Eye Ads' hole-in-one
One-stop cross-media sales unit scores 1st big deal
Deal will put TMG ads on CBS' broadcast TV properties (the CBS network and the CBS-owned stations), radio stations (CBS/Infinity Radio), outdoor venues (TDI) and Web sites (CBS MarketWatch, CBS SportsLine and CBS.com). TMG did not purchase spots on CBS' cable channels or syndicated programs.
CBS execs declined to assign a specific coin value to the ad buy, describing it only as a "multimillion-dollar partnership."
CBS Plus senior veep Lisa McCarthy, who along with Pam Haering oversees day-to-day operations of the cross-media unit, said TMG came to CBS "11 minutes" after the formation of CBS Plus seeking a deal. Had CBS Plus not existed, "They would have had to talk to 15 different sales people," she said. "Instead, they only had to talk to us."
CBS inked a cross-media deal with Pennzoil earlier this year, but that was before the creation of CBS Plus.
Many virtues
A TMG spokesman said the company inked the CBS Plus deal because of the unit's "wide-ranging national and local media properties" and because of its "willingness to be flexible and innovative in achieving our strategic objectives." CBS and TMG are expected to announce more details of their new partnership in coming weeks.
Eye topper Mel Karmazin hatched the CBS Plus cross-media unit last month as part of an effort to deliver one-stop shopping to potential advertisers.
