Julie "The Executioner" Kahn Nearly Ruins Today' Red Sox Game

[Casablanca]

Julie "The Executioner" Kahn nearly ruined one inning of today's Red Sox game when she game on with some incoherent flack from Shaw's Supermarket to hype the fact that Shaw's paid big bucks to have its name attached to the Sox.

Joe Castiglione did the best he could to try to make the interuption not interfere with the play on the field but it was TOTALLY unprofessional for Kahn to turn an entire inning into one large commercial for Shaw's.

Julie girl can hardly get one coherent word out and she obviously knows nothing about baseball. The idiot sounded like she was trying to sell the guy from Shaws more air time on WRKO/ WEEI . I finally turned OFF the radio and turned on NESN to watch the game.

Another example that Julie-girl is just another time saleswoman who doesn't know bupkis (sp) about baseball or radio programming. Yes, I know, I am making the obvious my own conclusion.

 

[ChrisNH]

I have no sympathy whatsoever for radio station (and TV station) execs who whine & wail about declining listenership and viewership. On the radio, every little thing is 'Brought to you by_____.' Now, I understand that money-making is what these institutions are all about. But it has gotten ridiculous. I know, for example, not to tune to WBZ between, say, 7:50am and 8:00am because it's one big orgasmic commercial parade. The 'Subaru Dealers Traffic on The Threes is brought to you by FiFi's Pet Cemetary.' WTF???? Is this for people who might like to drive their dead pet around in a new car?

So, I switch on my iPod. And I often don't even switch back.

So my rant with WBZ over, the same sort of idiocy happens on WRKO and WEEI. But at least on WEEI you can navigate through the commercial gauntlets easy enough: When the first little jingle comes on, just switch to some other station for seventeen minutes and then they'll be back.

And last but not least there are these 'commercials that they try to disguise so they don't sound like commercials.' That's what you encountered today.

I applaud you 'turning off and tuning out.'

 

[radiodizzy]

Having worked in sales, and radio sales, I understand the desire to sell every little thing possible. However, I really think there's a line, and I really think it's just about been crossed by the Sox on radio and tv. The Pats games are not much better. I am to the point now where I really am distracted from the game by all of the promos. Why can't they perhaps come up with 9 sponsors for a game, each paying very big bucks, each sponsoring one inning? Wouldn't the sponsorship be that much more special, exclusive, and effective?

 

[Casablanca]

Her appearance yesterday gives a whole new dimension to the world's oldest profession.

 

[Casablanca]

Wonder in Shaw's prices will go up even further than they are to pay for their Red Sox sponsorship. The marketing departments of Stop % Shop, Roche Brothers et al should run ads that their prices are lower than the one who spent $ X@&* to buy a Red Sox sponsorhip and now have to raise their prices to pay for it.

 

[ChrisNH]

If I recall correctly, wasn't Stop & Shop a big advertiser at Fenway? Wasn't their logo plastered on the left-field wall? I think it's some other company now. But Shaw's apparently has taken the high ground in this case.

You are right about the cost payback for Shaw's; they'll have to recoup it somehow, and my wife can sniff out even a hint of rising prices. Near where we live in southern NH, a Super Shaw's has been in place for years. A really nice store. But Stop & Shop came in with a big 'Super' store of their own, right across the street, last year. A very nice store as well, but nowhere near the foot traffic that Shaw's has. Now, if Stop & Shop can exploit Shaw's higher prices (presuming they'll need to be higher to pay for this marketing initiative), then that balance may tip. The grocery store business is notoriously low-margin, and people WILL 'go across the street to the other guy' if enough things in the shopping cart are less at Store A than at Store B.

It's good having close-proximity competition because it keeps them honest (at least, that's the theory).

Chris in NH

 

[chitchatjf]

SnS logo is still there

 

[SonicOverload]

I have no sympathy whatsoever for radio station (and TV station) execs who whine & wail about declining listenership and viewership. On the radio, every little thing is 'Brought to you by_____.' Now, I understand that money-making is what these institutions are all about. But it has gotten ridiculous. I know, for example, not to tune to WBZ between, say, 7:50am and 8:00am because it's one big orgasmic commercial parade. The 'Subaru Dealers Traffic on The Threes is brought to you by FiFi's Pet Cemetary.' WTF???? Is this for people who might like to drive their dead pet around in a new car?

So, I switch on my iPod. And I often don't even switch back.

