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Success Story: Coupons Supplement TV Buys In Rockford

Sep 1, 2003  •  Post A Comment

The WTVO Continental Coupon Book is the Young Broadcasting-owned ABC affiliate’s way of giving advertisers a print option with their TV buys.
“We provide a multimedia platform of television, Internet and direct mail, and that has really worked well in this market,” said Martha Huggins, general sales manager of the Rockford, Ill., TV station.
The monthly direct mail coupon book contains about 100 advertisers, but WTVO-TV sells space to about 12 of them under a share agreement with a local direct mail vendor. The coupons in the book have a printable online version at wtvo.com The WTVO clients, which have included Taco Bell, Coliseum Fitness & Spa and adventure park Volcano Falls, also receive online advertorials and airtime.
`Best Shopping’
Quorum Broadcasting Co.-owned Fox affiliate WQRF-TV is also supplementing TV buys with online coupons in the “Area’s Best Shopping” section of its Web site, Fox39.com.
“The `Area’s Best Shopping’ project uses television and the Internet,” said VP and General Manager Terry McHugh. “We target smaller clients. We pitch them on the power of using television and they get a couponing portion.”
WQRF has been selling the “ABS” project for about a year. In July it launched an “Ask the Professional” section on its Web site that also uses TV. And specifically for the medical community, it promotes an online patient referral system at youcanlivebetter.com.
TV revenues for Rockford increased 7 percent between 2001 and 2002 and are expected to rise to $29 million by year-end 2003, according to BIA Financial.