. The oxide is literally falling-off cassettes and reels of our old airchecks and VHS tapes of loved ones long-gone; and 35mm slides and photos are physically deteriorating. So the offer is appealing, but Legacybox service is appalling.
Because Legacybox is a big network radio buyer, you’re probably hearing their ads on your station; and there is something we can do about listeners we disappoint by airing spots for THIS advertiser: Offer them a better deal.
Is there a local retailer who does the same thing? If so, script their spot aggressively, talking about how Legacybox takes months, compared to how the local business will turn-quicker. “Don’t mail-away your memories. Hand them to Fred and Lucy, who will take good care of them.”
Local radio will always be local advertisers’ best bet for slugging-it-out against the Big Box. So brainstorm who else, locally, can out-deliver big national service advertisers.
Holland Cooke is author of the E-book “Multiply Your Podcast Subscribers, Without Buying Clicks,” available exclusively from Talkers books and “Spot-On: Commercial Copy Points That Earned The Benjamins,” a FREE download here. HC is a consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow him on Twitter @HollandCooke