So my rant with WBZ over, the same sort of idiocy happens on WRKO and WEEI. But at least on WEEI you can navigate through the commercial gauntlets easy enough: When the first little jingle comes on, just switch to some other station for seventeen minutes and then they'll be back.

And last but not least there are these 'commercials that they try to disguise so they don't sound like commercials.' That's what you encountered today.

I applaud you 'turning off and tuning out.'

Holy you-know-what. I agree with ChrisNH for once ;D

 

[ChrisNH]

I have no sympathy whatsoever for radio station (and TV station) execs who whine & wail about declining listenership and viewership. On the radio, every little thing is 'Brought to you by_____.' Now, I understand that money-making is what these institutions are all about. But it has gotten ridiculous. I know, for example, not to tune to WBZ between, say, 7:50am and 8:00am because it's one big orgasmic commercial parade. The 'Subaru Dealers Traffic on The Threes is brought to you by FiFi's Pet Cemetary.' WTF???? Is this for people who might like to drive their dead pet around in a new car?

So, I switch on my iPod. And I often don't even switch back.

So my rant with WBZ over, the same sort of idiocy happens on WRKO and WEEI. But at least on WEEI you can navigate through the commercial gauntlets easy enough: When the first little jingle comes on, just switch to some other station for seventeen minutes and then they'll be back.

And last but not least there are these 'commercials that they try to disguise so they don't sound like commercials.' That's what you encountered today.

I applaud you 'turning off and tuning out.'

Holy you-know-what. I agree with ChrisNH for once ;D

And then, there's the cherry on the cake: when a station runs ADVERTISEMENTS ABOUT ADVERTISING! ("New England is SOLLLLLLLD on WBZ", or "Call WEEI's Advertising Experts (lol) for information on how you can reach this important audience").

Not taking away a radio station's right to make money, it DOES seem like the ratio of advertisements to actual content is increasing at a steep rate.

Thank heavens for pre-set buttons and the tuning dial...two things an advertising sales person wish didn't exist...LOL

 

[TSBench]

Wonder in Shaw's prices will go up even further than they are to pay for their Red Sox sponsorship. The marketing departments of Stop % Shop, Roche Brothers et al should run ads that their prices are lower than the one who spent $ X@&* to buy a Red Sox sponsorhip and now have to raise their prices to pay for it.

This seems to be a common misconception. The Shaw's / Red Sox connection should be considered a image branding campaign, with no direct reflection in shelf prices (the old "well, if I spend $2 on advertising, I need to get $4 in sales" math is strictly amateur hour.) Both Shaws and Stop & Shop, in the Northeast, use the Hi-Lo Promo model, due to market demos and competition, and, since shelf prices are essentially inflexible upward, the idea is to increase volume, not engage in self-destructive price bumping. Since both Shaw's and SnS compete head to head almost everywhere, the most likely new customer is the other's current customer, so you have to give them a reason to switch, and you're not going to do it on price, since when you're playing with deep pocket players, your price advantage only lasts as long as it takes the competition to grab their price guns. So, associating yourself with a local popular favorite is a pretty logical move and would seem like a smart investment. But you're not going to get your investment back by raising prices a nickel on ketchup and Cheerios, and they know it. Plus, supermarkets have myriad revenue streams other than retail sales which can all be squeezed for marketing cash, so the actual out-of-pocket store cost of these types of alliances can be considerably less than meets the eye.

Curiously, the supermarkets with the highest prices seem to be the ones with the lowest profiles and advertising and marketing budgets, not the highest. Roche Bros justifies higher prices by a vague 'high end' positioning, Hannaford by placing stores where they are essentially the only game in town, carry more variety than the local stores, and have prices that compete with, say, Food City, rather than Shaws or SnS, who beat them on price every day.

Now, I understand that there is a prediliction on these boards by some to paint every move by certain radio stations as working to the detriment of the consumer, but this isn't one of them, and will probably be good for consumers if it works (once a store gets you as a customer, the trick is to keep you as one.)

Regards.
TSB

 

[TSBench]

You are right about the cost payback for Shaw's;

Well, no, he wasn;t. It was based on a thesis that doesn't exist in the real supermarket world.

Now, if Stop & Shop can exploit Shaw's higher prices (presuming they'll need to be higher to pay for this marketing initiative),

They won't. Both Shaws and Stop & Shop use the same price model, so any changes in shopper preference will be driven by factors other than price, (which will stay the same relative to each other) and will include intangibles which may be real or imagined.

then that balance may tip. The grocery store business is notoriously low-margin, and people WILL 'go across the street to the other guy' if enough things in the shopping cart are less at Store A than at Store B.

