The following article appeared in a supplement to Strategy sponsored by Western Broadcast Sales.
Ten million Canadians tune in to the eight Westcom TV Group stations every week – more viewers than any other private broadcaster in Canada attracts.
What do these stations deliver to advertisers? How are they forming partnerships with their advertising and agency clients?
And how is television advertising evolving in this age of fragmentation and the promised 500-channel universe?
In this supplement sponsored by Western Broadcast Sales, which represents the Westcom stations, you’ll discover just what the stations have to offer.
You’ll also read some provocative views on how tv must work more co-operatively with advertisers to achieve mutual goals.
For easy reference, this supplement also includes a full-page chart listing the primetime fall programming for each of the Westcom stations.
Read on to learn more about the appeal of the eight Westcom stations – after all, 10 million viewers a week can’t be wrong.
Is this a good time to work in television advertising sales?
Dave Clarke and Sally Basmajian take a moment to ponder the question.
The two sales managers for Western Broadcast Sales (wbs) have just finished describing an environment of intense competition for advertising dollars, a fragmenting market, and clients who demand more immediate returns on their investments.
Finally, Clarke answers.
‘I would call it a challenging time,’ says Clarke, who is responsible for sales in Western Canada.
‘Stations have to be more innovative and more imaginative. We’re not just out to sell what we have, but what clients need. You have to be able to think outside the box.’
With offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg, wbs is Canada’s largest national television sales organization.
It represents all eight stations in the Westcom TV Group, as well as 20 other stations throughout Canada.
Though Clarke calls these times ‘challenging,’ industry observers say wbs and Westcom are in a better position than most to deliver the goods to advertisers.
‘I think Westcom is in a terrific position,’ states Sunni Boot, senior vice-president and managing director of Toronto’s Optimedia.
‘They have strong stations in local markets, and the ability to work at the grassroots level for advertisers will be critical in a fragmented universe.
‘They have the flexibility to tie into local retailers and cross-promote, and know what motivates their markets. They’re in great shape, very well poised for the future with a solid product.’
That view is encouraging to Keith Morrison, president and chief executive officer of wbs, who, in the course of an interview repeats one phrase several times, like a corporate mantra:
‘We have the attitude of a national perspective with local involvement.’
The Westcom stations include two ctv affiliates, two cbc affiliates, and four independents, and cover the critical markets of b.c., Alberta and southern Ontario.
From west to east, the stations include bctv in Vancouver, chek in Victoria, chbc in Kelowna, b.c., rdtv in Red Deer, Alta., cict in Calgary, itv in Edmonton, cisa in Lethbridge, Alta., and chch in Hamilton.
‘Clients want a comprehensive solution to their needs,’ says Morrison. ‘The old-school attitude is the cookie-cutter approach.
What you need today is a custom approach. We’re not a centralized company. The local end of our business can put together the combination of programming and promotions, or whatever solution is required.’
Adds Glenn Ward, wbs director of business development:
‘Westcom stations have different program schedules and agendas based on their markets. Working with the advertiser and the agency, we can amass these resources.
‘A campaign can be orchestrated and conceived nationally, but we offer the ability to localize. We have a lot of creative input from the local promotions people. It’s almost like I can put out a call for a proposal to the stations.’
Morrison notes that Westcom stations, more than ever, are working on a co-ordinated basis in the areas of u.s. program acquisition and production, as well as on promotional opportunities such as this summer’s Sports Fan Dream Vacation contest.
This fall, for instance, the Westcom stations will all schedule the new shows The Client, American Gothic, Charlie Grace, and more from the u.s. networks.
All the stations will also carry Westcom productions such as Home Check, Canada Tonight (anchored from bctv as Canada’s first evening hour national newscast), and the live call-in show Jane Hawtin Live
The latter show, hosted by former Toronto radio broadcaster Jane Hawtin, debuts Aug. 28.
chch will be ‘host broadcaster,’ and the show will air at 1 p.m. in southern Ontario, at 11 a.m. on cict in Calgary and itv in Edmonton, and at 10 a.m. on bctv in Vancouver.
‘Some of these initiatives extend beyond Westcom stations and are carried by other major market stations represented by wbs, which opens up the potential for ‘network’-type executions and gives our customers the national perspective,’ Morrison says.
‘However, unlike some broadcast groups, these opportunities are not reserved just for network or regional sales, and may be purchased on a market-by-market basis as befits the customer’s needs – thus the local involvement.’
As Ward points out, advertisers typically look at spot buying on the stations because of their individuality: ‘The mix that we have is our strength,’ he states.
‘We tailor to the local needs,’ concurs Basmajian, in charge of sales in Eastern Canada. ‘Our strength lies in our ability to use the best stations in the best markets.’
Close to the client
To Patrick McDougall, president and chief executive officer of the Association of Canadian Advertisers, the greatest challenge for stations and outfits such as wbs is making sure they stay close to the client.
‘Sales reps have to understand the business of their clients, not just take orders.’
Clarke agrees that the wbs sales team and the Westcom stations must exhibit more imagination than in the past, and cites the example of an ad campaign in Western Canada for London Life.
To help identify the ideal programming to match the client’s intended audience, wbs used CompuSearch, which essentially indexes lifestyle profiles against programming.
‘The client was looking for a very targeted audience,’ says Clarke. ‘You see, we’re not just selling time. We’re looking to be more marketing-oriented.’
The desire to offer new opportunities to clients was also evident last year in Hamilton, when chch produced a psa-type vignette around a campaign for client Marion Merrell Dow.
Working with agency bbdo and the McKim Media Group, the client was contemplating 30-second spots on chch for its Nicorettes product, which helps people quit smoking.
wbs and chch negotiated a package that had the station write and produce a 60-second spot that featured a pharmacist and customer talking about smoking.
The spot was identified as being sponsored by Marion Merrell Dow, but that was its only ‘commercial’ content. However, when the vignette and the Nicorettes ad ran back-to-back, it added tremendous value to the campaign.
‘It was a totally novel campaign, and it showed chch’s willingness to work with their clients,’ Basmajian says.
Morrison says that’s a perfect example of how wbs seeks to cultivate partnerships with the people advertising on the Westcom stations.
‘Our people are trained to develop and manage relationships with our customers, as opposed to going to the street as product peddlers,’ he says.
‘That’s our philosophical underpinning. We emphasize continuity, consistency and credibility, and try to make that the ongoing litmus test of all our activities.’
The wbs people all use the term partnership to describe the desired relationship with clients.
‘They’re right, the status quo won’t do,’ Boot says. ‘What will set people apart is an understanding of the true needs of the consumer, and how that can tie into the tv product.’
Charles Gamble, vice-president of marketing resources for Molson Breweries, agrees that relationship building between broadcasters and advertisers is more critical than ever.
‘Sales reps have to get inside my business and be more creative,’ Gamble says.
‘You’ll need to partner with people who have stability and talent. In our view, Westcom and wic are the kinds of operations that are structuring themselves to meet the new challenges of television.’
