The Steam Room: Anonymous Media Executives Sound off on Media Biz Issues

“Rodney had nothing on digital salespeople.”

By Michael Fairhaven

We all know Rodney Dangerfield’s famous quip – “I don’t get any respect around here!” When he first copyrighted that saying (if he didn’t, he should have!), there wasn’t such a thing as the Internet, or the profession of being a digital
salesperson. But if he were around today and spent a few minutes living the life of one, he would have a completely different perspective on what no respect really means.

Why is it that millenials feel that they don’t have to communicate properly? We’ve all read postings and articles about the poor training they have, their helicopter parents, and their sense of entitlement. But can’t they at least show a smidge of
decency? I mean, is it really asking too much to let us know when their plans change?

I understand they get invited to every event created by the good Lord above. But if they’ve RSVP’d that they’re going to come, don’t you think that if their plans change and they decide they can’t make it that they would have the decency to let us know?

Last night I hosted an event that I had originally sent out invites for over 5 weeks ago. I sent regular reminders and politely let people know that I understand that plans change, but since the event required us to wait for everyone to be there
before we got started, that they should please send me a note to let me know if they wouldn’t be able to make it.

Out of the 20 agency folks who said yes they’d be there, how many do you think never showed and never sent me a note letting me know. In my mind, just totally blew me off? How many? Let me give you a hint, if it were one or two, I wouldn’t be writing this right now. It was 8. Unbelievable. 40% no showed after RSVP’ing yes.

I continue to hold out hope that things will get better for this generation. That they will develop a modicum of respect as they mature. But alas, it wasn’t the case for Rodney, so I can’t hold much hope for me.

The opinions expressed in guest blog posts to not represent those of Beverly Weinstein or Markham Media.

The Steam Room: Are things really that different today?

The Steam Room is our guest blogger series in which media executives can “blow off some steam” in anonymous posts and hopefully start some conversation on the issues that are facing the industry. Feel free to comment and visit the Contact page if you’d like to contribute!

By Michael Fairhaven

The Emmy award winning show Mad Men is supposed to showcase what the advertising industry was a generation ago. Drinking, sexism, and general debauchery all in the name of doing business in the advertising industry.

But recently I had the chance to spend extended time with some agency folks and I starting thinking if we’re really all that removed from the generation ago that’s portrayed in the show. And worse yet, a real concern came over me when I watched in amazement as these Millenials drank themselves into a stupor on consecutive nights. Actually, after the first night ended at 4:30am, the next “night” started with a cocktail by the pool a little before noon the next day. Adding to the scene was the fact that there was skinny dipping, room swapping at night and general lewdness and sexual references sprinkled in throughout the entire time.

When the conversation turned toward “a week in the life of an agency person,” it was revealed that it’s common for them to drink 4 or 5 nights a week. In fact, the day before I joined them, they were out until 3am at a going away party which had a few of them drinking so much they couldn’t remember the ending of their evening, or how they got home. 4 or 5 nights a week of drinking? Is that possible? I know it’s not healthy no matter what the French say about red wine.

I was somewhat relieved this week when I met with a senior team director at an agency (albeit 27 years old) who told me that she doesn’t go out anymore. She’s over the whole thing and would rather stay later to get her work done and go home. I’m taking solace in that as the agency people of today grow up, they too will get off the bottle. In the meantime, I’ll be watching Mad Men and relating the characters to people I know in today’s agency world.

The opinions expressed in guest blog posts reflect those of the individual blogger and not those of Beverly Weinstein, Markham Media or its constituents.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guest bloggers are those of the writer and don’t reflect those of Beverly Weinstein, Markham Media, or its constituents.

Women don’t deserve to be treated equally in the workplace.  I know, I know.  I’m a terrible person.  How can I say such heresy.  But in reality I’m right for a number of reasons.

First of all, I’ve managed both men and women.  Never in my career have I sat down with a man and had him cry in front of me.  Women however, seem to break down in tears over everything from annual budgets to having to reboot their computers.  Why is that?  Does it make us feel sorry for them?  I know it benefits them when they get pulled over by a police officer and they face a ticket and points on their license but believe me, when it comes time for them to be placed in an important situation, how can I trust a woman to be able to handle it appropriately?  Fact is, I can’t.

