#MOSTAwards | Harnessing the sales vision when the view is unclear

Join our MOST Awards discussion at 10am on 3 June to find out how the media industry is adapting to the budget challenges and dramatic shifts in audience needs since the onset of Covid-19.

In these extraordinarily challenging times, it’s easy to forget just how wonderful our industry is, and how amazing we – as South African media owners, media agencies and marketing specialists – can be. The world has turned upside down and yet we continue to create, innovate and deliver dynamic content to an ever-changing audience.

The MOST Awards recognise these Herculean efforts, celebrating excellence in the media industry – from media owners across print, digital, cinema, broadcast and out of home (OOH) platforms, through to specialist and full-service media agencies – encouraging exceptional service delivery, innovation and healthy professional competition.

This highlight in the media industry’s networking calendar also offers an opportunity to reflect on the successes, challenges and changes in the media industry as revealed by MOST’s research survey. With the 2020 awards being postponed due to lockdown restrictions, the 2021 awards are more important than ever, to give as an opportunity to reassess where we are as an industry, celebrate the wins, and illuminate the challenges.

In the lead-up to the awards, the MOST Awards along with our partners Jacaranda FM, Primedia Broadcasting, Carat, DStv Media Sales, Mercurial Media, Mediamark, The MediaShop, ViacomCBS Africa, Black Media Outdoor, Torque Mediaand Thirst, started hosting online events which anyone with an interest in the media industry can’t afford to miss.

The sales vision

The second topic in the series, ‘Harnessing the Sales Vision’, promises to provide a fascinating discussion given the profound changes the media industry has undergone since the last MOST Awards in 2019. Sales teams have always had a tough job: it’s an understatement to say it’s even tougher now.

Sales professionals need to juggle a varied skill set: resilience, self-discipline and creativity, the ability to write, understand numbers, be tech savvy, and nurture relationships. But, as the needs of advertisers become more complex, as media strategies move seamlessly between diverse channels, and as analytics and tech-driven data drive campaigns, they are having to adapt, reskill and innovate at a crazy pace.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says that for an innovative culture to exist in an organisation, the vision, mission and values need to be crystal clear — and that vision must be driven by an obsession with the needs of your audience. Do we, as an industry, have a clear vision of our audience needs, which since the onset of Covid, have changed dramatically?

As lockdowns ease, some consumer media habits will return, but research by Kantar’s Media Trends & Predictions 2021 shows that next year audience behaviours will be even more complex and difficult to decipher. In response to this, media content and sales strategies will need to be constantly re-assessed.

Covid-19 has also had a huge impact on the critical role of relationship-building. Nurturing relationships with clients, and between media owners and agencies, is challenging when face-to-face interaction is a health hazard. How does the art of negotiation change when communication is remote?

The pandemic has also had a devastating impact on media budgets. Media spend has dropped across all media types, except digital. Brands are spending less and deferring campaigns. There’s a greater emphasis on return on investment and using big data to drive that. Sales teams are having to rethink traditional revenue models. In the upcoming discussion we will ask the sales execs if and how they are meeting their targets. And we’ll find out if the industry is ready for more outcome-based revenue models.

There are also upsides in this brave new world for the media industry. Non-linear viewing is on the rise as streaming and technology takes centre stage. With people forced to stay at home more, media players have the advantage of addressing a captured audience, ready to give them their undivided attention. We need to ensure our sales models are reflecting this changing landscape.

Moderated by the dynamic, award-winning radio presenter and public speaker Kenzy Mohapi, this promises to be an exciting discussion with some hard-hitters from the media industry as our panellists.

Panellists:

Cindy Diamond: chief revenue officer, Mediamark. Diamond brings almost 20 years of experience in media. As one of the founders of Mediamark, she has been instrumental in its transformation from a radio sales house to an award-winning, multi-platform media results company.
Strini Naicker: vice-president for commercial & content distribution, ViacomCBS Networks Africa. Naicker is responsible for all commercial activities, including advertising, sponsorship, digital, and other content platform revenue of Africa at the global media and entertainment giant.
Jenni Critchfield: GM business strategy and marketing, Torque Media. Critchfield has over 35 years ago in sales, including 20 years at Primedia Broadcasting. In 2019 she joined Torque, a radio specialist agency providing media solutions across the full spectrum of commercial and community radio in SA and Africa.
Ya-eesh Sidat: managing partner, Blackmedia Outdoor, a 100% black-owned OOH business, which has wealth of experience in the industry, specialising in a wide variety of billboard formats, including many gantries across SA.
Lucasta Stephen, executive head: South Africa Sales & Marketing at DStv Media Sales. She has experience across TV, digital, and radio; and her specialities include leadership, strategy, sales, relationships, customer service, and negotiations.