Supermarket margins run around 27% gross and 6% net, which appears at first low, but actually is pretty decent.
Since you describe this as a low margin business, then you should realize that increasing volume is the way a low margin business makes more money, especially when it's one where the ability to raise shelf prices is severely limited. A tie-in with a local sports team would seem to be a step in the right direction, from a marketing point of view.

It's good having close-proximity competition because it keeps them honest

As happens frequently, you answered your own question without knowing it.

Regards,
TSB

 

[TSBench]

And then, there's the cherry on the cake: when a station runs ADVERTISEMENTS ABOUT ADVERTISING! ("New England is SOLLLLLLLD on WBZ", or "Call WEEI's Advertising Experts (lol) for information on how you can reach this important audience").

And you're point is? Other than your usual obsession with commercial radio stations that attempt to sell commercials.

This concept came from the RAB in the 1970s, using concepts and production from Stan Freberg ( Freberg's famous Lake Michigan/Ice Cream sundae bit was part of the original package), and was immediately seized upon by smaller stations, and when it seemed to work (as the old saying goes, 'you have to ask for the order') bigger stations, especially the big AM talk and news stations, climbed on board. WBZ has been doing this from at least 1980, and back then a mediocre salesperson could make 50K a year just off business which came over the transom. A lot of niche type stations started doing it when qualitative became available with the introduction of computer databases and programs which broke out demographics and consumer preferences and intentions. Stations do it because, duh, it works.

Not taking away a radio station's right to make money, it DOES seem like the ratio of advertisements to actual content is increasing at a steep rate.

It may seem like it, but radio station clocks are the way they are for a reason, and since radio inventory is non-recapturable, they have to put something in there, so why not something that may make them money rather than a PSA for Prevent Forest Fires. So, it's not like that spot is taking the place of talk, music, or other programming (unless you consider Smokey the Bear intonations to be entertainment.)

The one thing you didn't mention is the most insidious part of the equation, that advertisers are paid, either in bonus spots or rebates, for doing endorsements for the stations' advertising effectiveness. It could give the appearance of a conflict of interest, but it could be noted that the advertisers doing those promos tend to be long term clients whose freebies would pale in comparison to what they actually spend.

Thank heavens for pre-set buttons and the tuning dial...two things an advertising sales person wish didn't exist...LOL

Well, most advertising sales people, including old, retired ones, have/had no problem living with tuners or push buttons, and thats going back since the beginnings of commercial radio. Interestingly, the commercial load is the greatest (on the AM side, at least) on the stations with the the highest audience ratings and highest spot rates, so evidently not as many folks are pushing buttons as you would imagine. OTOH, if it came down to making you happy or making car payments, I think I can guess which side of this argument most radio people would come down on.

Regards,
TSB

 

[ChrisNH]

OTOH, if it came down to making you happy or making car payments, I think I can guess which side of this argument most radio people would come down on.

Regards,
TSB

Ahhh...the joy in having presets and tuning knobs is that I and thousands of listeners can (and do) tune out the commercials even though Mr. 'I-have-a-car-payment-to-make' Radio Man is trying to convince his 'clients' that we are hanging on every word being uttered about the joys of 'Seeing Your New England Ford Dealer Today!' Since you're 'all-knowing' (or try to convince folks of same), then your 'good guess' impresses me to no end. The only question that remains is which end of your body do we all bow to?

 

[TSBench]

Ahhh...the joy in having presets and tuning knobs is that I and thousands of listeners can (and do) tune out the commercials even though Mr. 'I-have-a-car-payment-to-make' Radio Man is trying to convince his 'clients' that we are hanging on every word being uttered about the joys of 'Seeing Your New England Ford Dealer Today!'

I don't think anyone here is unfamiliar with your claims of being impervious to the blandishments of advertising, amongst so many other things. Knowing you won't be walking through the door at Lexus of Norwood is probably something they've learned to live with. It may actually be why they advertise on the radio.

Luckily, enough folks do listen to those spots to keep the advertisers coming back and renewing, and the good salespeople making pretty good dough, which is what I was mentioning.

Since you're 'all-knowing' (or try to convince folks of same),

Only 'all knowing' compared to you. which makes me a member of a very large, and not very exclusive, group. Convincing them of such is not exactly a 'trying' experience.

then your 'good guess' impresses me to no end. The only question that remains is which end of your body do we all bow to?

