This was not a sales meeting. This was an intelligence-gathering operation. In 30 minutes, BSP extracted pricing intel, free services, competitive leverage against Audacy, and a self-funding revenue strategy. Nothing was committed. Everything was gained. Here is what BSP now has that it did not have before this meeting.
Total free value: ~$15,000+
Advertising pays for itself permanently
Zero dollars committed. Zero contracts signed. Zero obligations created. BSP walked out with a written proposal request, competitive leverage against Audacy, and a self-funding membership strategy that applies regardless of whether BSP ever buys a single KSHB ad. The next step is Stephanie and Kalen's decision based on the data in this document.
Kalen's original interest was in radio spots. KSHB does not sell radio. What they sell is TV broadcast + CTV streaming + geofencing + attribution -- all channels BSP does not currently have. The meeting clarified this distinction and extracted a counter-offer ($5,500/month test) that is 73% cheaper than the competing Audacy proposal. This information saves BSP from potentially overpaying if Audacy had been the only option on the table.
KSHB and Audacy are both pitching for the same advertising dollars. You already have Audacy's full proposal ($20,500/month). Today KSHB presents their version. Your job is to extract maximum intel, compare both against your current channels, and walk out with a written proposal to bring back to Stephanie. No commitments today.
💬 Stephanie's rule: "We are not interested in activity-based reporting. We are interested in revenue-tied performance."
Audrey, this section is for you. Robert handles the money and attribution questions. Your role is creative strategy and content partnership. You are the reason this meeting becomes more than an ad buy. Here is what is happening, what you need to know, and exactly what to do.
KSHB is the local NBC station (channel 41). Sarah LeVota is their account executive and Mat Plummer is their digital strategist. They want BSP to buy TV and streaming ads. We are NOT committing today. We are listening to their pitch, asking smart questions, and walking out with a written proposal to evaluate. You are here because video is the differentiator. BSP has an in-house creative director (you). Most of their clients do not. That gives us leverage.
Your KC tourism and community content initiative is exactly what KSHB's news team looks for in local interest stories. The idea is highlighting Kansas City life first, plumbing second -- attracting residents through local recommendations who later become customers. Three content series are already planned:
If the conversation opens up to editorial or content partnership, you have these ready:
If this meeting results in a content partnership where KSHB features Sunny in KC or "What's Under Your House" as editorial segments, that is worth more than any paid ad package. Free news coverage on an NBC affiliate is credibility money cannot buy. Push for this. If they only want to sell ads with no editorial component, the deal is less interesting. Robert will handle the money. You handle the creative leverage.
This is what you walk in with. These numbers prove you are a data-driven buyer, not an impulse advertiser. Sarah already knows you pushed back on Performance Max with surgical reasoning. She knows you track every dollar to a booked job. That scares lazy salespeople and attracts good partners.
You already have Audacy's full pitch deck (sent Apr 8 by Meaghan Grauer & Melanie Siebert). They want $20,500/month for SEO + OTT + Podcasts + Amazon DSP. KSHB quoted $7-8K/month for TV + streaming in March. Today you find out if KSHB can deliver the streaming piece cheaper and with better attribution. Do not mention Audacy by name. Just say "we have a competing proposal."
"We've received a competing proposal from another media company. Help me understand what makes KSHB different and why we should choose you." This creates urgency without revealing cards. If KSHB's streaming-only comes in under $3,500/month, they beat Audacy's OTT price.
Every media buy has to answer one question: how many booked jobs does this need to generate to pay for itself? At your $11K average sewer ticket, the math is surprisingly favorable. One sewer replacement per month covers even the most expensive package. But the burden of proof is on KSHB to show they can deliver that one job with trackable attribution.
"As Seen on KSHB" amplifies every other channel. Google Ads CTR goes up from brand recognition. Landing page trust increases. Renovation Rachel converts faster because she saw you on TV (shortens her 3-15 day research cycle). If TV increases your Google Ads conversion by just 10%, that saves $900/month in wasted ad spend. If Rachel converts 2 days faster, that is 1 extra sewer job/month = $11,000. The halo effect alone may cover the cost even if direct attribution shows zero leads.
