E-News : January 12, 2010 

 

  

SAVE THE DATE

ABM’s 2010 Annual Conference
May 2-4, 2010
Charleston, South Carolina

This May, ABM’s 2010 Annual Conference will deliver the ideas and strategies necessary to grow your business and boost your revenues and profits. You’ll have a unique opportunity to learn straight from industry leaders and visionaries about how to execute and capitalize on the next generation of b-to-b media. 

ABM’s Executive Committee has been intimately involved in designing the program. Here’s how they believe you’ll benefit by attending:

Peggy Walker (Chair, ABM/President & COO, Vance Publishing Corp.):
“Get a comprehensive view of the latest and smartest ideas that are driving our businesses.”

Charlie McCurdy (Vice Chair, ABM/Chair & CEO, Canon Communications LLC/Apprise Media LLC):
“Don’t miss the panel on the valuable opportunity in award shows!”

Bill Pollak (Treasurer, ABM/CEO, ALM):
“Learn how data can significantly grow your top and bottom lines.”

Jeff Lapin (Secretary, ABM/President, Farm Progress Companies):
“Listen to our visionary panel’s thoughts on what lies ahead!”

Gary Fitzgerald (Past Chair, ABM/Chairman & CEO, Meister Media Worldwide):
“Find out how adding marketing and business services can dramatically impact your business!”

Stay tuned here for agenda and speaker announcements.

 

  

Top Media Moves

Gartner, Inc. a leading provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry, has acquired Burton Group, Inc. for approximately $56 million in cash. The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI) represented Burton Group in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor.

ALM Legal Intelligence introduced ALM Pulse, a new business development application for aggregating, tracking and filtering Web-based content related to law firms and their clients.

BPA Worldwide announced that, with the addition of five sites from CLB Media, its Interactive Web traffic tool now includes data from more than 200 Web sites that have made their data publicly available to media buyers and advertisers.

Farm Journal Media announced the promotion of Charlene Finck to SVP, Editorial & Content Development.

 

'What ABM Means to Me'

American Business Media is working harder than ever to enhance the value proposition of your membership, and we’re constantly encouraged by positive feedback from our members.

Here in E-news each week will be a member testimonial which reflects how individual members view the ABM value proposition.

“Having David Straus represent us in Washington, D.C. for postal and privacy matters has been a tremendous help to us. No one is more knowledgeable, and we’re able to tap into him for his expertise in solving problems. That has saved us countless hours and dollars.”
     - Ty Bobit, President/CEO, Bobit Business Media

 

Click here to follow ABM on Twitter!

Click here to become a fan of ABM on Facebook!

 

Job of the Week

Strategic Account Executive - Northeast, Business.com

In addition to the “Job of the Week” highlighted in each issue of E-news, ABM has recently expanded its online job board to better reach out to the membership and media community with quality career opportunities. Powered by mediabistro.com, the site is updated constantly with openings across the country and enables you to search by industry and location. So what are you waiting for … Click here to begin your search! 

 

Committee Watch

Agri Council: January 12, Orlando, FL

Editorial Committee: January 12, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST, ABM Headquarters

 

  

  

ABM’s New Strategic Plan Takes Root

Late last year, ABM unveiled its new strategic plan, which positions the Association to lead an industry undergoing dramatic transformation and place itself at the center of the b-to-b ecosystem.

And in last week’s E-news, which was the most-opened issue of the past year, ABM featured the new plan and unveiled new initiatives for 2010, which further enhance the value of ABM membership and reflect the plan’s four major pillars: Networking & Education, Government Policy & Industry Standards, Research to Know, and Research to Show. (Incidentally, the link to ABM’s new strategic plan drew the highest number of unique click-throughs within the January 5th issue.)

Each week, E-news will continue to feature the new products and services deriving from ABM’s new strategic plan that we hope you’ll take advantage of. Stay tuned!

 

  

Members: Are You Utilizing ABM’s ‘Ask the Experts’ Service?

Do you have a question about any of the various disciplines within your company?

If so, ABM’s revitalized Committees & Councils are ready to respond, either by providing you with real answers in real time or by conducting a survey to address your questions.

