Reviewing some AdWest Media web site claims
You may have received an announcement that AdWest Marketing will relaunch in 2015 as AdWest Media Inc., a for-profit cooperative. The new entity claims it “will be positioned to offer an enhanced outbound sales effort, research/data capabilities and integrated placement services in support of association members (a traditional rep service) while simultaneously giving advertisers the ability to book ads into other titles or media (media agency service).”
On its website, AdWest Media states “numerous Alberta publishers, corporate and independent, have reached out to AdWest to inquire about continued representation of their titles. Not surprisingly, we’ve also been approached by many clients who’ve expressed their preference of having AdWest continue to support their advertising activities on the prairies. This presents an opportunity for two potential new revenue streams for AdWest.”
We’d like to remind members that the AWNA has severed its ties with AdWest and has no agreement in place at present to book ads on AdWest’s behalf. While the AWNA has no plans to interfere with members that accept ads from AdWest, we’d like the opportunity to set the record straight on a few things.
To this end, a member of our staff will call you in the next couple of days to bring you up to date on what our clients are saying and what we are doing to provide up-to-date market information, mapping, newspaper data and placement services to our clients.
The reality is that AWNA has always had a direct relationship with national advertising clients and maintained these relationships throughout the period of time that AdWest was providing marketing services to Alberta newspapers. Fully 85% of the ad bookings you received in 2014 were handled every step of the way by AWNA staff. We are in constant contact with the same clients that AdWest serves and to our knowledge, few if any are clamouring to have their campaigns for Alberta newspapers booked through AdWest. As always, we are willing to have that conversation with the client when they express a desire to deal exclusively through AdWest.
It’s true that AdWest has some impressive market data that can support community newspapers in Alberta, but then so does AWNA.
The AWNA board severed its ties with AdWest because it didn’t see the return on its annual investment of $250,000.
And by the way, you’ll help contribute to that AdWest infrastructure when you accept ads from them. According to their website, they plan to ask for a $500 annual fee to be paid for their marketing services, in addition to a 12% commission on each placement. AWNA will continue to levy a 4% service charge. No marketing fee.