News Bulletin employees won the jackpot in Richmond Saturday at the annual Ma Murray Awards.

Reporter Toby Gorman and advertising manager Sean McCue took home the gold in their categories at the awards hosted by the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspapers Association and held at the River Rock Casino.

Gorman won the business writing award for his story, Beekeepers anxiously await winter results, about local beekeepers hoping to rebound from decimating losses to their stocks the year prior.

“The goal is always to tell the best and most accurate stories which reflect Nanaimo, its residents and businesses,” Gorman said. “To be recognized for doing that is a great feeling.”

McCue won for best ad design award – collaborative, for circulation over 25,000, for the four-page Report to Community from the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation.

Advertising representative Chantal Richard took home the silver ad campaign award, with a front-page banner for Nanaimo Health Shop.

Donna Blais also won the silver classifieds award for the News Bulletin’s overall classified section.

Former Nanaimo city councillor Merv Unger, a former News Bulletin editor who ended his long career in newspapers as publisher of the Business Examiner, earned the Eric Dunning Integrity Award.

News Bulletin publisher Maurice Donn ended his year-long role as president of the community newspapers association at the gala event, which saw hundreds of representatives from across the province gather to celebrate the best in community journalism.

LOS ANGELES — Internet advertising reached a record $31 billion last year, a gain of 22 percent from 2010 spending, according to a report released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau on Wednesday.

Advertising tied to Internet searches continues to dominate the category, accounting for 46 cents of every dollar spent online.

Revenue from search advertising reached $14.8 billion in 2011, an increase of 27 percent from a year earlier, according to the advertising bureau.

Mobile advertising showed the fastest growth — amid the popularity of smartphones — and the ability of marketers to deliver timely, relevant ads in a way that previously wasn’t possible.

The advertising bureau reported that revenue from mobile advertising grew to $1.6 billion in 2011, up 149 percent from 2010.

Retail advertisers continue to be the biggest buyers of Internet ads, accounting for 22 percent of spending in 2011, the bureau said.

Throughout a 50-year career in journalism, Merv Unger remained true to his craft and community.

In recognition of his work, Unger, a former News Bulletin editor and former Nanaimo city councillor, received the Eric Dunning Integrity Award at the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspapers Association’s Ma Murray Awards Saturday at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.

“After a lifetime in the industry, to be recognized for integrity is the highest recognition anyone could ever hope for,” he said.

Unger, 71, started in journalism as a 12-year-old columnist for the Carillion News in Steinbach, Man., reporting on who got married, who died or who was visiting the big city.

His career included everything from a copy boy with the Winnipeg Free Press to reporter, photographer and columnist for the Winnipeg Tribune.

A move to Nanaimo in the early 1980s led to work at the Nanaimo Daily Free Press and then as the first editor of the News Bulletin in 1988. He retired from Black Press in 2006 after serving as publisher of the Business Examiner.

“No opportunities ever came by that I found more appealing that I wanted to change gears,” he said. “I took three years to work for the Saskatchewan government in tourism development branch and did  a couple years of radio, but again, it’s all media.”

Unger is the third Bulletin employee to receive the Dunning award, joining founding publisher Roy Linder (2007) and former editor Rollie Rose (2011).

“It’s all to do with principles and beliefs,” said Unger. “I think we’re all cut from the same cloth.”

Linder said Unger’s columns in the Bulletin developed a readership as the paper started as a shopping guide in its early days.

“We all saw Merv’s professionalism,” he said. “He is an interesting guy with a lot of interesting things to say, and he created a spark in the community.

Unger’s community service includes six years on city council, as well as involvement with St. John Ambulance, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 256, the B.C. Cancer Foundation and more.

“Nanaimo has been very good to me, so it’s easy to want to give back,” he said. “I’ve got my health and still able to do a lot of stuff even though I’ve stepped down from paying work. It’s a good feeling.

He has seen a number of changes in journalism over the years, some not always for the best.

“I’ve seen changes from very strict rules in journalism where news reporting and commentary were separated stringently. If you were a reporter, you had no opinion,” he said. “That has evolved all the way to today where I think one of the biggest dangers is advocacy journalism, where people take on causes and do not present an unbiased picture.”