As an example, responding to recent inquiries and recognizing the importance of compensation and benefits data to members, ABM’s Finance Committee recently unveiled the results of its 2010 Compensation Survey, conducted by Towers Perrin. Utilizing information from the 2007 and 2009 surveys and, importantly, its recently-conducted 2010 pulse study in compiling the report, Towers Perrin included everything from salaries and bonuses to vacation time and benefits. Contact Mark Rothman for a copy of this report.

If you have a question and would like to ask our industry experts, send it here.

 

  

B-to-B Publishers: Discover Digital Media Solutions!
TV Worldwide and the ABM Video Network team up
to deliver educational webcast series

Reflecting its strategic plan initiative to deliver real-time insights to the membership, ABM has partnered with TV Worldwide and its TV Mainstream Internet channel to produce a series of webcasts designed to help business information companies learn about and capitalize on digital media technologies and business models.

The inaugural broadcast, now featured on the ABM Video Network, introduced digital media technologies, business models and tips to help ABM members produce and distribute revenue-generating digital media content.

Next up: On Wednesday, January 20, at 2:00 PM EST, ABM and TV Worldwide will present the second in its regular series of educational webcasts. The Digital Media Production Showcase will feature exclusive tips, techniques and products to best create, manage and distribute digital content online.

The webcast is free with registration (here) and will provide opportunities for interactive participation during the live event. There are also opportunities still available to present during the webcast; companies interested in being featured as part of both live and archived versions should contact TV Worldwide ASAP, at info@tvworldwide.com, to reserve a place.

 

  

New B-to-B Case Study Added to Online Series
Series, now categorized, confirms value of b-to-b media in today’s marketplace

Want to know how business information companies are confronting the challenges of the current environment and producing innovative new products, services and campaigns to grow their businesses?

ABM continues to expand its online series of case studies, showcasing the strategies b-to-b media companies are utilizing to achieve their objectives. The newly-categorized series now features case studies on events, integrated media, marketing and print media.
 
The latest addition, extracted from Adweek’s coverage of ABM’s 2009 Creative Excellence in Business Advertising (CEBA) Awards, explores how Grand CEBA Award-winner John Deere took its face-to-face campaign to the next level to generate major buzz around the unveiling of its 764 high-speed dozer.

Objective

Who says construction equipment can’t be cool? John Deere & Company sought to create major buzz around the unveiling of its 764 high-speed dozer, the category’s first new machine launch in 25 years. The company wanted to go beyond the traditional press conference to generate anticipation and excitement in its customers that rivaled the massive size and scope of the machine.

Strategy

Leading up to the unveiling of its high-speed dozer at the ConExpo trade show, John Deere partnered with agency Gyro:HSR to create an extensive PR campaign. In order to generate enough buzz to last until the launch, the campaign included several elements. First, email announcements were sent to all trade show registrants with images of the dozer covered in a tarp and teasing headlines, such as “The Shape of Things to Come.” Editors received an invitation to attend a closed-door press conference where they were given a VIP pass and admittance to a special viewing area at the ConExpo show. Finally, editors were told they could also register for a special, invitation-only press conference with John Deere senior executives, including its CEO. All marketing collateral featured images of the silvery, edgy tarp-covered dozer.

Results

John Deere set a new standard for business communication in the construction equipment industry. Approximately 2,000 people attended the trade show, with about 80 editors present, creating a standing-room-only crowd for the unveiling of the dozer. Customers at the event declared their desire for the machine and helped Deere staff secure more leads. Press reaction to the event was also extremely positive, including several trade magazine cover stories on the dozer and three segments on CNBC. John Deere and Gyro:HSR took their marketing to the next level, infusing serious attitude, energy and excitement around a new product launch, proving that construction equipment can be hip and edgy.

  

  

Weekly ‘ABM Vital Guide’ Continues to Showcase B-to-B’s Hottest Digital Media Trends … Have YOU Been Taking Advantage of This Free Newsletter?

Adhering to its new strategic plan, which, among other things, emphasizes the importance of industry research and intelligence, ABM is continuing to create synergies with other organizations that will benefit the entire business information community. As a result, ABM members now have access to must-have industry resources from leading organizations like CEIR and Outsell. 

Through a new partnership with Vital Business Media’s eMedia Vitals, ABM is proud to deliver the “ABM Vital Guide,” a free weekly e-newsletter containing high-quality, actionable content on the hottest digital media trends affecting the b-to-b industry. 