These are ordered by priority. The first three are deal-breakers. If Sarah cannot answer them clearly, the meeting is over. The rest extract competitive intelligence that benefits BSP regardless of whether you buy.
You have intel from multiple sources that Sarah does not know you have. This gives you negotiation leverage. Never reveal the source — just use the knowledge to ask smarter questions and recognize when they are inflating numbers or deflecting.
From the Mar 27 call: $150/spot (30-sec), $75 (15-sec), $3K streaming minimum. Sarah may try to pitch higher today. You already know the floor. If she quotes above $150/spot, push back: "Last time we discussed $150 for a 30-second."
You have Audacy's entire proposal — $20.5K/month, 4 packages, case studies, CPL benchmarks ($92.76). Sarah does not know this. If KSHB prices OTT above $3,500, you know Audacy offers the same product at that price. Leverage without revealing.
Robert already sent Sarah a detailed technical breakdown of why BSP rejects Performance Max (Apr 2 email). Mat is their digital strategist who "likes PMax." If he pushes it again, say: "I explained our position in the April 2 email. We need keyword-level attribution. That has not changed."
You track every ad click → GCLID → ServiceTitan job → paid invoice. Most KSHB advertisers use dedicated phone numbers at best. Your attribution pipeline is more sophisticated than what they will offer. Ask: "Can your tracking integrate with ServiceTitan?" If not, you will build your own tracking on their landing page.
Audacy's deck targets 26 specific Johnson County zip codes. You have the same list. If Sarah tries to sell full KC DMA, counter with: "We only need these 26 zips. What does that pricing look like versus full DMA?" Narrower targeting = lower waste = better ROI = potentially lower price.
These are specific phrases and tactics for the meeting. Use them at the right moment. Each one is designed to either extract value, lower price, or gain leverage. Practice these before the meeting so they feel natural.
"We want to start with one product and prove ROI before expanding. What is your best streaming-only rate?"
This forces them to unbundle and price the one product you actually want.
"We have a competing proposal for OTT at a lower price point. What can you do to be competitive?"
Never name Audacy. Let them imagine the worst.
"That is great. Our in-house creative director Audrey will provide brand guidelines and creative direction. We need full ownership of all raw footage and edited assets for use across our other channels. Can you confirm that in writing?"
"We have a community video series called Sunny in KC. Our techs visit local KC businesses. Would your news team be interested in featuring that? We also have a sewer education segment called 'What's Under Your House' that is perfect for spring."
"This is promising. Here is what we need to move forward: a one-page proposal with your streaming-only rate, a sample attribution report from a current client, and confirmation on asset ownership. Email that to me and I will present it to our ownership team by Monday."
"We are a data-driven company. We do not commit to any channel without running the math first. If the numbers work, we move fast. But we need to see them on paper."
This is Stephanie's rule delivered to Sarah.
Before committing to any media buy, consider what BSP already has in the pipeline. Your community outreach strategy reaches 65,000+ real homeowners in your exact zip codes for $2,500/year total. ONE sewer job covers the entire annual budget. KSHB must prove it can beat this cost-per-qualified-impression, or it must deliver something outreach cannot: mass brand recognition and the halo effect.
Events give you face-to-face contact. KSHB gives you mass brand awareness. The smart play is both at scale. Ask Sarah: "How do you amplify community events through editorial coverage? If we sponsor the JOCO Home Show and advertise on KSHB simultaneously, can you cover our booth as a local business spotlight?" If yes, you get paid ads + free editorial + event leads for the price of one channel.
This meeting serves three purposes regardless of whether BSP ever buys a single KSHB ad. Every minute in that room should extract value. If you walk out with rate cards, audience data, competitive intel, and a content partnership seed planted, the meeting paid for itself even if you never spend a dollar.
Extract KSHB's audience demographics for Johnson County. Find out which competitors advertise with them. Get seasonal rate cards. Learn what works for home services. This intel is valuable even if BSP never buys.
Negotiate co-production where Audrey produces video that serves BOTH BSP's YouTube/social AND KSHB spots. One video shoot produces: KSHB 30-sec spot + YouTube pre-roll + Facebook/IG video ad + website hero video + blog embed. That is 5 channels from 1 investment.
