E-News : August 4, 2009
News of the Week
ABM Members Celebrate Best in Business Media
Last Wednesday morning, American Business Media members gathered at ABM headquarters for a free breakfast event to recognize the 2009 Achievement Award finalists and winners for their outstanding work in b-to-b circulation, HR and sales promotion.
The 2009 winners are:
Circulation Career Award:
Nick Cavnar, Executive Director, e-Media, Hanley Wood
HR Executive of the Year Award:
Roger Dusing, VP, Human Resources, Ascend Media
Sales Promotion Awards:
Advertising Specialty Institute
The Electronic Marketing Kit
Brand Media Kit – Digital Interactive Format
The Society for Human Resource Management
2008 Media Kit
Brand Media Kit – Print Format
Watt Publishing
Egg Industry
Email Promotion (excluding e-newsletters)
Crain Communications
Pensions & Investments
Exhibitor Sales Kit – Print
Reed Exhibitions
International Vision Expo East 2009
Stand-Alone Brochure
Kevin Arsham, partner and communications planning director at MediaCom, was on hand to present the awards and lead a dynamic roundtable discussion, during which the finalists and winners shared the new online opportunities they are experimenting with and how today’s economic challenges have generated new business models. Because necessity is the mother of invention, they agreed, cost-saving methods have driven innovative, open-minded perspectives and creative new offerings. Arsham provided the buyer’s point of view, encouraging media companies to get more creative with the print platform as he believes it will never disappear.
And in case you missed out … Tune in to the ABM Video Network next week (at www.AmericanBusinessMedia.com) to watch highlights from the ceremony, including insights from Arsham and ABM’s Media Marketing Committee Chair Glenn Laudenslager.
'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!
Looking for a Job?
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!
Top Media Moves
The Audit Bureau of Circulations’ interactive unit, ABCi, released the first e-newsletter audit report for Advertising Age, featuring seven of its e-mail newsletters.
The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI) client Strategic Insight, a research, data and analytics firm serving the investment management industry, has been sold to Asset International, Inc.
The American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) awarded Meister Media Worldwide’s Today’s Garden Center magazine a National Gold Award for its works on the 2008 Revolutionary 100 Roundtable Special Report.
Committee Watch
Agri Media Council: August 3, Fort Worth, TX
ABM Continues to Deliver Important Updates on USPS Financial Crisis
American Business Media has been reporting regularly on the financial crisis facing the United States Postal Service, relief (albeit inadequate) being considered in Congress, and the Postal Service's efforts to eliminate Saturday delivery. Hundreds of viewers tuned in on Friday as ABM President/CEO Gordon Hughes delivered a Presidential Video Flash with updates on the issues above and how they affect the ABM membership. You can check it out here.
Matters took a turn again last Wednesday when a Senate Committee marked up legislation that would go farther than legislation now pending in the House. This latest activity gives us hope that, at last, the 16% loss in mail volume over the past few years, which has led to a projected deficit of $7 billion this year, is beginning to resonate on Capitol Hill with a recognition that something substantial must be done. While the House bill would simply allow the Postal Service to reduce the effective cost of September's statutorily-mandated payment into a retiree health care trust fund by about $2 billion, the Senate bill would reduce the effective payment by more than $3 billion and temporarily increase the annual limit on Postal Service borrowing from $3 billion to $5 billion. It would also require an arbitrator to consider the financial condition of the Postal Service when reaching a decision on craft union wages and benefits, which by itself might be a poison pill that will prevent the unanimous consent that will be necessary to move a bill this year.
Unfortunately, even these changes, if enacted, will not be enough to stem the tide, as postal volumes continue to decline much more rapidly than the Postal Service is able to reduce costs. For this reason, the Postal Service has concluded that it has no choice but to eliminate nearly all Saturday delivery, claiming that its revenue stream will no longer support a six-day delivery network. For years, Congress has enacted legislation requiring six-day delivery, but as we reported early last week, (and the New York Times reported last Thursday), opposition to elimination of Saturday delivery in Congress appears to be waning. And mailers appear to be accepting with reluctance its inevitability.
ABM is not merely reporting on these activities but is actively involved. We have joined and are actively participating (at the executive, policy-making level) in a new coalition of mailers and associations formed to carry the mailers' story to Congress and the administration, as an adjunct to our individual efforts led by Tom Carpenter of Wexler & Walker. Our Washington counsel, David Straus, recently met with high-level postal officials to express ABM members' concerns with the ramifications of a cutback in delivery and, especially, a planned elimination of Saturday mail processing. He reported on this meeting in depth to more than 200 ABM members on his e-mail list.
Last week, Straus attended a full-day meeting of the Periodicals Advisory Group, a working group of Postal Service and Periodicals representatives. Among the topics discussed were a likely reduction in the ride-along rate, a possible change in policy to permit "digital" editions to count toward meeting the Postal Service's "50% paid or request" requirement for Periodicals status, and relaxation of some content rules, that would benefit publishers financially.