Each week, the ABM Vital Guide tackles one specific digital media trend or product with the potential to dramatically influence members’ digital revenues. Previous editions have thoroughly covered such issues as content aggregation, community-based media, online event models, e-newsletters and subscription management.

Click here to view the latest ABM Vital Guide, on e-readers, or click here to subscribe now!

  

  

Washington, D.C. Regional Program ONE MONTH AWAY!

ABM is heading to the Beltway on February 11 to deliver a half-day program containing valuable tools and best practices that will help you tackle the challenges of today's business media environment while networking with your industry peers in Washington.

Frank Anton, CEO of Hanley Wood, will be delivering the keynote address on “the media company of the future,” while additional discussion topics will include reinventing the events model, managing expectations and total audience measurement.

BPA Worldwide will follow ABM’s Regional Program with an afternoon session on digital media trends. Both sessions are free for ABM and BPA members.

Stay tuned here for agenda and speaker updates.

 

  

POLL: Suggested Topics for Monthly Digital Webinar Series

This year, ABM's Digital Media Council will be continuing its monthly series of webinars focusing on digital media topics, trends and issues affecting the b-to-b industry.

Past webinars have addressed social media and behavioral targeting (both are now available for on-demand viewing), and we’d like your feedback on prioritizing new topics for upcoming broadcasts.

The DMC sub-committee has identified 12 topics. Please take our brief survey and tell us which you believe should be addressed sooner rather than later by ranking them from 1 (most important) to 12 (least important). Please respond by next Monday, January 18, so we can collect and communicate the results before moving forward.

Click here to begin the survey.

 

  

What Do These ABM Member Companies Have in Common?

PennWell Corporation. Meister Media Worldwide. Vincentz Network.

They’re among the ABM members from around the world who continue to take advantage of an exclusive partnership between ABM and the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) to provide members with important, timely information on the world of face-to-face – all at no cost … Have you requested your free CEIR research yet?

Some of the top-requested reports include:

• The Power of Exhibitions in the 21st Century, which offers a wealth of insight into how new generations of attendees want to connect, learn and network at events;
• Effective Methods for Visitor Promotion, which analyzes the most and least effective tools for attracting visitors and reveals the average spending on pre- and post-exhibition promotion;
• The Spend Decision, which evaluates the behaviors and opinions of marketing executives at mid to large sized organizations that use b-to-b exhibitions in their marketing mix;
• and many more!

Contact Kate Patton with your request(s), and the research will be e-mailed to you directly.

 

  

Events Summit to Focus on Virtual Event Models This March
Register now: Early bird rates end February 12!

Want to learn how to integrate virtual events into your existing b-to-b strategy?

ABM’s 2010 Events Summit, being held March 24 in New York City, is the only place where you can learn how virtual events are being integrated into all segments of the physical event market. With the support of SISO and IAEE, the Events Summit has become a unique, all-industry event, relevant for integrated b-to-b media companies as well as show organizers and managers.

This cost-effective, half-day program will address opportunities for creating a blended event model, with an in-depth focus on:

• Using virtual tools and technologies to extend the reach and impact of your face-to-face events
• The keys to success in virtual event development and execution
• Best practices in attendee recruitment and retention
• Content development
• Blending the virtual and face-to-face event experience

You’ll also have the chance to network with industry leaders who are reshaping the event landscape, hear best practices, and gain valuable experience for executing your own event models.

Register by February 12 and save $50! The early bird rate is just $99 for ABM/IAEE/SISO members and $149 for non-members. Click here for more information or to register.

  

  

Did You Know?

Of the 376 business-to-business marketers recently surveyed by BtoB magazine, almost 40% planned to increase their 2010 spending, despite the current economic conditions.

This is just one of the many significant findings from ABM’s recently-produced sales tool, “The Importance and Value of B2B Advertising During Times of Economic Uncertainty,” which summarizes the wealth of data that has been accumulated over time. The data clearly demonstrates that companies who either steadily continued or aggressively increased their advertising experienced overall growth as well as continual growth past the period of economic uncertainty.

An updated version is now available here, with data for 2010, supplied by BtoB magazine.

                                                                                                                                  

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