Sherman’s company is ahead of the game in other ways, too. “We’re the first Canadian company to have a business relationship with Facebook and the first to get Google AdWords certification,” says Sherman. These credentials matter, as the online environment is constantly changing, being at the leading edge is critical.
Media Experts is also among the first in Canada to use Dynamic Creative, an advanced advertising technology that enables real time ad tailoring. “We can customize an offer in a fraction of a second dependent on your data, who we think you are and what your behaviour is,” says Sherman.
A start on Montreal’s music scene
While a student of commerce at Concordia, Sherman began working for the Montreal rock n’ roll radio station CHOM-FM. Little did Sherman know that would open doors to starting his own business.
“I was doing the ski reports. I did them 27 times a week for 17 weeks for $1,000,” recalls Sherman. That amounts to $2.18 per show. “It ended up being a very good investment.”
The job description involved travelling in a CHOM-FM-branded jeep to the slopes, around town and even to the Loyola Campus of Concordia. From that job Sherman became the stations promotion director, just as radio listening transitioned from the mono-AM to the stereo-FM frequency.
“I was the first to have this kind of position in Canada. Before, there wasn’t aggressive marketing for FM radio,” says Sherman. Part of the job involved dressing up as the station’s mascot, Rocky Racoon, just like the Beatles song. Job perks included rubbing shoulders with rock stars at their prime — including Supertramp — and being backstage at concerts.
By the fall of 1978, CHOM-FM was the most listened to FM radio station in Quebec. Sherman’s role, building up the station’s audience, prepared him for his next challenge in the sales department, vending advertising spots to local advertisers.
From one radio station to all media
While at CHOM-FM, Sherman saw the opportunity to go into business with a Toronto-based firm called Media Specialists. He made his exit from radio and set up a Montreal branch with a partner.
“I went from being able to sell ad spots for CHOM to buying space on any TV channel, magazine or newspaper, which was very different,” says Sherman.
By 1987, Sherman had bought 100 per cent of his company and renamed it Media Experts. In 1996, Sherman expanded with a new office in Toronto, located within another company called Taxi — also a Montreal-based advertising agency. The co-founder of Taxi, Paul Lavoie, partnered with Sherman on a then-unknown account, Clearnet Communications, which was to have a $25 million media budget.
“Clearnet was acquired by Telus in 2001. Faced with losing the business, we challenged our much larger global competitor to pitch for the account,” says Sherman. “They said they didn’t want to, that we could have the mobile division and they’d be happy to keep the landline business. It was a David and Goliath situation where we had the rock and they ran away.”
The next frontier?
On the topic of virtual reality, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said “the future is coming.” However, from the perspective of buying advertising, an old medium is what’s up-and-coming, according to Sherman.
“Television is suffering because it doesn’t target people. Money is flowing away from TV and into digital media. Also, viewers are going to Netflix, which doesn’t have commercial opportunities yet,” says Sherman.
At some point in the near future, says Sherman, as subscription revenue for on-demand entertainment maxes out, the need to continue driving growth will bring streaming media companies like Netflix to incorporate advertising as a new source of revenue.
“Ads on Netflix will be targeted to the individual viewer, just like digital media. This disruption of the TV advertising ecosystem will change it dramatically over the next 10 years. TV will become targetable and trackable.”
With nearly 40 years in business and an entrepreneurial attitude, Sherman and his company are up for the challenge.
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Mark Sherman, who studied commerce at Concordia, sold 62 per cent of his Media Experts equity in 2015 | Photo courtesy of Mark Sherman
As CHOM-FM’s promotion manager, Mark Sherman (far left) met bands that included Supertramp. | Photo courtesy of Mark Sherman