Gosh, impressing you is certainly very high up on my to-do list. I'd have considered it a 'good guess' that someone would learn a little something, if only by osmosis, just by hanging around these boards. Obviously, in some cases, I would have been guessing incorrectly.

Regards.
TSB.

 

[2004RedSox]

Wonder in Shaw's prices will go up even further than they are to pay for their Red Sox sponsorship. The marketing departments of Stop % Shop, Roche Brothers et al should run ads that their prices are lower than the one who spent $ X@&* to buy a Red Sox sponsorhip and now have to raise their prices to pay for it.

Shaws doesn't pay for the entire sponsorship themselves - they get their vendors to pay for most of it. Supermarkets have trememdous leverage with vendors and take full advantage.

 

[TSBench]

Shaws doesn't pay for the entire sponsorship themselves - they get their vendors to pay for most of it. Supermarkets have trememdous leverage with vendors and take full advantage.

If people only knew the extent of that leverage. Back in the 80s, I had a client who was trying to get his product, a new salsa, carried by one of the huge chains (not Shaws.) I worked out a very expensive advertising schedule for him (at the #1 station in town at the time), and he asked me to go along on his sales pitch and explain to the store buyer all the advertising details, thinking it would influence the buyer in making his decision to carry the products.

I made my pitch, and then was asked to leave the office while the buyer 'worked out' some details with my client. The client came out shell shocked. What the buyer wanted was....

20Gs up front to have the product stocked in the warehouse, plus they were going to charge him rent for the floor space until they decided whether or not to stock the product,

A 30G 'slotting fee' if they decided to carry it, and additional fees every month for 'stocking.,

Another 20Gs if they decided to give him end-aisle displays

A free pallet of product for every three pallets they bought,

Beaucoup co-op advertising dollars, which may or may not be totally dedicated to his salsa,

Free (to them, not him) in-store promotions,

Coupons

Free replacement of 'shrink' with no documentation.

He also mentioned an additional 12Gs for 'incidentals', which he wouldn't go into. I later found out what that was when a mini-scandal erupted about this chain's business practices and a number of buyers had to 'resign' under charges of demanding and taking bribes from vendors.

I think today this chain, with new owners, has cleaned up its act somewhat, but a lot of these fees still exist, and in some stores are a major profit center.

So much for the 'buy if for a quarter, sell it for a dollar' theory of supermarket operation.

Regards,
TSB

 

[Casablanca]

The point is that Julie-girl's interruption of the Red Sox game was an abomination. She should be home baking cookies

 

[TSBench]

The point is that Julie-girl's interruption of the Red Sox game was an abomination.

I'm sorry. I thought it was you who posted.....

Quote from: Casablanca on August 04, 2007, 10:43:40 am
Wonder in Shaw's prices will go up even further than they are to pay for their Red Sox sponsorship. The marketing departments of Stop % Shop, Roche Brothers et al should run ads that their prices are lower than the one who spent $ X@&* to buy a Red Sox sponsorhip and now have to raise their prices to pay for it....

Guess I was wrong. It must have been the other Casablanca. I can well understand why you wouldn't want to be associated with that kind of mindless, fact-free, agenda-driven drivel.

Regards,
TSB

 

[Casablanca]

"Drivel??????????" Isn't that what spills on your check from RKO?

The point is that Julie-girl's interruption of the Red Sox game was an abomination.

I'm sorry. I thought it was you who posted.....

Quote from: Casablanca on August 04, 2007, 10:43:40 am
Wonder in Shaw's prices will go up even further than they are to pay for their Red Sox sponsorship. The marketing departments of Stop % Shop, Roche Brothers et al should run ads that their prices are lower than the one who spent $ X@&* to buy a Red Sox sponsorhip and now have to raise their prices to pay for it....

Guess I was wrong. It must have been the other Casablanca. I can well understand why you wouldn't want to be associated with that kind of mindless, fact-free, agenda-driven drivel.

Regards,
TSB

 

[TSBench]

"Drivel?" Isn't that what spills on your check from RKO?

I guess I could be polite and say that I expected better from you, but everyone would see though that in a heartbeat.

What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?
Knowledge. I came to Casablanca for the facts.
Knowledge? The facts? But there are no facts or knowledge in Casablanca
I know. I was just fooling about that part.

Regards,
TSB