"As Seen on KSHB" is a trust badge that amplifies every channel you already run. Renovation Rachel who saw you on TV is 2 days closer to booking when she finds your Google Ad. The $655K morning dead zone (6-10 AM dispatch gap at 30% capacity) could be partially filled by morning news spot viewers calling in. If KSHB morning spots drive just 2 calls per week in that window, that is idle trucks generating revenue at zero additional tech cost.
This is an in-person meeting. Sarah and Mat are coming to your office. Control the tempo. Let them present first, then ask your questions. End with "send us the one-pager" so you have something concrete to bring to Stephanie.
"Thanks for coming in. Last time we shared who BSP is. Today we want to understand what KSHB can specifically bring to the table."
Listen mode. Take notes on: rates, minimums, contract length, geo-targeting, attribution, streaming options. Let them sell.
Attribution chain, streaming-only minimum, month-to-month, zip targeting, weather parting, morning dayparts. These are the deal-breakers.
Video production quality, asset ownership, Sunny in KC pitch, co-production, "What's Under Your House" editorial angle.
"What is the minimum 90-day test? Streaming only, Johnson County zips, with a dedicated tracking number and weekly call reports."
"Send us a one-page proposal with the test package. We need to bring this to our ownership team. We will get back to you by Monday."
Use this after the meeting to evaluate their proposal. Every criterion is binary. If the YES column has 7+ checks, bring it to Stephanie with a recommendation. If NO has 3+ checks, pass.
Walk out with: (1) a written rate card, (2) a sample attribution report, (3) a home services case study, (4) a 90-day pilot proposal at $3-3.5K/month streaming-only targeting Johnson County. Bring all four to Stephanie. Let the numbers decide, not the sales pitch.
Sarah and Mat presented two campaign tiers. Both are above our original $3-5K target but the CPM efficiency and attribution model are stronger than expected. Here is what they offered, what it means, and our counter-play.
Pixel tracking: Captures household IDs of viewers who saw the commercial and then visited callbrightside.com. Ties website actions (form fills, click-to-call, service page visits) back to the exact ad exposure time.
Vizio agency: Connects to Vizio tuner boxes (~10% market share) for direct TV attribution.
Full-funnel: After CTV exposure, household ID is captured and followed with cheaper display ads to hit 30 total exposures.
Dedicated logins. 100% transparent. Shows:
• Households reached
• Website visits from ad viewers
• Actions taken (form fills, calls, page visits)
• Heat maps by publisher/provider
• Conversion data drilled to cost per lead
• Adjustable weekly or bi-weekly, no extra fees
This is better attribution than what Audacy offered.
Scripps OWNS their streaming inventory (Scripps 360, FAST apps). 14M households on their free ad-supported TV apps -- more than YouTube TV's 10M. They don't have to buy inventory on the open market at $30-35 CPM. They sell their own at a fraction.
$13.40 CPM vs $30-35 market = 60% cheaper per impression. This is a real structural advantage, not a sales gimmick.
A similar plumbing company saw significant job increases starting around month 4 after adding CTV on top of broadcast. CEO noted a "ridiculous amount of jobs." Brand learning period is 4-6 months when 6-frequency is maintained in target zips. Our counter: "We understand the ramp. That is why we want data from day 1 so we can see the trajectory, not just the endpoint."
Either investment level unlocks a complimentary animated weather sponsorship on KSHB morning news, Monday through Sunday, 4 AM to 8 AM. This is the 10-day forecast segment -- premium real estate.
Value: $10,000 for 6 months. Runs ~962 times.
This is the morning dead zone play we identified. BSP's biggest dispatch gap is 6-10 AM at 30% capacity. An animated BSP logo on the weather forecast every single morning means:
• Every KC homeowner who checks morning weather sees Bright Side Plumbing
• If their pipe burst overnight, BSP is the first name they think of
• 962 impressions over 6 months = brand burned into the morning routine
• This alone may justify the entire investment. $10K value included free.
