The Fishbowl
The Media Leader’s interview series asks the media industry’s top salespeople 10 revealing questions, drawn from our fishbowl. The questions will be drawn at random and contain some tricky posers set by the commercial chiefs themselves.
This week, it’s Sam Tester, sales director at i-media.
Sam Tester joined motorway advertising company i-media as an account manager in 2014, working his way up via account director and head of agency to become sales director in 2019.
Before that, he held online and display sales positions at Centaur Communications.
What was your first paid job and why did you do it?
When I was about 12 years old, I took over a paper round from my older sister, who no longer wanted to do it. Come rain, snow or sunshine, I would be pounding the pavement delivering 500 papers every Wednesday evening, bringing home about 4p per paper.
What was the last movie you saw at the cinema?
The Fall Guy — not my choice, but who doesn’t enjoy a bit of Ryan Gosling?
Why are you passionate about media?
I think the two main reasons I enjoy being in media so much are the people and the constant innovation. I’ve had the privilege of working with brilliant individuals whose endless energy and passion make the industry incredibly fun to be a part of.
The continuous development within the media industry is also a major factor. New technology and innovative solutions constantly drive us forward across all channels, especially in OOH, where the landscape has significantly shifted during the 10 years I’ve been part of it.
Has selling media become easier or harder?
I think selling media is always becoming slightly harder because media owners are continuously developing new and innovative propositions that deliver better solutions for brands.
It’s hugely positive for the industry as a whole and it also challenges us to constantly think about how we can continue to evolve our own proposition, with tech and data at the heart of all our developments.
I’d also add that having clarity on the benefits of your proposition and how you can help brands meet their objectives and overcome their challenges has never been more important to differentiate yourself in a very competitive market.
What keeps coming up in conversations with clients at the moment?
Effectiveness is something that has really come to the forefront of conversations again recently. OOH has made huge progress in proving the effectiveness of our media by taking a more granular and accurate view of campaigns when analysing performance.
It’s also supported by the increased ability for brands to identify audience cohorts and communicate with them in real time at scale using DOOH.
Who’s your best friend in the industry?
I think this one could get me in trouble… I’ve been lucky enough to meet lots of amazing people while working in media (including my wife!) and I feel incredibly grateful to have worked with such great people throughout my career.
Peer question: Would you recommend your child or another young person in your life to get a job in media and why?
Yes, she’s only just turned one so maybe a bit young and probably more interested in becoming a race car driver right now, but I would definitely recommend a job in media to my daughter.
I’d recommend working in media to anyone who wants to work in a creative, dynamic and challenging industry where they can have a lot of fun.
Question from Clare Turner, chief commercial officer, Pearl & Dean
Peer question: Who was your first media lunch with and where did you go?
The details of my first-ever media lunch are quite fuzzy, but I do remember my first one at i-media. It was with Neil Roper and Dan Bayford, both at Posterscope at the time — we went to the timeless Fitzrovia Belle.
Question from Emma Callaghan, executive director of advertising and strategy, Reach
Peer question: What would you tell your younger self about?
Meet as many people as possible and ask as many questions as you can think of.
When I started in media sales selling classified ads in The Engineer, I certainly wasn’t aware of the scale of the industry and the opportunities available.
Question from Richard Bon, UK managing director and Europe commercial lead, Clear Channel
Peer question: From a work perspective, what were you most proud of last year?
This is an easy one because we have spent so much time talking about it over the last 12 months. We launched our brand new data and tech proposition into the market last year. A unique and market-leading solution using vehicle and demographic data to build specific audience cohorts that can be targeted in real time across our network of full-motion DOOH screens.
From a personal perspective, I loved working collaboratively with our technical team to develop the product and then leading our brilliant sales team in taking it to the market, where it has been incredibly well-received.
Question from Kelly Williams, managing director, commercial, ITV
Read more Fishbowl interviews here and see what media’s top salespeople say about working in the industry and what concerns their clients. To suggest an interviewee, contact [email protected].
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