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Bradshaw Bryant, a small-town Minnesota injury law firm, achieved market dominance by allocating 70% of its marketing budget to radio advertising, tripling their practice size in the first year and achieving 28% unaided brand awareness—133% higher than their nearest competitor. The firm's success demonstrates that traditional media's focus on long-term brand building creates sustainable competitive advantages that digital advertising's short-term conversion focus cannot replicate. This case provides a strategic blueprint for all traditional media—newspapers, television, outdoor advertising, and magazines—to demonstrate their continued value by emphasizing consistent exposure and trusted environments over digital platforms' fragmented attention. The success challenges Madison Avenue's digital-first approach and proves that "being known before you're needed" through patient, traditional media investment remains a powerful driver of long-term business growth.

Judgment is the ability to make good decisions. It’s a complex phenomenon requiring the ability to observe and understand things, draw upon knowledge and experience, form an opinion, and reach a decision. It entails discerning, comparing, and making considered decisions.

Often, when I talk to managers, they tell me how much time they spend coaching. They tell me stories of meeting, weekly, with their people, doing reviews, pipeline discussions, activity discussions—-all sorts of “coaching meetings.” They say, “Dave, coaching is important and we are spending a lot of time coaching…..”

Despite the challenges of agricultural product tariffs, the opioid crisis and media’s tendency to describe rural America as “flyover” states, the region is as optimistic as a new spring planting. Like that next harvest, there is a stirring in the land not only to honor and preserve its traditions, but also to build upon those strengths with the careful introduction of new technologies and other innovations to grow a better future.

Per new research, a mere 26% of organizations say 90% or more of their reps met quota last year. Today’s uncertain economic climate only complicates matters. Many revenue leaders have gone in search of the right tools and strategies to help sellers thrive. And many have turned to sales enablement. At Mindtickle, we recently commissioned a survey of 500+ sales leaders, sales reps,

After years of chasing rented reach on big platforms, marketers are swinging back toward owned channels, (email lists, newsletters, website, blogs, traditional medium, podcasts, loyalty programs, social pages) with 65% planning to reinvest in email while using AI as core infrastructure to drive personalization, speed, and efficiency. It shows that no single owned channel dominates—email, SMS, loyalty programs, apps, and physical locations all contribute—while paid channels like search, retail media, CTV, and social continue to grow as feeders into those owned relationships rather than replacements. The story highlights a major gap in podcast adoption versus perceived opportunity, rising investment in account-based marketing, and a broader shift from demographic targeting to community- and values-based brand building, with data privacy and trust as central themes. For local market media reps and agencies, there’s a playbook to sell “total local ecosystems” (email + CTV + audio + community), to make AI’s benefits concrete in local campaigns, and to position themselves as the strategists who help brands build durable, owned relationships—not just buy impressions.

Axios Local’s expansion into smaller markets shows how local media can use AI to reduce production costs without giving up the human reporting and community connection that advertisers value. For radio, TV, cable, print and digital sellers, the lesson is that efficient operations matter only when they strengthen a trusted, relevant local product. The stronger sales story is no longer just about audience size, but about direct relationships, first-party data, community credibility and a media environment advertisers can buy with confidence.

Understanding today’s consumers is crucial for brands, retailers – and media sales AEs. New niches of consumers are being added to the American “melting pot,” bringing their cultural influences, spending behaviors and media choices into the marketplace. New technologies are helping, such as NextGen TV, which will make it easier for local retailers, but especially minority businesses, to engage with neighborhood audiences who are more likely to buy their products and services.

Melinda Emerson, known as SmallBizLady, transformed personal adversity into a national platform for empowering entrepreneurs through education, strategy, and community. After her first business faltered during a high-risk pregnancy, she pivoted to create SmallBizLady, launching bestselling books, a weekly Twitter chat, and a digital university. Her influence spans Fortune 500 consulting, mentorship of thousands, and pioneering efforts to make small business education accessible and inclusive. Emerson’s leadership blends authenticity, empathy, and tactical brilliance, while her personal style and reflections on legacy add depth to her public persona. Her story is a blueprint for resilience, reinvention, and building businesses that serve both purpose and people.

Holiday shopping stress is surging, with 84% of consumers abandoning carts due to feeling overwhelmed, according to Accenture’s 2025 Holiday Shopping Survey. Younger shoppers are especially prone, with 89% of Gen Z and 91% of millennials reporting they walk away from purchases. The survey also found 82% of consumers feel overwhelmed by advertising and 77% cite too many options, up sharply from prior years. While this poses a risk to retailers, it also presents an opportunity for local merchants to stand out by simplifying choices, highlighting human expertise, and creating stress-free shopping experiences. For local media sales reps and agencies, the key is positioning clients as solution providers, using advertising that cuts through the noise with clarity, trust, and confidence.

The U.S. Latino economy now produces roughly $3.6 trillion in annual GDP, making it one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing markets. Within that growth, Latinas (Hispanic women) contribute about $1.3 trillion in economic output and drive most household purchasing decisions. Younger cohorts— Gen Z and Gen Alpha—are highly bilingual, racially mixed, and expect brands to demonstrate authenticity and cultural relevance. Hispanic households show wide diversity in country of origin, language use, and multigenerational structure, demanding more nuanced marketing than one-size-fits-all campaigns. For local media sales teams and ad agencies, tailoring content and ad packages to these demographic, cultural, and technological shifts is critical to capturing a rapidly expanding share of consumer spending.

Consumers plan to spend the same or more this holiday season despite financial pressures, but many feel overwhelmed by promotional noise and are abandoning purchases out of frustration. Generative AI is emerging as a “holiday helper,” giving shoppers curated recommendations and clearer choices—if retailers feed it structured, consistent content. At the same time, physical stores are reclaiming center stage as experiential hubs and omnichannel switchboards, from community-driven formats to BOPIS, returns and in-store events that build confidence and connection. For local media sellers and agencies, the opportunity is to help retailers simplify decisions, turn stores into local events, align AI and in-store promises, and ultimately sell confidence rather than just more clutter.

Few retail sectors have suffered as much from the pandemic as restaurants. It doesn’t just affect the cash register till, but also employment (often teens and younger adults), payroll and sales taxes and tourism. Although some major chains may experience significant revenues losses, and even bankruptcy, it’s the independents and mom-and-pop establishments which are experiencing the brunt of state-mandated closures.

Market Size: The US pediatric healthcare market is estimated at $15.32 billion in 2024, projected to reach $18.64 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4% (Mordor Intelligence). Total child population in the US: Approximately 74 million, with larger distribution in Urban areas with higher population density (Source: US Census Bureau). Insurance coverage: Approximately 90% of children are insured (Source: Kaiser Family Foundation)