20 Under 40 - 2006 Profile: Kim Buckner Land

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: December 2006

Marketing Director | Spartanburg (S.C.) Herald-Journal

Since 2002, residents of Spartanburg, S.C., have seen the faces of various Herald-Journal employees on huge billboards, along with the words "Nobody delivers like we do."

One face that hasn't appeared in the ad campaign is that of Marketing Director Kim Buckner Land, who created the promotion to emphasize the newspaper's local commitment. Despite the exclusion, those at the Herald-Journal (average daily circulation, 48,116; Sunday, 55,082) are well aware that few deliver like Land does—to the tune of at least $1.5 million in revenues.

Land, 30, joined the Herald-Journal in 2000 to spearhead 'Celebrate Community,' a program through which the paper supports various area nonprofit programs. The Herald-Journal sells sponsorship and partnership packages to local businesses to help offset the costs. To drive sales, the paper takes top-tier advertisers on an annual group trip, such as this year's Baltic cruise. Land helps plan the trips and is an enthusiastic chaperone.

"It is absolutely the coolest thing I get to do on my job," she says.

But it's far from the only thing.

Under Land's leadership, "Celebrate Community," which boasted flat sales of $450,000 in 2000, has blossomed into a $1.7 million annual revenue program, with a target of $2 million in 2007.

As facilitator of the process-management initiative for the Herald-Journal and the News-Times in Hendersonville, N.C.—both papers are owned by The New York Times Co.—Land has identified inefficiencies in processes and resources, and has developed ways to save money and employee work hours in every department.

Working with the Times Co., Land acquired updated market research data, developed new sales-support material to incorporate the data, and trained sales reps to use it.

"She brought marketing back to the sales process," says Publisher David O. Roberts. "With this research material, we have acquired or saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in business with a sales force trained to back up our claims."

Kim Buckner Land
Marketing Director
Spartanburg (S.C.) Herald-Journal

Q: In what ways do you think your current position will change over the next five years?
A: Marketing is constantly becoming more involved in all aspects of the newspaper industry. As we continue to nurture a strong online presence and develop more niche products, marketing will play a key role in directing strategy and promotion. All industries are moving toward a more results-driven focus, requiring a greater emphasis on front-end planning and effective resource allocation. Understanding our customers, both advertisers and readers, and how to reach them is central to this planning and a primary marketing task.

What's the best career advice anyone ever gave you?
Figure out what it is that you really enjoy doing—whether writing, crunching numbers or playing the piano. Then choose a career path that enables you to utilize those skills. If you don't enjoy your work, you will never be fully fulfilled.

What three things would you change about the newspaper industry?

• Increase the use of cross-functional teams. In leading the process management effort, I have witnessed firsthand the problem-solving capabilities of cross-functional teams. So many times in the newspaper industry our projects are bound by traditional departmental lines. It is educational for the employees involved, provides a broader operational viewpoint and allows us to tackle problems or projects from all angles.
• Develop more programs targeted for the nontraditional advertiser. We often fall into the trap of cannibalizing our own revenue by consistently introducing new products and selling them to the same core group of advertisers. I would like to see an industrywide push to market to businesses that are more interested in image advertising or branding themselves as good corporate citizens. It is important to the growth of our industry that we continue to diversify our advertising base to support the expanding product repertoire.
• Offer cutting-edge online capabilities. Online is a huge growth opportunity for newspapers. With a trusted brand name and solid reputation, we are poised to become the go-to sites in our markets for local news and information. I believe it is important for newspapers to be on the forefront of adapting new Web technologies—blogging, podcasting, audio/video streams, etc. If we can stay ahead of the curve in adopting the newest online tools, we will continue to cement our position as the online leader for all age groups.