ABM recognizes that, even with the changing focus of many ABM members, they nevertheless remain acutely interested in both the cost and quality of postal delivery for their more than 1,600 publications that spend in the neighborhood of $300 million annually on postage. We will continue participate in and to report on these topics in our various communications vehicles, such as E-news, our Inside the Beltway newsletter and occasional video blasts, so stay tuned.
Register Now for the 2009 ABM Executive Forum ... Early Bird Rates End October 3
BusinessWeek economist to deliver keynote address
Registration is now open for the 2009 ABM Executive Forum (formerly known as the Top Management Meeting), coming to New York City’s NYAS on November 3 and 4. Register now and take advantage of the special early bird registration rate, ending October 3.
With a dual focus on real solutions for today and real answers for tomorrow, this all-new program will teach you how to exceed the expectations of your customers – both marketers and end-users (readers, viewers, attendees).
Already confirmed is Michael Mandel, chief economist at BusinessWeek, who will deliver Wednesday’s luncheon keynote address.
Other sessions will include:
- Events in Transition – The 365-Day Tradeshow
- Politics, Policy and Your Pocketbook
- Today’s Marketer: Advertiser? Competitor? Partner?
- Meeting the Challenges of the New Competitors – Leveraging Your Brand, Your Content and Your Bottom Line
- Profiting from the New Revenue/Cost Structure
- The New End-User Market – Monetizing Data
- Beyond the Advertising Budget – Accessing the Marketing Budget
Stay tuned here for more information and upcoming speaker announcements. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jane O'Connor at j.oconnor@abmmail.com or 212-784-6367.
Only Five Seats Remaining for B-to-B Career Development Program Next Thursday!
As one of ABM’s latest initiatives to deliver valuable information and services to its membership that address today’s greatest challenges, the Association’s Publishers and New York Regional Committees have developed a morning of career case studies and conversation next Thursday, August 13, in New York City.
Whether in a job transition or just looking to accelerate one’s career, attendees will benefit from real-life, practical tools and tips from experts who include:
- Jon Chalon, Media Executive (and former VP, Entertainment Technology Division, Penton Media)
- Bill Conneely, Director, Job Market, Strategy & Business Development, mediabistro.com
- Larry Dunn, Publisher, Broadcasting & Cable/Multichannel News
- Harry Somerdyk, Senior Director, Global Media Practice, Spencer Stuart
This program is FREE for all (current and former) ABM members; it’s $25 for non-ABM members.
All attendees must pre-register, and space is limited, so what are you waiting for? Reserve your seat today!
B-to-B Trade Show Revenue Declines in First Half of 2009
Economic conditions cause trade show revenue to decline by 18.6%
According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), business-to-business trade show revenue declined by 18.6% in the first half of 2009 (20.1% decline in Q1; 16.9% decline in Q2).
“We are encouraged by the fact that the decline in the second quarter is not as steep as the decline in the first quarter,” ABM President & CEO Gordon T. Hughes, II commented.
Magazine revenue declined 26.1% in the first quarter of 2009, generating a combined trade show and magazine decline of 22.9%. An updated Business Information Network (BIN) report with second quarter combined figures will be released within a two-week period. For all 2009 BIN reports, click here.
IAA Produces Digital White Papers for Online Advertising Industry
Following its “Digital Download: Behind the Headlines” series earlier this year, the International Advertising Association has developed a series of digital white papers on important issues affecting the international online advertising industry.
Inaugurated in Paris on March 10, the IAA “Digital Download: Behind the Headlines” series was a provocative, invitation-only, thought leadership program examining the state of the online advertising industry around the world. Its goal was to provide unprecedented insights into those topics now influencing the global marketing industry, and to raise awareness around core issues affecting digital advertising – today and tomorrow.
The series continued in Madrid, Mumbai, Sydney and Singapore throughout March. The IAA plans to extend the program in additional cities in Asia and Europe throughout the remainder of 2009.
Participants in the series included advertising industry leaders, experts, policymakers, academics and digital luminaries who shared their perspectives through candid discussion and heated debates. They went behind the headlines to explore important topics such as privacy, competition, the need for transparency, regulatory dilemmas, responsible data collection and storage, security, the future of creativity in online advertising, best practices, pricing models and the ingredients for a healthy marketing/media ecosystem.
The white paper series goes in-depth to examine the key ideas and issues raised at the events. To obtain a copy, please contact Mateja Simic, Manager of Marketing & Communication for the IAA, at mateja.simic@iaaglobal.org.
12th Annual William D. Littleford Awards Call for Entries Now Open
Have you, your company or organization produced an extraordinary corporate community service program within the past year? If so, then submit your work for recognition in American Business Media’s 12th Annual William D. Littleford Awards competition. Click here to access the 2009 Call for Entries … Submissions are due by November 2.
