E-News : January 11, 2011
Top Media Moves
R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that it has acquired 8touches, an online provider of easy-to-use tools that allow real estate sales associates, brokers, Multiple Listing Service (MLS) associations and other marketers to create customized communications materials such as direct mail, flyers and brochures.
Ziff Davis announced the introduction of Ziff Davis BuyerBase, an ad-targeting platform that can analyze real-time, anonymous data from more than 40 million potential tech buyers every month.
Farm Journal Media announced the release of a new set of tables detailing characteristics of the single and stacked traits in corn, soybeans and cotton.
ALM announced that Scott Pierce will be the new vice president/group publisher for the ALM Magazines Division.
Job of the Week
Director, Digital Ad Sales, Tesoro Business Media
In addition to the “Job of the Week” highlighted in each issue of E-news, ABM has 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
Editorial Committee Meeting
Today, January 11, 3:00 – 5:00 PM ET
ABM Headquarters
Operations/Finance Committee Meeting
Tuesday, January 25, 2:00 – 4:00 PM ET
ABM Headquarters
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B-to-B Magazines Show Growth in October 2010
In October 2010, both b-to-b ad pages and print revenue showed growth; ad pages increased slightly, by 0.6%, versus year ago, while print revenue grew by 1.6%.
Several Business Information Network (BIN) categories showed revenue growth in October, including: Agriculture; Automotive; Aviation, Aerospace & Military; Banking, Financial, Insurance; Business, Advertising & Marketing; Healthcare; and Transportation, Logistics, among others. The October BIN data by category is available here.
Year to date, pages declined by 3.5% and print revenue declined by 2.2%.
ABM’s Business Information Network examines 21 markets comprised of all b-to-b books tracked by IMS/The Auditor, and PERQ/HCI for healthcare figures.
The BIN categories are:
Agriculture
Architecture, Design, Lighting
Automotive
Aviation, Aerospace & Military
Banking, Financial, Insurance
Building, Engineering, Construction
Business, Advertising & Marketing
Computing, Software, Telecom
Electronic Engineering
Government (Local, State, Federal)
Healthcare**
MFG, Processing
Miscellaneous*
Movies, Radio, TV & Video
Pharmaceuticals
Professional Services
Resources, Environment, Utilities
Restaurants, Foodservice, Lodging Gaming
Retail, Services
Science, Research & Development
Transportation, Logistics
Travel, Conventions & Meetings
*Miscellaneous includes Arts, Coin Operated & Vending Machine, Security and Classified pages across all categories.
**Supplied by PERQ/HCI
Mobile Content: When to Take Action
Free webinar NEXT WEDNESDAY
Next Wednesday, January 19, ABM's Digital Media Council will continue its FREE webinar series dedicated to the challenges and opportunities that the mobile landscape poses for b-to-b media companies.
Small screens and portable reader technologies are creating a multi-device content consumption environment for b-to-b publishers and new user engagement opportunities for brands. 2011 budgets are right, so when do you take the leap into developing applications for mobile devices and e-readers? What should you consider in learning from your analytics and shifting with your audience, not ahead of or behind them?
Learn the answers to these questions (and more!) on January 19. Register now for this free event (click here to join the discussion in-person at ABM Headquarters, or here to view the webinar live from your desktop).
ABM’s webinar series is sponsored by CDS Global and ProImage MediaWay.
Surviving in a Digital World
Best practices for attaining needed leadership
Are management teams prepared to operate in an increasingly technology-driven world? Is the right person in place at your company to lead those teams? Through 50 interviews with top-level executives in nine industry sectors across North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, Spencer Stuart consultants honed in on a series of best practices for companies building their organization's digital capabilities. Here are the top four pillars for solving the digital-leadership challenge:
Senior-level buy-in. Investments in digital require the appropriate buy-in and support of the board, CEO and top leadership because of the breadth of technology’s impact on the company. Digital is about more than simply a new approach to marketing campaigns; success ultimately will be measured by the seamless integration of technologies across advertising, direct response marketing, sales, supply chain, public relations, employee communications, and supplier and vendor relationships. And that takes ownership at the very highest levels of the organization. Only executive-level sponsorship will break down organizational silos, secure the appropriate resources for digital initiatives and attract experienced, digitally-adept leaders in key roles, including the CMO, head of media, brand leader, chief digital officer and head of e-commerce.