And then there’s the issue of working from home.  Why do they get to be able to do that?  There are numerous examples of women I know who work from home a few days a week, or job share with another mom.  It never benefits the company btw.  It breeds contempt among the other workers and when they’re sales people, agencies end up waiting for the more liked sales rep to be working so they can get what they need from them.  What if I wanted to work from home two days a week?  How would my management feel about that?  I would be emasculated and no doubt be passed over in the future.

I’m not sure what the differential should be, but until they work the same hours that men do, and don’t cry over every difficult situation, men should be paid more.

Agree? Disagree? Leave us a comment and get the conversation flowing.

This edition of  The Steam Room is the fourth of our new series in which media executives can “blow off some steam” in anonymous guest posts and hopefully start some conversation on the issues that are facing the industry. Feel free to comment and visit the Contact page if you’d like to contribute!

Who’s worse – the agency or the client?

By Michael Fairhaven (a pseudonym for a media sales executive)

As a salesperson, we often complain about the media agency.  They never call us back or reply to an email (ever).  They don’t communicate effectively to provide us with information on why we did, or did not make a plan.  They blanket the market with the same RFP whether you’re a network, portal, music site, sports site, kids site or technology site.  It doesn’t matter how big or small you are or what your core audience is, you’re going to get the same RFP.

Lately, however, I started thinking that the real criminal in the entire process might just be the client.  Recently, I’ve had some good conversations with senior level executives on the media side and I’ve begun to look in earnest at how the clients are set up to manage their digital business.  The truth is that I’m embarrassed for them.  Many of them have ZERO understanding of the Internet as a whole, let alone how the digital marketplace works.  In most cases, they don’t even have a digital specialist.  It’s often times the traditional folks who have been saddled with the additional responsibility of digital.  A rich media takeover?  An expandable banner with click to play functionality?  You might as well be speaking a language spoken in the deep jungle of South Africa.  They have no idea what you’re talking about.

I’ve recently spoken to my staff about the other revenue streams that we should try and tap into within an account.  But how likely are we to be able to call on PR agencies, creatives and client strategists for budgets?  The majority of clients would rather drop $35MM to become a rights holder of the NBA which allows them to basically throw the NBA logo on their ads and get center court 15^th row tickets at the All-Star game, than take 1/10 of that and work with their digital agency to test the multitude of opportunities that are being proven effective means of brand awareness and intent to purchase.

So to all of you agency folks out there, I feel for you.  I really do.  But I still think you can come in a little earlier in the day and return my email.

This edition of “The Steam Room” is a little less steamy and a little more helpful than the last. Today’s guest blogger goes by the nom de guerre, Penelope Golightly.
The blogosphere is full of top ten lists and do’s and don’ts for searching and landing a job.

Here’s another list on that theme, but with a twist; instead of do’s and don’ts, ratings of the most mentioned tips are served up for your summer salad of job-hunting:

1. Networking events in your core industry – 1 Stars
Regular life is networking, events are good to be seen, catch up with people and say hello. Expectations should be kept at a minimum for these.

2. Networking events slightly outside your core industry – 2 Stars
A winner because the business has more overlap then ever before. Spent your career in the TV sales? Maybe it’s time to attend one of the great digital conferences that are out there. You’ll see some folks you know, and meet some new people. You’ll also learn some things!

3. Reading-up – 4 Stars
There’s so much to read out there everyday and week (especially Bev’s column!) But I was once told that if you want your boss’s job, read what they read. So do a few trade-offs each week of something that you’ve been devouring forever for something new. It will broaden your perspective.

4. Twittering, Facebooking and Linked-In’ing – 5 Stars
Digital social networking has become so usual that it’s pretty much a must-do these days. To make this work stronger for you, create a regular plan for your Facebook and Twitter status updates and become someone that people want to read posts from.

5. Create a core group of advisors – 10 Stars
Pick people that you admire to be an advisor that you can check in with at least twice a month on a regular basis. Selecting people who are not only in a position to help you think through situations but can advance your brand is a plus.

