Some might say that with marketers slashing ad budgets and demanding more for less, it’s no time to grow an advertising company. Inter/Media president and COO Bob Yallen begs to differ. The twin trends reshaping the marketplace—increasing fragmentation and more frugal media buyers—have actually been a boon for Inter/Media, an agency and media company with expertise in direct response advertising.
“Media fragmentation is our best friend,” says Yallen. “More fragmentation means more opportunities and more emphasis on the importance of delivering efficiency.” Founded in 1974 by Yallen’s father, Sydney Yallen, as a media buying service, Inter/Media has always been about bringing cost efficiency and quantifiable performance to the ad game. Paid on commission, the company initially catered to companies that wanted to bypass the costly creative component in which full-service ad agencies specialized and simply buy advertising time or space.
In the ’90s, the $450 million Encino, Calif., agency moved into developing direct-response ads that steer viewers to immediate action by calling an 800 number or visiting a web site, which enables marketers to tabulate response rates. It has since expanded into multiple business units that offer clients everything from media planning and creative development to retail channel sales representation and pay-for-performance advertising. Each unit looks to deliver value, says Yallen, whose tenure with the company began when he graduated from Southwestern University’s law school in 1985.
An example is the company’s American Target Network, which aggregates local media to create a local, regional or national footprint, which he says enables marketers to reach millions of households at a cost per thousand 30 percent less than the national network equivalent. “That’s a big strategic advantage, because our clients are always looking for that edge from an efficiency standpoint,” adds Yallen, who also points to proprietary technologies, such as AccuTrak, as differentiation points for the company. By identifying which media venue prompted each customer response, AccuTrak analyzes the effectiveness of advertising dollars spent.
“Over the past decade we’ve been creating our own unique media assets,” explains Yallen, who says that’s why he’s not fazed by dire predictions about the declining media industry. “Agencies are always looking for an edge, because at the end of the day, it’s all about performance.”
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
