Tom Haggai, chairman and chief executive officer of supermarket giant IGA Inc. in Chicago, said newspapers need better-trained sales staffs. Take a look at your ad department, he advised.
Most positions are entry-level, with little or no experience required.
Lee Richardson, vice president of U.S. advertising for Toys 'R' Us in Paramus, N.J., called on publishers to be more flexible and innovative. Now bigger is just bigger, and more is just more. Newspapers carry 61 percent of the company's advertising and remain the dominant ad vehicle for Toys 'R' Us. Broadcast commands 25 percent, and direct mail receives 8 percent of its ad budget as the company strives to target customers, Richardson said. To that end, executives have hired Newspaper Services of America in Naperville, Ill., a third-party media buyer, to analyze markets and place newspaper advertising.