Jim Patterson
Looking Ahead with Cable One
By Kathleen Swift • Photo by Savanah Mandeville
Jim Patterson is a hometown guy. He grew up in Joplin and attended school from elementary school through taking classes at MSSU. With a background in sales, he jumped at the chance to join Cable One Advertising when it opened in fall 1993.
Patterson’s local background meant he knew people in the area. Jim Patterson is a hometown guy. He grew up in Joplin and attended school from elementary school through taking classes at MSSU. With a background in sales, he jumped at the chance to join Cable One Advertising when it opened in fall 1993.
“I have five older brothers and one sister, so if I don’t know someone, chances are, they knew one of my siblings,” said Patterson, who now works as an integrated media consultant for Cable One Advertising.
“I work in the advertising division for Cable One, and over the years, our business has seen a lot of change. When I started with the company, we sold television ads on cable network programming. However, over the course of the last five years, our company has moved into digital media as our primary marketing tool along with network advertising, logo creation, video production, and the list goes on and on,” said Patterson.
“We sell ads on all digital platforms including YouTube and pre-roll ads. The business changes every day. The newest development is OTT (Over the Top) or Connected TV advertising. We are the only media marketer in the area to be able to sell this product by using very specific geography, behavioral and intent tactics to reach people where they are – on their mobile device, laptop, tablet or streaming content on their smart TV with advertising they are interested in seeing.
“In the future, advertising will be even more targeted to specific audiences. Unlike other media, we have always been able to target advertising to reach only the people a specific business owner wants to reach. Now, with all the advances in digital marketing, that target becomes even more precise through the use of data mining and following a consumer’s intent-to-purchase cycle. This is beneficial because we can help our customers reach the people who are out there looking for what they have to offer. This gives us the ability to reach out to the right people for our customers. Businesses are looking for a return on their advertising investment now more than ever, and we can provide the data that shows them where their customers are, the tactics they are responding to and whether or not that leads to a sale. The point of advertising is to make the cash register ring.”
Patterson said the demand for advertising is strong among locally owned businesses.
“We serve the local mom-and-pop business as well as the national franchises. We can help businesses big, medium and small find advertising options that fit their budgets.”
For Patterson, the most interesting change over the years has been with the role of social media.
“Social media has impacted how we do business. Our customers who are tech savvy were quick to get on board. Some are still learning how to make the best use of social media, and we educate them on how to do this. For some customers, advertising on networks like ESPN, HGTV, Food Network, TBS, among others, works perfectly for them. We work with the business owner to determine the type of advertising they need. In addition to digital and video commercials, we offer website creation, branding, logo design, business profiles, blogs; you name it and we can do it.”
Despite the changes in the industry, Patterson said the reason he has stayed with Cable One Advertising is “that although Cable One is one of the top 10 cable companies in the industry, it still has a small-town, family feel to it. They want us to put our families first, and they treat employees well. It is a great place to work. The loyalty of our customers who advertise on the air with us plays a big role, too. Cable One Advertising is a strong company, and I feel fortunate to work here and to be a part of the changes in the industry.”