Unger is a fan of technology and the Internet, but sees a definite lack of integrity in a lot of the work being published.

“There are very few people on the Internet who are journalists, because journalism is work, not trashing out anything without having to back it up,” he said. “If I had a credo, I would rather do what’s right than what’s popular, because it’s easy to be popular for a short period of time.”

We all know that sales people should sell benefits. We know that advertising should emphasize benefits. And we know that people buy benefits.

What kinds of benefits do customers want? According to Don, who has been in the advertising business for many years, “It all comes down to: more, better, faster or cheaper. You can talk about other things, but if you don’t show them how your product or service offers at least one of these four, they’re not going to buy.”

Let’s take a look:

1. More: When you’re preparing for a sales presentation, ask yourself if your publication has more coverage than in previous years. Can you offer advertisers more ads for the same dollars? Do you offer extra marketing or analytical services that may appeal to certain businesses?

“When you’re thinking of ad ideas in this category,” Don said, “the most obvious example is a two-for-the-price-of-one offer – or buy-one-get one free. This tactic has been around for a long time, because it works so well.”

There are plenty of other choices. As you’re gathering information, look beyond pricing. Find out if your advertiser has additional services. Or new locations. Or expanded business hours.

2. Better: Every business claims to be better than the competition. The challenge is to be specific. Two questions: (1) Exactly what is it that makes your widget better? (2) Can you communicate that without using the word “quality?”

In my opinion, “quality” is the most overused word in advertising. Usually, it doesn’t mean anything.

Do you know what distinguishes “quality construction” from other types? Do you know the characteristics of “top quality service?” Do you have a good understanding of what “better quality” means? Neither do I. And neither do your customers.

Now, this is not to say that “quality” should never be used in selling or advertising. Just don’t use it in general terms.

3. Faster: We live in a get-it-done-now age. E-mail, texting, speed dating, overnight delivery, drive-in windows – it’s all a reflection of our demand to get things in a hurry.

While writing this paragraph, I did a Google search on “consumer demand for speed.” The search generated over 4 million results in .14 seconds. That’s point-one-four seconds. What took so long?

Healthcare has its own version of speed dating. A medical organization in Texas has a program to help people choose primary care physicians in five-minute interviews.

When it’s time for an oil change, I usually go to a place that offers fast service. Why should I wait an hour somewhere else, when it can be done in 20 minutes? Same oil, faster service.

On the highway, “speed kills.” But in the marketplace, “speed sells.”

4. Cheaper: “Price can be a huge motivator,” Don said. “Even with luxury items – or premium advertising space – people like to get bargains.”

The key is to provide specifics. How much can your customers save? How deep is the discount? How long will the sale last?

(c) Copyright 2012 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: jfoust@mindspring.com

A new study conducted by Totum Research on behalf of Newspaper Canada revealed that the majority of adult readers prefers print over other formats, such as websites, phones or tablets, although many of those are also used over the course of a day.

As the research points out, print continues to be unabated in mornings and evenings, with digital formats gaining momentum at different times of a day. The dominance of physical newspaper is particularly noticeable in the boomers’ age group, where 63 per cent choose print over other formats.

On a weekend morning, all adult age groups favour print newspaper over other formats, particularly during breakfast and before lunch. And the time of day seems to be the primary factor also when it comes to information interests.

Click here to read the full study.

The World’s Best-Designed category is one part of the larger Best of News Design competition which includes 18 other categories. The National Post received a total of 59 awards at the annual competition, second only to the Los Angeles Times which received 62. A number of other Canadian papers were honoured with awards of excellence, the Toronto Star received 10 while The Globe and Mail received nine.

Click here to read more.

By John Foust, Raleigh, NC

Ad agency legend David Ogilvy once wrote, “Advertising is a business of words.” The same can be said for selling. The right word can make a sale, and the wrong word can lose a sale.