Executives "get" digital. Senior marketing and business leaders have to know enough about digital to appreciate which platforms the company should consider investing in based on the brand and customer base as well as what the organization can support. They should understand how their customers are using technology to get information about products and services and how their use of tools such as mobile and social media influences buying decisions. Leaders across the organization, then, need to be convincingly up-to-date on digital technologies, using them broadly to gain an intuitive understanding of their potential. Learn to text. Get on Facebook. Buy a smartphone. Be inquisitive about emerging technology and e-commerce platforms such as Groupon. Watch and learn from digital leaders such as Google to understand emerging trends. In order to drive innovation, business leaders with digital responsibilities must recognize they don't necessarily have all the answers, but can create an environment that allows different points of view to come to the table.
Companies that thrive in a tech-driven world have cultures that promote innovation and collaboration. Leaders in digital roles, which could include the CMO, the e-commerce head, the brand manager or others, need individuals within their organizations who can advance digital objectives, given the pace, values, intensity, structure, decision-making process and role of digital in the company's business. Occasionally, it will be necessary to jolt an entrenched culture.
Consistently win and keep top talent. The simple reality is that the best digital talent is still in short supply and much more transferable than other functions. Only those companies with a clear digital strategy, overt C-level strategic leadership, a culture that values experimentation and creativity, and a reporting structure that empowers leaders with digital skills will get the best. But attraction is only half the battle in today's digital talent market; retaining top performers is equally important. During boom times, organizations are at risk of losing a significant portion of their digital talent. The good news is that organizations that do a strong job of attracting talent are more likely to be effective in retaining talent. Successfully recruiting experienced digital leaders requires a concerted, focused and well-informed approach. Carefully define the requirements of the role, based on the organizational strategy as well as the business' technical and cultural needs.
ABM Healthcare Council Presentation Validates the Impact of Integrated Media
Marshall Paul of Communications Media, Inc. recently revealed to ABM’s Healthcare Council fascinating research based on a Web survey conducted in June 2010 amongst 200 physicians that evaluated response to four branded ad campaigns. The research provided support for the hypothesis that:
- Medical journal advertising leverages sales force detailing at a fraction of the cost
- Online promotion (Web ads and brand websites) leverages detailing and journal ads at a fraction of their respective costs
- All are necessary to maximize promotional ROI
The survey demonstrated the following message retention by channel percentages, indicating that the added layer of exposure to the brand was more beneficial for recall purposes:
- 27% of respondents recalled brand message with no additional promotion
- 46% of respondents recalled messages with sales force detailing
- 73% of respondents recalled with detailing, journal advertising and online exposure
Communications Media, Inc. has used this approach to measure more than 7,900 campaigns and has documented that, 75% of the time, journal advertising leverages detailing at a fraction of detailing’s cost, thereby improving ROI.
This particular study documents, for the first time, that the addition of a combination of Web ads and brand websites to the marketing mix leverages the traditional combination of detailing and journal advertising at a fraction of their total cost.
Overall, the study indicated to pharmaceutical companies that as they reduce their sales forces, they should consider increasing both online and off-line support promotion to offset the decline in sales call frequency.
2011 Industry Outlook
What's in store for 2011? In the media industry, the key phrases for this year will be innovation, experimentation and growth. To get a better sense of what's on the horizon for digital media, the latest ABM Vital Guide surveyed a half-dozen media executives to offer their perspectives on the 2011 publishing industry. Their consensus? It’s a brave new world out there.
In partnership with 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 audience development, content aggregation, database marketing, online event models, e-newsletters and subscription management. Click here to subscribe now!
Tablet Sales to Double in 2011
Apple’s iPad takes center stage
The enthusiasm for digital tablets is well-founded, according to a new projection of tablet sales by Forrester, but the scramble for market share among Apple’s iPad competitors may be for naught. Analyst Sarah Rotman Epps says that even Forrester’s early rosy forecast for tablet sales was too conservative.
Epps estimates that 10.3 million units were sold in 2010 and that number will more than double to 24.1 million this year. “Of those sales, the lion’s share will be iPads,” she stated in a blog post. “Despite many would-be competitors that will be released at CES, we see Apple commanding the vast majority of the tablet market through 2012.”
For publishers targeting this platform, the more important figure may be the total installed base of tablets in the U.S. market, which Epps sees climbing a strong curve to 50 million in 2012 and 82 million by 2015.
New tablet owners and upgraders will buy units at a rate of close to 40 million a year, the company estimates. In addition, about a third of U.S. adults will be using a tablet in the next five years, Forrester is projecting. If they are right, then a tablet presence of some kind will be expected of any serious media brand poised for growth.
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