Tom Hespos

Articles by Tom All articles by Tom

• What Media Mix Modeling WON'T Tell You  in Online Spin on 11/07/2006
  

  I am often asked how a brand should allocate its media dollars to achieve the best possible ROI. This is a topic that media planners constantly think about. But just how does interactive factor into the mix?

• Why Haven't Newspapers Thrived In The Digital Age? in Online Spin on 10/31/2006
  

  Last week, Dave Morgan sent a warning shot across the noses of newspaper publishers everywhere with his piece called "Newspapers, Now or Never." What perplexes me is how newspapers could have given up the natural marketplace advantage they had in the first place--the fact that they're the focal point for how news affects a community.

• Engagement Is Dynamic, Not Static in Online Spin on 10/24/2006
  

  Last week, fellow Spin writer Cory Treffiletti explored the notion of what constitutes a "hit" in today's fragmented music landscape, where personalization and niche interests now rule over a marketplace that was once dominated by artists with mass appeal. Some of the forward-thinking folks on the fringes of the music business see a label-less future coming for music artists, in which the majority of revenues and profits are not derived from record sales, but from touring and merchandise sales. It's an interesting concept....

• Avoiding Customer Service Snafus in Online Spin on 10/17/2006
  

  This past week, "20/20" ran a segment on how people are fighting back against poor customer service, heavily featuring the Gawker Media consumer advocate blog Consumerist. The piece included some of the customer service horror stories we've all come to know and loathe, such as the sleeping Comcast technician and the Herculean task of canceling an AOL account.

• Five Reasons To Disengage From A New Business Pitch in Online Spin on 10/10/2006
  

  A lot's been written in the industry lately about indicators--what signs indicate when you should fire your agency, or when you should think about letting clients go. One thing I haven't seen discussed, however, is the notion of when you should cut your losses and decline an RFP for agency services. If you work at an agency, this is always a very difficult decision to make, but there are usually clear indicators that the potential client making inquiries is not the type of client you want on your roster. Here are some of them.

• An Open Letter to Greg Stuart and Ken Fadner in Online Spin on 10/03/2006
  

  Well, we've made it through yet another Advertising Week here in New York. We survived the maelstrom of advertising conferences, speaking gigs, clients in from out of town and meetings with new business prospects. Yet, as I put the week behind me, I'm left with a feeling that perhaps I didn't get everything out of it that I should have.

• E-mail: Yes, Let's Take It 'Personal' in Online Spin on 09/26/2006
  

  It's one of the advertising agency executive's classic laments: "The client won't spend in the medium because he doesn't use it himself." Yes, such reasoning is incredibly lame. But we ought not to confuse the "Focus Group of One" situation (as I like to refer to it) with smart business sense and good intuition.

• How To Avoid Common Invoice Reconciliation Traps  in Online Spin on 09/19/2006
  

  A lot can happen between the time you sign an insertion order to book a media buy and the time you get the bill for it. Many problems can occur--here's how to deal with them.

• Remembering The Day When Internet Was True Human Web  in Online Spin on 09/12/2006
  

  This Monday, everybody seemed to have a way of reflecting on the 9/11 attacks and how they affect us today. Personally, I prefer to dwell on the positive. To me, that meant looking back at the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and how online communities responded as news of the attacks reverberated throughout the world.

• Darwin Visits Online Video Business Models in Online Spin on 09/05/2006
  

  Last week, I pointed to YouTube as an example of an online video business that could have easily sold out to the man, but didn't. The obvious way to monetize a site full of interesting video clips is to disregard the user experience and begin running pre-roll video ads. But it looks like YouTube wants a sustainable video play here, so they've debuted a model that is more respectful of the user experience.

Comments by Tom All comments by Tom

• 'Epicurious' Job Posting Triggers Angry Tweetstorm by (Publishing Insider on 03/15/2019)
  

