Case for editorial quality tougher to make during B2b digital ad pitches?
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
"Digital marketing types could care less about editorial quality. All they want to know from B2B
salespeople is how they're going to get maximum product exposure. They like hyperlinks and any
other plugs publishers are willing to give away."
I heard that comment during one of several fact-finding conversations in my new role as the
American Society of Business Publication Editors ethics committee chairman. It's too bad some
advertisers take such a dense view of how marketing decisions should be made. But I am not
surprised. During my 13 years as VP/editorial director of a leading multi-publisher, I made joint
calls with publishers and other sales representatives. Several clients and prospects admitted their
approach to making B2B ad decisions was sketchy at best. "Just show us your audit and you'll get
some business," was the typical advisory.
During my acceptance speech when I received ASBPE's 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award, I
emphasized an important reality (to me). Many editors deprecate the way they believe their ad
reps pitch their publications. They might feel differently if they went on a few calls, especially to ad
agencies. Then they might realize that our real marketing problem is not so much how our
publication is sold; moreso, it's the thinking process that dictates the way B2B advertising is
bought. Even so, high-quality content must be part of the sales presentation for a number of
reasons that ought to be obvious.
Speaking about the obvious, the traditional thinking process that brought us the church and state
doctrine needs to be revisited. The dictate that editors should stay as far away as possible from
the marketing process clearly makes no sense. One research executive who follows digital
developments closely emphasized that editors must be part of the marketing process, especially
when it comes to social media. "Editors can do much to build an audience for their publication's
brand via astute blogging and posting links to their main site," he said. "Consequently, there
must be a company agreement on how much time they can realistically devote to this process."
Our ethics committee is going to be very active this year. We'll do a lot of blogging about the
editing/marketing situation. But we'll also post periodic advisories concerning ethical challenges in
an environment of staff cuts and salary freezes, the need for internal written policies covering
ethics and complaint handling, and social media ethical considerations. We're going to seek out
and recognize "ethics giants," publishers who are determined to maintain the highest level of
editorial quality in the face of mounting advertiser pressures. And somewhere during the year,
we'll unveil an editorial ethics IQ test. Can you pass it? We'll find out soon.
I invite everybody reading this blog to participate in our ongoing ethics assessment. If you have
suggestions about projects we might undertake, please call or email me. My committee email
address is ethics.chair@editsol.com.
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by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
"Digital marketing types could care less about editorial quality. All they want to know from B2B
salespeople is how they're going to get maximum product exposure. They like hyperlinks and any
other plugs publishers are willing to give away."
I heard that comment during one of several fact-finding conversations in my new role as the
American Society of Business Publication Editors ethics committee chairman. It's too bad some
advertisers take such a dense view of how marketing decisions should be made. But I am not
surprised. During my 13 years as VP/editorial director of a leading multi-publisher, I made joint
calls with publishers and other sales representatives. Several clients and prospects admitted their
approach to making B2B ad decisions was sketchy at best. "Just show us your audit and you'll get
some business," was the typical advisory.
During my acceptance speech when I received ASBPE's 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award, I
emphasized an important reality (to me). Many editors deprecate the way they believe their ad
reps pitch their publications. They might feel differently if they went on a few calls, especially to ad
agencies. Then they might realize that our real marketing problem is not so much how our
publication is sold; moreso, it's the thinking process that dictates the way B2B advertising is
bought. Even so, high-quality content must be part of the sales presentation for a number of
reasons that ought to be obvious.
Speaking about the obvious, the traditional thinking process that brought us the church and state
doctrine needs to be revisited. The dictate that editors should stay as far away as possible from
the marketing process clearly makes no sense. One research executive who follows digital
developments closely emphasized that editors must be part of the marketing process, especially
when it comes to social media. "Editors can do much to build an audience for their publication's
brand via astute blogging and posting links to their main site," he said. "Consequently, there
must be a company agreement on how much time they can realistically devote to this process."
Our ethics committee is going to be very active this year. We'll do a lot of blogging about the
editing/marketing situation. But we'll also post periodic advisories concerning ethical challenges in
an environment of staff cuts and salary freezes, the need for internal written policies covering
ethics and complaint handling, and social media ethical considerations. We're going to seek out
and recognize "ethics giants," publishers who are determined to maintain the highest level of
editorial quality in the face of mounting advertiser pressures. And somewhere during the year,
we'll unveil an editorial ethics IQ test. Can you pass it? We'll find out soon.
I invite everybody reading this blog to participate in our ongoing ethics assessment. If you have
suggestions about projects we might undertake, please call or email me. My committee email
address is ethics.chair@editsol.com.
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Editorial Solutions, Inc.