At the $10,000/month investment level, KSHB sends the client to the Super Bowl next year. Includes hotel stay and "star treatment." This is a relationship perk, not a business decision -- but it signals KSHB is investing in a long-term partnership, not a one-off sale.
At $50,000 total investment, KSHB flies the client on the official Chiefs charter plane with staff and family to an away game. Meet players, hotel, airfare, "royal treatment." This is the relationship tier -- signals serious partnership intent from Scripps.
Mat said these are the "cherry on top" -- the real value is tracking, optimization, and ROI delivery. Agree. Do not let trip incentives drive a business decision. Stephanie will not be impressed by a Super Bowl trip -- she will be impressed by a $5K spend generating $33K in sewer revenue. Evaluate on data, not perks.
Mat confirmed the proposals are a starting point, fully customizable. Their firm handles the full product suite beyond TV and CTV:
Key assumption they made: BSP's social media and Google paid search are already managed. Correct. Mat's pitch: adding CTV + TV will amplify existing digital efforts, leading to higher CTR and conversion rates across all platforms. This aligns with our halo effect thesis. Do NOT let them bundle services we already own. Cherry-pick only what we cannot do ourselves.
The investment includes in-house creative production at no extra cost. KSHB offered to produce brand new commercial spots. Key details:
Audrey's play: This is where you co-direct. Their production team + your brand vision. Insist on providing brand guidelines (colors, Inter font, tone, ADA compliance). Negotiate raw footage ownership for multi-channel use. Ask to see Aaron's reel before committing to their creative direction. If their quality matches your standards, this saves you weeks of production time. If it does not, you direct and they execute.
✅ TAKE THESE
❌ DECLINE THESE
$10,000/month is 91% of our entire current marketing budget ($11K). We cannot double our spend without proving ROI first. The scientific method applies here: hypothesis, test, measure, scale. Here is the counter-proposal to bring back to Stephanie that tests the thesis without betting the farm.
Present this to Stephanie as a scientific test, not a leap of faith:
"KSHB presented two options at $10K/month. The attribution and targeting are strong -- pixel tracking, household-level data, $13.40 CPM versus $30-35 market rate. But $10K doubles our budget. Our recommendation: use May to get our landing pages and tracking infrastructure ready. Start a $5,500/month streaming-only test in July (June earliest if World Cup timing makes sense). KSHB added $500 for retargeting to ensure conversion. If it proves out by month 3, we scale to the full $10K package with broadcast TV. Total risk: $16,500. Potential upside: if it delivers 3 sewer jobs per month, that is $33K in revenue from $5.5K in spend. Bonus: we can target our 3,000 existing customers via CRM overlay at no extra cost, and if the membership retargeting converts 10 members weekly, the advertising pays for itself permanently."
Robert proposed a $5K/month counter-offer during the meeting. KSHB responded with adjustments. Here is exactly what was agreed in principle, what changed, and what new opportunities surfaced from the negotiation.
KSHB produces the commercials. Bright Side owns usage rights. Can use the spots on:
• Other news stations
• Digital platforms
• Social media (cut-down versions)
• Website and YouTube
Only restriction: If paid actors are used, their release agreements may limit some usage. Solution: use BSP's own team in the commercial (Kalen, techs, Audrey's direction). No actor restrictions.
Robert proposed $5,000/month for CTV-only (Octane Essential + Scripps 360), no broadcast, Johnson County zips, 90-day test.
KSHB countered: $5,500/month. Without broadcast, the blended CPM rises to ~$30 (vs $13.40 with broadcast). They require an additional $500 to dedicate 10% of budget to retargeting streaming — staying in front of website visitors to ensure high conversion.
$5,500/month is the working number for the 90-day test.
BSP confirmed it can provide data on 3,000 existing customers for CRM-based targeting. KSHB will integrate this at no additional investment.
• ~2,000 households matchable from the data
• Can reach them at 6x frequency for ~$300-400 (allocated from existing budget)
• These are WARM leads — existing customers who already trust BSP
• Perfect for: seasonal reminders, membership offers, water heater replacement upsells, annual inspection nudges
This is the retention engine. New customer acquisition is expensive. Keeping existing customers active is nearly free with this CRM overlay.
