Columnists

John Foust, advertising, ad-libs

Do you know where your fire extinguishers are?

We all want to take care of our advertisers and coworkers. Well, there’s no better way to do that than to help them stay safe in the workplace. There are some simple things we can do to accomplish this.

John Foust, advertising, ad-libs

What are they selling?

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training.

John Foust, advertising, ad-libs

Ad-libs: The power of enthusiasm

There’s a story about a professor of literature at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. As he approached retirement, someone from the newspaper interviewed him.

John Foust, advertising, ad-libs

We’ve got some explaining to do

People usually say “no” to things they don’t understand. It’s a salesperson’s job to help prospects understand what he or she is selling. What makes media choice A better than choice B?

John Foust, advertising, ad-libs

Using advertising’s ‘Bill of Rights’ to create an effective campaign

In the advertising business, there are things that must be done in order to create an effective campaign. Think of it as Advertising’s Bill of Rights: Send the right message…to the right audience…in the right medium…at the right time…about the right product (or service)…which sells for the right price…in the right environment.

In his latest "Ad-Libs" column, veteran sales trainer John Foust takes a deeper look at some of these basic principles. 

John Foust, advertising, ad-libs

Oboes and leadership

Oboes set the pace for the entire orchestra. It’s easy to see a direct comparison to a leader’s role in the business world, writes veteran sales trainer John Foust.

A few points to keep in mind, he writes: Leaders lead by example, don't micromanage and periodically review goals.

John Foust, advertising, ad-libs

Say it and do it, or renegotiate

Transparency is a key principle of business communication. When we are transparent with other people, we eliminate the window shades of pride and embarrassment which tempt us to wait “one more day” before sharing what we fear could be interpreted as bad news, writes veteran sales trainer John Foust 

In the most recent installment of his "Ad-Libs" column, Foust provides some tips for executing this approach and discusses why it is necessary. 

Jim Pumarlo

Robust public affairs coverage requires more than recording meetings

It’s no coincidence that when local journalism declines, so does government transparency and civic engagement — coverage of local government bodies and the decisions that affect readers’ everyday lives is an important part of what newspapers do.

But timely and relevant public affairs reporting takes planning and it requires newsrooms to look at the continuum of coverage – not just reporting on the meetings, writes Jim Pumarlo in his most recent column. 

Wisconsin Newspaper Association