Sharp sales people are aware that certain words call for special handling. Generally speaking, these are common expressions that seem harmless at first glance – but can communicate the wrong message or the wrong tone. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

1. “Advertising cost.” Cost suggests spending. When it comes to money, business people don’t like to think of spending. “Investment” is a better word, because it indicates that there will be a return on their money.

Don’t send the wrong signal. Talk about investing, instead of spending. After all, ROI (return on investment) has been a hot business acronym for years.

2. “Sign here.” When it’s time to close the sale, some prospects flinch at words that suggest an iron-clad, formal agreement. “Sign” is cold. It makes the document sound like a treaty.

It’s better to say, “Just approve here,” or “All we need is your autograph here.” It’s even stronger to follow up with a benefit statement like, “…and we’ll get to work on that ad idea we’ve worked out.”

3. “But.” This little word has big implications. Consider what happens when a sales person says, “I like your idea, BUT it might work better with a change in the headline.”

The word “but” voids the first part of the statement. It says, “Forget what I just said. Here’s the bad news.” And it can make the speaker sound condescending and corrective.

It’s better to substitute “and” for “but.” The statement now becomes, “I like your idea, AND it might work even better with a change in the headline.” See the difference? Although only one word has changed, the statement is less confrontational.

4. Waffle words. “Kinda,” “sorta,” and “basically” are puny words that have joined “you know” in the fuzzy thinker’s vocabulary.

What do these words say about a sales person? At best, they are evidence of bad communication habits. At worst, they suggest that he or she is an indecisive person who has a hard time being specific.

I laugh every time I hear an athlete say, “Basically, we were trying to keep our momentum going.” What does “basically” add to this sentence? Nothing.

5. “You’ll have to…” This phrase creeps into a lot of conversations:

Advertiser: “I need help with my ad design.”

Sales person: “You’ll have to talk to someone in our creative department.”

In reality, your advertisers don’t “have to” do anything. By placing ads in your publication – or on your website – they have put their trust in you to help them grow their businesses. It’s more respectful to substitute “I’ll be glad to” for “You’ll have to.”

Advertiser: “I need help with my ad design.”

Sales person: “I’ll be glad to introduce you to our design team. Let’s set an appointment.”

It’s all a matter of using the right words.

(c) Copyright 2012 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: jfoust@mindspring.com

Linda Gibson, the CEO of Ads24, pointed out in an interview with Glenda Nevill how “community newspapers provide the perfect opportunity for brands to be more specific, less generic and to showcase their commitment to their customers by being present and involved in their communities.” By understanding the consumption patterns of community newspapers, advertisers are hence able to direct their investment more effectively.

The Compass24 highlights the pertaining relevance of community media, which are expected to provide a differentiated editorial offering from what readers would find in general newspapers. With their focus on local happenings, community newspapers also tend to attract readers, who do not read mainstream newspapers regularly. Although the study focused on South African market, the scale of the study, which included 72 titles, indicates a larger pattern of consumption that could be relevant to other media landscapes.

Click here to read the full article.

Did you know that?

• Every week in Canada, over 1,000 community newspapers circulate over 19 million copies in key metropolitan areas, rural and remote regions, and all areas in between;

• Community Newspapers are able to target communities like no other medium and are often the only choice for local news and information relevant to readers in the community. They represent the neighbourhood they serve;

• The readership of community newspapers is strong - 74% of adults are reading a community newspaper every week. Furthermore, community newspapers reach 77% of women—more than any other medium—a key demographic difficult to reach with other media;

• Community Newspapers are trusted more than any other medium, 41% states that newspapers are the medium to check out ads;

• The community newspaper’s websites are delivering local information to the community and the neighbouring region at the touch of a button, they become the town square online;

If you are interested in more readership facts and wish to read the entire survey then click here to view the pdf.

The study also shows that traditional media, such as newspapers, is a more preferred and trusted source for product information  rather than using new media sources such as company websites, blogs and social media.

The Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms (CCPRF) analyzed the dynamics of influence on the shopping habits of over 1,000 adults in September 2011.

Read more about the study here.

If you are ready to place a classified ad after reading this study then click here to start placing your order. With Community Classifieds you can make use of traditional media for just a fraction of the price.