I love writing, editing, and designing media. When I started my first company (we made an interactive training toy for pets), I sometimes even felt like the product itself was get- ting in the way of logos, words, colors and branding. As the company took root, branding solidified, and stories formed; I realized that I needed someone to tell my tales of dona- tion, sell-out events, and new releases. If the story goes untold, then it won’t make a difference in the bottom line. I needed the media’s support. So I semi-stalked local writers, and hired a PR specialist to grab national attention. I crafted colorful artwork and pitches and watched sales increase with early acclaim. But when the “new” wore off, the media lost interest. So I called an old friend and mentor that has run 2 promi- nent magazines (he casually ignored pitches for their holiday buying guide at lunches) for his thoughts on what I could do to get the media’s attention. He answered: “There are always plenty of stories... why don’t you try advertis- ing? The media can only tell your stories if people believe in and pay to be seen by our readers.” No, he wouldn’t pick up my story because I bought an ad, “that destroys the idea of true media and story telling”, he said. Then he asked me candidly: “do you like supporting those that support you, or those that do not? If you enjoy our stories, and like our product, don’t we deserve your support like any other company?” I had never thought of it that way... Basically, what I was asking of the media was exactly like walking into a winery, expecting warm hospitality and wine poured freely and without cost, and then buying nothing because of a policy against wine purchasing; or because I could sometimes get wine free or drink some- thing else. Advertising was the life blood of the media industry that supported my brand but I’d never stopped to consider their needs or business model. So, I changed my policy and started placing ads; some worked, some were a total waste of time and money. But the media, in general, saw that I was supporting them. And over time, they supported me too. The media didn’t always tell the stories I wanted told, and often the magazines I advertised with never told my story. But my story was told and I reached a lot of consumers.I supported the story tellers, and they supported me. My company went inter- national and is now licensed to a family operated company in New York calledfive barking dogs! that does a great job making people and their pets happy, and bugging the heck out of “the media”. ian white editor 1 24 w w w . n A P A V A L L E Y L I F E m A G A z I n E . c o m MischievousINK
NVLife_JulyAug_2012
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