How Local Media Can Grow Co-Op Ad Dollars

A Distance Learning Lunch & Learn webinar aptly entitled “Co-op Advertising:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” is designed to help local media providers compete effectively for advertising that is subsidized by national brands and manufacturers.

Scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 9, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET, the online session will be presented by LSA Recas Co-op Advertising’s Tim Brennan. Topics will include:

• Communication: What is the co-op program and how does your media solution work with it?

• Compliance: How will the content meet both the brand rules and the individuality of the dealer?

• Claiming: How can you compile all of the needed documentation for the dealer to be reimbursed?

“Market research conducted by Borrell Associates found that a significant portion of the $50 billion co-op ad market often goes unspent, largely due to complexities and reporting requirements that can overwhelm local retailers,” said Mary M. Collins, president-CEO of MFM and BCCA.

“With the help of Tim Brennan, who has extensive experience in co-op advertising from the perspectives of media providers, local retailers, and national brands, seminar attendees will come away with a good understanding of the complexities surrounding co-op advertising spending and thoughts about how they can work with advertisers to unlock the potential of this significant source of local ad revenue,” she added.

In his career, Tim Brennan has bridged each end of the co-op advertising triangle with a deep focus on the program necessities to drive brand sales through the local dealer channel. Starting in the 1980s with a chain of discount department stores in central New England, he managed vendor agreements worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising reimbursement. In the 1990s he worked dealer-brand collaboration through two newspaper management assignments and a board position with New England Newspaper Association. And through the 2000s, Brennan has collaborated among each aspect of the brand-dealer-media triangle with the Recas team to offer best practice solutions with co-op advertising programs.

Eligible registered participants in the Distance Learning Seminar will also receive up to one CPE credit toward their certified public accounting license. MFM is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.

The registration fee for the event is $50 for individual members of MFM or BCCA and $75 for non-members. There is no charge for Corporate Member group employees. The deadline to register at these rates is 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Registrations received after that time will be charged an additional $20 late fee.

More information and an online registration form may be found on MFM’s website.