The meeting surfaced a powerful insight: use the retargeting display ads to push membership/maintenance offers to $300K+ homeowners (Maintenance Mike persona).
• Display ad creative: "$49 Plumbing Inspection" as the membership entry offer
• Target: established homeowners with higher incomes who value prevention
• Retarget ONLY households that saw the CTV ad AND visited callbrightside.com
The math that changes everything:
• 10 new members per week × $500/year = $5,000/week in membership revenue
• That is $20,000/month — enough to permanently fund the $5,500 KSHB spend with $14,500 left over
• Membership LTV: $5K-$25K lifetime value per member
If the retargeting converts just 10 members weekly, the advertising pays for itself forever. This is not a cost — it is a revenue engine.
The last part of the meeting revealed the real long-term play. This is not just ads. It is a credibility engine, an event pipeline, and an email nurture system that compounds over time. Every piece feeds the next. Here is how it all connects.
KSHB produces 3-minute educational segments (they called them "AC spotlights" or "show cases") that build credibility:
• Focus on common issues: "Here is what to look for with your water heater"
• Posted to KSHB's social media (their audience, not just ours)
• YouTube uploads rank high in search over time = free SEO value forever
• KSHB gets 1M+ monthly website visitors, primarily from Johnson County
Audrey: These segments are your "What's Under Your House" and "5 Generations Deep" pitches brought to life. KSHB produces them, posts them on their channels, and BSP gets the credibility + the SEO juice. This content works for YEARS.
Mat outlined a full event activation strategy that ties into BSP's festival season plan:
Pre-Event (2 weeks before):
• Targeted ads on Instagram + CTV to fill the pipeline
• Geo-target the event zip codes specifically
At the Event:
• 🎲 Prize wheel (win a water heater, free flush, etc.)
• 🔍 Diagnosis station with live sewer camera demo
• 💰 Target "old jobs" — each one ~$10K revenue
Data Capture:
• QR code sign-up via prize wheel entries
• "Text to win" contest for email/phone capture
• Every interaction = a lead in the system
The captured emails and phone numbers from events feed into a multi-stage follow-up sequence:
• Day 1: "Thanks for visiting — here is your exclusive offer"
• Day 3: Educational content (sewer health tips)
• Day 7: Social proof (reviews, before/after photos)
• Day 14: Urgency play ("Your inspection offer expires")
• Ongoing: CTV retargeting keeps BSP in front of them
The compound effect: Every event captures leads. Every lead gets nurtured. Every nurtured lead sees BSP on CTV. Every CTV viewer sees BSP at the next event. The flywheel spins faster every quarter.
Most advertisers think about TV as a cost. This flywheel turns it into an asset that appreciates:
Every cycle captures more leads, builds more credibility, and generates more revenue than the last. This is the compound effect Mat described.
KSHB confirmed they can geofence specific KC locations to capture mobile IDs of people physically present at events:
• City Market, concerts, festivals, Chiefs games
• JOCO Home Show, OP Fall Festival, Farmers Market
• Any location where BSP's target demo gathers
How it works: A virtual fence is drawn around the event location. Every phone that enters the fence has its mobile ID captured. That ID is then matched to the household, and the entire household gets targeted across all devices:
• 📺 CTV (living room streaming)
• 💻 Desktop display ads
• 📱 Mobile ads
• 🎧 Audio ads during streaming music
This means: Someone visits the JOCO Home Show on Saturday → by Monday their whole family is seeing BSP ads on Disney+, hearing BSP on Spotify, and seeing BSP display ads while browsing. One physical visit = full household saturation.
Audrey asked about local Spotify advertising. Mat confirmed KSHB can place audio ads on streaming music platforms.
However, his recommendation: Display and video ads "always outperform" audio when part of the full multi-channel strategy aimed at reaching the entire household. Audio works best as a frequency layer, not a primary driver.
The play: Do not buy audio standalone. Use it as a bonus frequency layer within the geofencing retargeting. When a household is already seeing BSP on CTV and display, hearing BSP on their morning commute playlist reinforces the brand without a separate budget line. Ask Mat: is audio included in the retargeting package or is it an add-on?
