Ad Sellers Face Harsh New Reality: Evolve or Find Another Career
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“I’ve been in media for 15 years,” said Meredith Kopit Levien, head of ad sales at The New York Times. “The last three or four have been the ones where I’ve seen the most dramatic change.”
It’s not just the Grey Lady: Most legacy publishers are struggling to adjust to an evolving environment in which advertisers are no longer satisfied with just ad space in print or on the right rail of a website. They are demanding that publishers apply reams of data to target their ads, which, by the way, should appear within the stream of editorial content, get significant social-media promotion and be as bespoke as possible. And they’re trying to squeeze publishers on the price every step of the way.
As a result, legacy publishers are taking a pickaxe to calcified sales departments. Positions are being eliminated and longtime staffers let go. But the turmoil is also giving rise to opportunities for sales talent that can think creatively and nimbly while being conversant with return on investment. Ms. Kopit Levien calls them “unicorns.”
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