Our resident media guru, Angie Skochdopole, shares over 35 years of experience across all aspects of media strategy. She’s managed media on behalf of some of the largest and most diverse clients in agriculture, industrial and B2B (including Firestone Ag, AGCO, Cargill, Bayer Crop Science, BASF, DuPont, Versatile, and Heartland Polymers). Along the way, she developed lasting relationships with publishers across North America. She shares her insights on media consumption, industry trends, and how to stand out in a crowded space.
Q. You’ve worked in media strategy for three decades. How did you get into the business? And more importantly, what kept you in it for so long?
My college degree is in Agriculture Communications with an advertising focus. I grew up on a farm and ag has always been of interest to me. I currently own acreage in IL that my cousin cash rents from me, so I am still a “farmer”. In college I gravitated toward the strategic and analytical side of the business – as opposed to creative, broadcast or public relations – so media was a perfect fit for my interest and skills.
My first job was at a small agency in Decatur, IL where I worked on all types of accounts – B2B, local retail and some ag. As my husband’s career progressed and we moved for his jobs, I was always able to find an agency or company that advanced my career, my experience and skills in media and marketing strategy. I have continued to work in the industry because of the relationships and friendships that I have built. Also, the job is continually changing with new technology/vehicles and 24/7 media consumption, so there is always something new to evaluate and master.
Q. Big account pitches are glamourous on Mad Men. In real life, they’re …
… incredibly stressful, time-consuming, and hard to nail because of the limited information that is usually provided. Without really digging deep and collaborating with a client, it is hard to develop solid strategies and tactical direction – and it seems many clients are more interested in the tactics than the strategies that drive them. As the years have gone by, the new biz pitches have become very competitive and “showy” with fancy presentations sometimes more important than the “meat” behind the strategic recommendations. But afterwards – usually with little to no sleep the night before, we always enjoy a toast, win or lose!
Q. Beyond platforms and channels, what are some of the key seismic shifts you’ve seen transform the media industry?
In agriculture, the consolidation of many of the large equipment, crop protection and distributor organizations – but also the huge growth of smaller companies in other ag niches – off-patent chemicals, field mapping, auto steer, different distribution strategies, biologicals, and so-on.
Media consumption has increased exponentially with the new technology platforms and channels and more sophisticated data science – such that we can more accurately target our audiences but, we have to reach them with greater frequency in order for our messages to stand out among the other content and influence decisions.
Q. Traditional media has grappled with gated or paid content, digital subscriptions, and the death of print copies delivered to your door by a kid on a bike. Meanwhile, many niche pubs and magazines have invested in a print renaissance. Where do you see print vs. digital netting out in, say, the next three to five years?
I don’t believe print will completely disappear, but I think that many of the smaller publishing groups will likely cease printing all together across many industries. Association publications will likely be affected as well.
But, with the start of ag internet in 1994/95 on agriculture.com, I was sure that we’d see the end of things like DTN and even print – but I was wrong. It seems that the more content that is offered through more platforms, the more is consumed, so I will not make any sweeping prognostications on the future. It comes down to ensuring you understand the audience and where and how they like to consume information, and then investing in an integrated and strategic effort to engage.
Q. You have deep experience in trade and sector media like agriculture and industrial. What do you appreciate most about working with the trades? How have you seen them respond to the digital and data transition?
The leading/largest ag publishing companies have stepped up their digital game for sure but many of the smaller publishing groups are lagging. I have found similar situations with B2B media across many sectors.
I appreciate that the publishers that I work with the most can hyper-target to a specific geography and demographic with the first party data to allow me to reach the right target, cost effectively and with no waste. The best trade pubs know their audience behaviours and have the data to back it up.
Q. Some of the smartest journalism is happening in trade media that doesn’t necessarily get the attention of mainstream and wider business audiences. How can marketers and communicators better leverage the power of editorial with the trades?
This is the age-old question. I think that the journalists must build their own following, relationships and industry/association partnerships to promote/push out their content beyond the trade media using social platforms. They should follow mainstream media that they admire and believe have access to the right audience for spill-over content. On the communications side, I think it’s about not taking trade journalism for granted. Invest in media relations and don’t just call when you need something.
Q. What defines an effective and impactful media campaign in your view?
· Well defined and accurate hyper-targeting
· Mix of different media vehicles/platforms
· Multiple versions of creative – for optimization
· Properly funded budgets that allow us to achieve impact and ROI
· Coordination of the paid efforts with the owned and earned
· Metrics that go beyond surface dashboards
In addition, it’s important to work with a marketing partner like Vera Causa who understand how brand value works and what integrated marketing really means in terms of all pieces synchronized to support a core objective. Effective media requires effective account direction, creative, copywriting, all of the pieces, etc.
Q. What are some the important elements or questions that can get missed in the space between client briefing and implementation?
Marketers often ask a client if they have a CRM system – and most say yes, but we really need to understand what data they have, what data can they get (and how and where can they get it), is it updated and accurate, do they have permission to communicate with the audience? That allows us to know how we will be able to incorporate it into our communications efforts moving forward to help build and enhance it, while moving away from having to purchase data from our media partners.
We need a full understanding of their business and communications objectives, what they have done in the past, what worked/what didn’t, are there any must-haves or do we have a clean slate? Is there an appetite for testing or experimentation? What is the marketing and communications acumen of the in-house team?
Another issue that comes up is that while we try to drill in the need for multiple ad versions rather than continually running the same creative messaging, that we cannot expect to grow our metrics month over month. It is important to budget for multiple changes in creative to be able to optimize and limit campaign fatigue and grow the business.
This is an area that I can preach about, so I will stop and leave with those three for now!
Q. You’ve built and maintained great relationships across so many different media groups. What are the ingredients for a long-term relationship in an industry that changes so fast?
Being fair and honest, having open communication, and I always try to discuss with vendors as to why their vehicles were not included in a specific plan – to not leave them always guessing. And, it is not always about price.