6. Exploratory Interviews – 8 Stars
Practice will make you a better interviewer because you will get more comfortable hearing yourself talk. It will also take out any sting you may be feeling over leaving your last employers. Plus, exploratory interviews are a great way to meet recruiters and potential hiring managers. Someone recently told me to ‘practice your story about yourself and like it, because you are going to be telling it over and over’. These types of interviews are great to hone your story.

7. Create your Own Job – 6 Stars
This has been a frequently mentioned tactic; find a company you want to work for, look for gaps in their current staff and approach them on a role. Sounds good. Also sounds hard to do.

8. Be a guest Blogger – 7 Stars
Driving traffic to your own blog is tough, but being a guest-blogger gives you a built-in audience for what you want to say.

9. Polish Your Resume – 3 Stars
It’s hard to know if professional written resumes (or CV’s) are worth it because it depends so much on the audience. Polishing your resume might not be that important, but keeping it current, especially if you are doing pro-bono work is key.

10. Do some pro-bono work – 10 Stars
You want to work, right? Then take the plunge, and work for free in an area that interests you. You’ll broaden your mind, meet new people and maybe even create your own job along the way!

I mentioned Visual CV in a column a few months ago as a stand out online resume builder and platform for sharing, networking, and job searching. Well along with all of that, they also have a blog where, last week, a column I wrote was featured. Take a look here or below. Also scroll down for a fun video Visual CV created to show you how it all works.

Dumbing Down your Resume: A Do or a Don’t?

This edition of  The Steam Room is the second of our new series in which media executives can “blow off some steam” in anonymous guest posts and hopefully start some conversation on the issues that are facing the industry. Feel free to comment and visit the Contact page if you’d like to contribute!

“I wish they would call me back.”

Written by Michael Fairhaven (pseudonym)

A few weeks ago I was flipping through the dial and saw that there was going to be a story on 60 Minutes about Millenials. You know. Millenials. They’re the 20-something generation that has entered the work force and caused managers everywhere to drop their jaws in shock and disbelief. I was looking forward to having such a coveted and well decorated news program and organization provide the background and perspective I’d need to help me understand and manage this generation.

After the 20 minute segment, (which you can watch belowl) the only advice they could give me was…are you sitting down?….live with it. They’re here to stay.

Unbelievable. I’ve been in the business world for twenty years fostering relationships across the media industry based on communication and respect and these Millenials just get to go through their day ignoring phone calls, emails and meeting requests? To be fair, I’m generalizing, but the one complaint that is consistent across nearly every salesforce is that it’s incredibly frustrating to have to deal with these people. Someone needs to teach them the proper way.

So what can we do? How do we try to make it right? As managers we have a responsibility to teach entry level people the proper etiquette of business communication. But I think it goes further than that. It’s not teachers, or professors who need to teach these kids. It goes further. To quote the venerable Charles Barkley – “I am not a role model.” Charles said that it was the responsibility of the parents to be role models. To teach their children the difference between right and wrong.

And herein lies the problem. It’s the parents of the world whose responsibility it is to teach and prepare Millenials for the workforce. But alas parents are failing miserably. The term is “helicopter parents.” Parents nowadays hover over the lives of their children, until something goes wrong, swooping in to influence an outcome that suits their desires. Using every angle, including financial resources to achieve the outcome that their children want.

I’m going to start today with my 11 and 8 year old children. As a parent, I need to look in the mirror and ask myself if I’m raising the next generation of world leaders in business? Can I let my children fail the way I did, so they learn and grow from it? I hope I can. I hope we can. In the meantime, I’m going to go back to racking my brain trying to figure out a clever subject line that might garner a response from a potential client.

Watch CBS Videos Online

This is the first in what we hope will become a series of guest blogs written anonymously (or under a pen name) about the current face of the media industry. It’s a business where there is a lot to be said, a lot of steam to blow off, but not without risking relationships with clients and colleagues. If you want to dish anonymously about your ex or current boss, company, colleagues, or clients and get some conversation started on how to improve the state of affairs, visit the Contact page and let us know!

Partnership: One-Way Street?