Named after and established by the late William D. Littleford (who was chairman emeritus of BPI Communications, Inc. until his passing in May), the awards recognize companies, organizations or individuals that are actively involved in community service programs geared towards alleviating critical social problems, whose efforts were covered in ABM member news outlets and nominated by editors/publishers of Association members.
Through the course of his storied career, Littleford was intent on helping those in need and worked to recognize and celebrate, through media, those who made extraordinary efforts in their community. He established these awards for several purposes: to raise the visibility of the business media editorial product; to encourage increased coverage and recognition of community service success stories; and to motivate other organizations to apply such solutions in their own communities.
The awards will be presented at the 56th Annual Jesse H. Neal Business Journalism Awards next March in New York City.
Click here for more information and here to view the 2008 Littleford Award winners for inspiration as you prepare your submission.
Tipping Point Labs Wins Top Spot as Junta42's Top Content Marketing Blog
Boston digital content firm takes top spot from nearly 200 marketing blogs
After just two years and 80 bloggers talking about content marketing, now almost 300 regularly cover the concept of content marketing -- how companies can attract and retain customers through educational and entertaining content.
Junta42, the content marketing-vendor matching service, has announced the updated Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs. Reviewed by Junta42's team of custom-content experts, the list includes some of the best-known marketing blogs, as well as up-and-comers that are reshaping and reinvigorating the content marketing conversation.
"2009 has been content marketing's coming out party," said Joe Pulizzi, founder and chief content officer of Junta42, and co-author of the book, "Get Content Get Customers." "Without valuable, relevant content, social media is nearly impossible, which is why we continue to see a blog a day enter the content marketing conversation. This Top 42 list is our most comprehensive by far."
Unlike other top blog lists that focus solely on traffic and popularity, the Junta42 team reviews each blog individually on the basis of the following: 1) Relation to the field of content marketing, 2) Substantive value, 3) Regularity and 4) Google page rank.
The top five blogs include:
- Tipping Point Labs, the digital content firm from Boston
- Copyblogger, from writer and entrepreneur Brian Clark
- Marketing Interactions, from Ardath Albee, B2B Marketing Strategist
- Online Marketing Blog, from Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing
- PR 2.0, from Brian Solis, Principal at FutureWorks
This quarter's Top 10 included two first timers, the Tipping Point Labs blog as well as Brain Traffic, the Minneapolis Web content agency.
The Junta42 Top 42 is available as its own category of content marketing at Alltop.com. The Junta42 list is updated quarterly.
ABM Confirms Power of Business Media with Research, Ads
ABM recognizes that many marketers are concerned about investing in advertising during this current period of economic uncertainty. And while nobody knows for sure in which direction the economy is heading, one important fact is undeniable: Advertising in b-to-b media can significantly benefit businesses, especially during periods of economic uncertainty.
To spread this powerful message, ABM has produced the following, all available free for members:
- "The Importance and Value of B2B Advertising During Times of Economic Uncertainty," a presentation summarizing the wealth of data that has been accumulated over time. An updated version of the presentation is now available with data from a recent BtoB survey and additional insights from the Harvard Business Review, Coopers & Lybrand, and more.
- A powerful new ad which features significant findings from several recent studies, including ones by Yankelovich/Harris and Forrester. Click here or contact Kate Patton to download the FREE ad for use in your publication or on your Web site. (It’s available in various electronic banner ad formats, including Leaderboard and Skyscraper, and you can customize the ad with your logo to make it better resonate with your audiences.)
- An Ag Media version of the above ad. Members including AgriMarketing, High Plains Journal and Meister Media are already taking advantage of this valuable ad to promote the power of Ag media to their audiences. Click here or contact Kate Patton to download the FREE ad for use in your publication or on your Web site.
Did You Know?
B-to-b marketers believe industry-specific Web sites help generate demand; however, they don’t use or sponsor ads on these sites as much as business decision-makers (BDMs) use them. 55% of BDMs surveyed use industry-specific Web sites on the job, while only 39% of b-to-b marketers surveyed said they used or sponsored these sites in the past 12 months.
This is just one of many significant findings from a recently-conducted Forrester consulting study, commissioned by American Business Media. It’s one of the most comprehensive in the business media space, and thousands of industry professionals are already finding it an invaluable tool for analyzing the trends and impact of b-to-b media on both end users/decision-makers and marketers. The study simultaneously examined more than 800 marketers who operate in the business media space and 800 end-users to provide an incredibly accurate and insightful assessment of the current state and value of b-to-b media.
Check out the six different versions of the study available on ABM's Research & Marketing page to best fit your specific needs. Act now and access this important industry research, or contact Wally Koval for more information.
Sign up a colleague for E-news