  I'm making an addendum to my comments because I think the bigger point is being missed.When you tell someone you have a 40-hour-per-week position and it offers no benefits, particularly when it's writing for an established publication at one of the most prestigious publishers in the world, people are right to question whether that's a good look for that publisher.  They're also right to question whether it violates the ACA, and whether CN is trying to somehow skirt it.I don't think so because I think CN is some evil corporate entity.  I'm in advertising.  I know otherwise.But the notion that the Twitterverse jumped on something they perceived as potentially violating federal law isn't problematic.  It did what it was supposed to do, namely call out CN for perceived bad behavior.  It's good CN was able to correct the record.That bigger point I referenced above?  Why is it okay for publishers to devalue content to the extent that they do?  If you work in this business, you already know the answer to that.  It's because the digital publishing model is broken.  (Largely due to the influence of the idiotic quants in our industry, if you ask me...)If your reaction to this Twitter dustup is to go bash Andrew Cuomo and ask why New York is so anti-business, you've missed the point entirely.  (If you want to bash Cuomo, go after him for his poor record on education, IMO.)  The point is that our most prestigious publishers can't seem to afford to be able to support full-time writers, even in their most prestigious publications.  We should be asking ourselves why that is.Hint: It's the infinite supply problem brought about by automating ad delivery, the lack of standards in the industry, and the notion that digital display's problems can be cured by simply adding more ad inventory.

• 'Epicurious' Job Posting Triggers Angry Tweetstorm by (Publishing Insider on 03/15/2019)
  

  Wow.People want to be sure that one of the most celebrated publishing organizations in the history of publishing adheres to state labor laws and you're making cracks about New York being anti-business? Companies can hire contract workers.  Companies can hire part-time.  But they can't hire full-time positions within the company and fail to offer benefits like they do for the rest of their employees.  It's easy to see why people would have a problem with that initial post. But you're a contract worker, so it's okay, right? Maybe your barometer for what's fair ought not to start with whatever arrangement you've managed to come to with Fadner, but with what's fair.  Or do you not mind others getting rich off the content you're supplying while you enjoy no bargaining clout? There's a reason these laws exist.

• Three Truths About Fraud by Cory Treffiletti (Online Spin on 04/07/2015)
  

  Coming to this thread a bit late.  Sorry.Brian Singleton - I'd be interested in evaluating your solution.  What can you share concerning the tech?Here's my LinkedIn Profile if you want to reach out: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=90812

• Ideate. Activate. Opiate. by Bob Garfield (Garfield at Large on 08/18/2014)
  

  I'm not going to invest. Not enough cloud, SaaS, API, Big Data or Dashboards.

• The Digital RFP Is A Frustrating Mess by Matt Straz (Online Spin on 12/12/2011)
  

  Hey Matt - Thanks for this. Can I get a link to a citation for the 28% Google number? Not that I doubt you - I want to use it for something else.

• A Sense of Direction by Marissa (Notes from the Digital Frontier on 11/24/2010)
  

  I'm in the minority of folks who likes portable GPS devices. My Garmin sits in my truck most of the time, but when I'm traveling it comes with me for the rental car. I can't be bothered to pre-print directions ahead of time. It's usually a waste of time and paper. With a portable GPS, you can just get in the car and go. I have been taken on strange routes from time to time, but I find that gets better if you regularly update your device and its maps. On a long trip to Maine that took me 12.5 hours with an Atlas once, I got there in just under 9 hours following the GPS-recommended route. I've also taken to cruising with the map always on when I'm driving around town. It's great for discovering new things about the minor roads in the area around my house. "Oh, this road connects with that road? I never knew that..." It's also good for settling arguments - my wife tends to drive around the neighborhood by cutting through residential neighborhoods, while I prefer to stick to major highways. She's always telling me about how much time and distance she saves by using "the back roads." The time argument is an easy one - if we leave from the same place and are heading to the same spot, I almost always beat her. The distance argument? You can show the data. She'll spend 20 minutes on 30MPH limit roads, stopping at stop signs and I'll spend 15 minutes going a bit out of the way, but staying on routes that are 55MPH limit roads and have few traffic lights. (Plus, I don't have to worry about kids darting out into the street, cars coming out of driveways, etc.)

• Beltway Issues Poised to Hurt Digital Innovators by Dave Morgan (Online Spin on 01/21/2010)
  

  staff staffer wrote: "According to the Patent Office web site there are no patents that have ever issued under your name for any of the companies you worked for. Consequently, all you know about patents is you don't have any." Oh, so because you did a quick patent search for Dave's name and it didn't return anything you feel qualified to say that Dave has no working knowledge of the patent process? That's one heck of a leap of logic. How about searching some of the names of some of the folks who have worked very closely with Dave at the companies he's founded. I'll spot you one - Gil Beyda. Go do your search and come back with your mea culpa.

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