Hitting The 'Suite' Spot: Hint, Aim For Their 'Circle'

For many marketers, CEOs and other so-called "C-suite" level executives are the sweet spot of their media plans, but successfully targeting and reaching these elusive and time-starved media users can be vexing at best. But according to new insights released this week by Mediaedge:cia, the best way to get to C-level executives may be to target the close circle of aids who surround them, and influence their decisions.

"To effectively communicate with CEOs, advertisers and brands must be accepted by their 'circle of trust' - personal assistants, trusted advisors and peers," concludes the media shop, adding that, "CEOs are used to other people identifying relevant information for them and giving them a summary of what they need to know."

The insights may be especially critical for high-ticket B-to-B advertising categories who target the senior-most management of corporations to influence enterprise-level decisions. While Mediaedge:cia finds the best way to influence them may be via a degree of separation, the new report also provides tips for reaching them directly.

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Not surprisingly, travel-related media is one of the most effective at reaching the highly mobile audience, and the agency recommends such "travel corridor" media buys as airports, planes, and hotels, though in-flight media may prove more vexing.

"The research also shows that in-flight is the last true sanctuary of the CEO, being the one place where they are still unreachable and can catch up on reading or simply switch off," says the report, noting, "One respondent remarked: 'I live in fear every day about cell phone use in flight. Please stop this.'"

Mobile media technologies, especially the omnipresent BlackBerry, are other good bets for reaching C-level executives, though that platform also faces its own challenges. While C-level executives frequently check their emails wherever and whenever possible, they are likely to ignore unsolicited communication, unless it "fulfils one of three criteria: it is from someone they know; they have been told about it from someone they trust; or it immediately convinces them they must read it."

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