Here is how every channel feeds the next. This is not a media buy — it is an ecosystem.
↓ Every captured household feeds back into CTV retargeting ↓ Every membership funds the next month's ad spend ↓ Every KSHB showcase video ranks on YouTube forever ↓
The flywheel accelerates every quarter. By Q4, the system generates more revenue than it costs.
The meeting ended with clear next steps for both sides. KSHB is flexible on investment levels and willing to retool based on our feedback. The blocker on our side is the data cleanup -- we cannot launch the campaign or the membership push until ServiceTitan data is clean. Here is the timeline and what each party owns.
BSP is in a "massive cleanup initiative" right now. ServiceTitan data has $492K in stuck/unattributed jobs, 71% zero-invoice rate, and Sold-By field issues. We CANNOT launch KSHB until this is fixed because:
• Attribution tracking needs clean ST data to prove KSHB → booked job → paid invoice
• CRM targeting with dirty data = wasted impressions on wrong households
• Membership campaign needs accurate customer records
Estimated completion: End of April (optimistic) to mid-May (realistic)
KSHB check-in: 2-3 weeks from today (late April)
Target launch: July (June if cleanup finishes early and World Cup timing aligns)
KSHB does not own radio stations. They cannot sell traditional radio ads. What they CAN do is streaming audio/audience retargeting through their digital platform -- which is the audio layer discussed earlier (Spotify-style ads as part of the household retargeting). If BSP wants traditional radio, that would be Audacy's territory (competing proposal).
Mat shared a personal plumbing story: a contractor drilled into a PVC pipe running from his kitchen sink. Water leaked into insulation and drywall every time they did dishes. Insurance would NOT cover it because it was classified as a long-standing issue, not a sudden event.
Why this matters for BSP's content strategy:
KSHB does not exist in a vacuum. It is one weapon in an arsenal. The real power comes from timing KSHB with festival season, using the household data to fuel the membership push, and layering email campaigns on top of TV exposure. Here is how all the pieces connect.
BSP is attending the JOCO Home + Remodeling Show (Oct 23-25) and the OP Fall Festival (Sep 25-26). If KSHB ads run during September-October while BSP has boots on the ground at these events:
• Homeowners see BSP on TV during the week
• They see BSP's booth at the Home Show on the weekend
• They get a follow-up display ad on Monday
• They receive an email with a seasonal offer on Tuesday
Four touchpoints in one week. That is the 30-exposure breakthrough KSHB talks about, compressed into a single activation window. Ask KSHB: can we concentrate a 2-week burst around these events instead of spreading evenly?
Kansas City is a host city. Massive local viewership on KSHB. BSP's Sunny in KC initiative ties directly into World Cup coverage. If BSP is advertising on KSHB during World Cup, every commercial break becomes a brand moment:
• "Bright Side Plumbing -- your hometown plumber, cheering on KC"
• Audrey's Sunny in KC content at World Cup events = social cross-promotion
• KSHB editorial coverage of local businesses during World Cup = free features
This is the premium window. Get World Cup pricing from Sarah NOW even if we do not commit until May.
KSHB's pixel tracking captures household IDs of ad viewers who visit callbrightside.com. If we can export or match those IDs:
• Feed them into our email campaign as warm leads (they already know BSP from TV)
• Send seasonal offers: "You saw us on KSHB -- here is a special for Johnson County homeowners"
• Retarget via email the people who visited the site but did not call
Ask KSHB: Can we get a data export of household IDs or email-matchable segments from the dashboard? If yes, the email campaign is not separate -- it is KSHB's middle funnel.
The Elite package includes display retargeting for $300K+ homeowners. This is exactly the Maintenance Mike audience -- higher-income, established homeowners who value prevention over emergency repairs.
• Display ad creative: "Join Bright Side's Plumbing Club -- annual inspection, priority scheduling, member pricing"
• Retarget only households that saw the CTV ad AND visited the site = highest intent
• Membership is the LTV play: $150-500/visit, $5K-$25K lifetime value
If the display retargeting converts even 10 members at $500/year, that is $5,000 in recurring revenue from one ad layer. Memberships fund the ad spend permanently.