A mixture of lazy communications strategies, the perception that they have a great story to tell and the vanity of some corporate chief executives means good money for magazine publishers willing to convey the message corporations seem desperate to communicate.
The SABC’s decision to pay R120 000 to have its chief executive, Dali Mpofu, profiled over five pages in Leadership magazine in June has shone the spotlight on a widespread practice, and the good money that magazines stand to make from it.
The SABC has admitted that it paid Leadership in exchange for the magazine publishing the profile. Leadership’s stablemate, Black Business Quarterly (BBQ), and CEO magazine have also admitted to taking payment in return for publishing content.
However, Robert Arendse, chief operations officer at Cape Media, the publishers of Leadership and BBQ, said the magazine had turned down ”many” requests for front covers.
He said an unfair impression had been created that the SABC had paid money to have its CEO on the cover of Leadership when, in fact, it had only paid for the profile.
There was no indication to the readers that the five-page interview with Mpofu had been sponsored.
While conceding that scepticism about magazines accepting payment from people they write about was warranted, Arendse added that Mpofu had been chosen for the cover because of his newsmaking qualities, not because of the deal. The decision to ask the SABC whether it wanted to pay for an interview was made afterwards. If the SABC has not decided to pay for and supply the interview with Mpofu, Leadership would have written its own article on Mpofu.
The editor of CEO, Valdi Pereira, also defended the practice: ”We cover several areas on an annual basis and companies that want to participate in this are charged for the opportunity. This is no different from the special surveys conducted by large business magazines and newspapers,” he said.
Unlike Leadership, CEO’s layout indicates when an article or interview has been sponsored.
Pereira said the controversy over the Leadership story was more to do with Mpofu’s relations with the media than with the activity itself.
”Custom publications have been around for decades and there is a multitude of revenue models used in this market. Those sectors of the media that are suddenly aghast at what has happened are at best feigning naivety. Mpofu’s actions have been unilaterally dismissed as extravagant in some sections of the media.
”As for the media overreacting? Well, Mpofu and the SABC have clearly had a difficult year and he currently finds himself being trampled upon at the bottom of the media popularity cycle.
”Just about anything he does will draw condemnation from some quarters,” said Pareira.
While some magazine publishers say they have no qualms about being paid to write about individuals and companies, certain spin doctors think the practice is probably more negative than positive.
Ramotena Mabote, whose agency, the Kingmaker, helps profile business people, said the SABC decision smacked of laziness and desperation on the part of the internal communications staff.
”I appreciate that it has not been the best of times for Mpofu and the SABC, but this was a short cut. If he [Mpofu] has a story I don’t believe there is any editor who would not publish it. So I think there are two possibilities, one is that there was no story, or two, he was ill-advised,” said Mabote.
He said a better option would have been for the SABC to pay for a supplement on the organisation to be published in the magazine.
”I would never advise a client to buy cover space, irrespective of how much trouble the client was in, it lacks credibility. Take an ad for God’s sake. Anything between advertising and editorial does not smell good,” said Mabote.
Another communications consultant, speaking anonymously, said he had it on good authority that the first time the SABC’s advertising agency heard that their client had paid for the interview was when they read it in the media.