20 Under 40 - 2000 Profile: Teresa Lucido

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: December 2000

Susie Ellwood, vice president of market development for Detroit Newspapers, cannot use enough capital letters and exclamation points to describe the 12 years of achievements of Teresa Lucido, vice president of advertising. Ellwood's list reads like newspaper headlines that spin onto the screen in old movies: "VISION FOR THE FUTURE! LOCAL SUCCESS! A FIRST!" Read all about double-digit ad growth, new products, new sections, the first major metro with front-page ads, a 52-week commitment from General Motors for page 3A every Sunday, and other milestones.

"There's more pressure than ever to protect market share, find innovative sources of new revenue, and recruit and retain top performers," says Ellwood. "Teresa has met the challenge with creativity, energy and savvy."

Lucido and her staff of nearly 200 pursue many missions, from integrating new-media products into the existing mix and demonstrating the value of the joint-operating agreement's reach among readers to diversifying the ad base by increasing sales pressure and attracting smaller advertisers. "In a market like ours, where a few advertisers are responsible for the bulk of the revenue," she says, "it takes a lot of smaller advertisers to make up for any changes in major advertiser expenditure."

Lucido shepherded several new products for those clients, such as blended-

distribution products and custom-publishing magazines. The first custom effort, targeted to nurses, garnered new revenue of nearly $100,000 in its first three editions; its sales staff includes two registered nurses. Through September, says Lucido, local metro accounts show a year-to-year increase of $3 million, or 21.7 percent over 1999. That comes from a 12 percent increase in active accounts, including 10 percent more new accounts year-to-date.

Lucido encourages her staff to adopt the approach she follows. Success, she says, happens by being proactive and then seizing opportunities that result.

Education: 1985, B.A., communications, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
Career: 1985-88, account executive, Thompson Recruitment Advertising, Detroit; 1988-present, advertising-sales account executive, promotions director in market development, advertising-sales director for agency and automotive accounts, senior advertising-sales director, vice president of advertising, Detroit Newspapers.
Personal: Age, 36. Born, Detroit. Married, husband Alex.
Diversions: Travel, golf, cooking, community service.
Connections: Detroit Newspapers, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, Mich. 48226. E-mail, tlucido@detmain1.dnps.com; phone, (313) 223-4771; fax, (313) 223-4828.