E-News : August 25, 2009
News of the Week
Top Media Moves
Farm Progress Companies has retooled and launched www.FarmFutures.com to provide users with a more feature-packed and flexible Internet portal.
Ascend Media Holdings announced that is has sold two of its business units: Ascend’s Allied Healthcare Group, which has 11 magazines, including Clinical Lab Products, was sold to the Anthem Media Group. Ascend’s Practice Builders, a medical consultancy, was sold to an undisclosed buyer.
The Magazine Group, a custom media company, announced that it will now officially be know as TMG.
'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.
“ABM’s Annual Conference was highly informative and, in many aspects, a real eye-opener for me. It also provided an excellent opportunity for networking with colleagues from all over the world. Finally, it was simply fun, in a very comfortable setting with very pleasant people.”
- Eberhard Opl, Head of Corporate Development, WEKA Holding GmbH & Co. KG
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Job of the Week
Advertising Sales Director, Crain Communications - Advertising Age
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
Digital Media Council: September 3, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST, ABM Headquarters
Editorial Committee: September 10, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST, ABM Headquarters
ABM Announces New Series of B-to-B Case Studies
Studies reflect diversity of b-to-b media
Want to know how business media/information companies are confronting the challenges of the current environment and producing innovative new products and services to grow their businesses?
ABM has partnered with BtoB magazine to compile a series of case studies from previous BtoB coverage that showcases the strategies b-to-b media companies are utilizing to achieve their objectives.
While the complete series will be available in the Research & Marketing section of ABM’s Web site next week, you can check out the first case study, on Cigna’s new integrated campaign, below:
Objective
Cigna wanted to communicate its new brand positioning as a health service company rather than a traditional insurer to its audience of human resources professionals, C-level executives and individual employees.
Strategy
Working with ad agency Doremus, Cigna launched an integrated campaign that acknowledges the negative perception of the current health care system while ensuring its target audience that Cigna is working hard to make improvements. The campaign includes print advertising, TV spots and a dedicated Web site. Print ads have run in The Wall Street Journal, various trade publications such as Employee Benefit News, HR Executive and HR Magazine, and several consumer magazines. Ads in HR trade magazines target decision-makers by addressing specific pain points of HR professionals while more high-level, emotional messaging runs in the newspaper and consumer-focused magazine ads.
Results
After just a few months, research revealed that, amongst its target audiences, unaided awareness of Cigna’s advertising doubled, and the company saw a total increase in advertising awareness greater than 50%.
* This is a summarized version of BtoB’s December 8, 2008 article, “Integrated Campaign Helps Cigna Reposition Brand.” For the full article, click here.
ABM Executive Forum Kicks Off with Virtual Events Workshop
With a dual focus on real solutions for today and real answers for tomorrow, ABM’s all-new 2009 Executive Forum, coming to New York City’s NYAS this November 3 and 4, will teach you how to exceed the expectations of your customers – both marketers and end-users (readers, viewers, attendees).
On November 3, the conference kicks off with “Events in Transition – The 365-Day Tradeshow,” an interactive workshop on the business of virtual events. Led by John Failla, CEO of Tesoro Events, the session will explore which virtual event applications are most successful at delivering value to your audience, how to extend the reach of your event by leveraging digital tools, and success stories and best practices for launching your own virtual event.
Other panelists include Eric Biener, VP of Business Development & Network Sales at Nielsen Business Media, and Bob Felsenthal, Publisher of BtoB magazine.
The events workshop joins an impressive agenda and line-up of industry powerhouses. Among the speakers already confirmed are Steven Brill, Co-Founder, Journalism Online; Thomas Haas, CMO, Siemens; Michael Lonier, CIO, The Deal; and Michael Mandel, Chief Economist, BusinessWeek. Click here to view the full agenda, and stay tuned to E-news for upcoming speaker announcements.
Register now and take advantage of the special early bird registration rate, ending October 3. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jane O'Connor at j.oconnor@abmmail.com or 212-784-6367.
ABM's 2009 Executive Forum is sponsored by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, CDS Global, Quebecor World, and Readex Research.
New Legislation Could Create Federal Data Breach Law
Legislation has been introduced into Congress that would override the current patchwork of varying state data breach laws with a uniform federal law. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the proposed "Personal Data Privacy and Security Act" last month. The bill is identical to measures introduced in several past sessions.
Among other things, the Leahy bill would replace state data breach notification responsibilities, some of which can be triggered without regard to the materiality of a data loss, with a single national standard under which a company need not notify its customers of a data breach in certain cases where the data loss is judged not to carry a significant risk of harm. The bill would leave enforcement of its provisions solely to state and federal law enforcement; it would not permit citizens to bring private lawsuits based upon data breaches.
Currently all but five states have some data breach notification laws, but because of variations among their terms, it is often difficult for businesses to know when and whether a particular data breach may require notification to customers. Some states have enacted especially burdensome data security requirements, including, for example, Massachusetts regulations that would require encryption of any personal customer information that is stored on laptops or flash drives or that is transmitted over the Internet or wireless connections.
While the Leahy bill would give businesses more certainty about their notification responsibilities, it could also expand that responsibility in certain situations. For example, it would require notice to major media for breaches where more than 5,000 individuals were affected, and it would require notice to the Secret Service in the case of certain kinds of serious data breaches.
While the bill would preempt responsibilities imposed on private parties by existing state laws, it would not apply to state and local governments, which would continue to be responsible for notifying citizens of any data security breaches within their own operations.
ABM members who confront data breach issues are encouraged to consult ABM's Data Breach Guidelines.
Business-to-Business Magazines and Trade Shows Decline in First Half of 2009
Economy continues to negatively impact b-to-b communications platforms
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. Magazine revenue declined 26.5% during the same period, generating a combined trade show and magazine decline of 22.3%.
Down 30.2% in the first half of the year, magazine pages were also impacted by current conditions. “While the economy has had an obvious negative impact on b-to-b magazines and trade shows,” commented Gordon T. Hughes II, president and CEO of ABM, “digital b-to-b media, custom media, and data businesses continue to impact positively.”
In January 2005, ABM augmented its reporting model for magazine advertising sales in industry markets, as relayed through BIN, by examining 21 markets comprised of all business-to-business books tracked by IMS/The Auditor, and PERQ/HCI for healthcare figures. The data, by category, is available here.
The Magazine BIN categories are:
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
CEIR Resources Now Available Free for ABM Members
As one of ABM’s recent initiatives to deliver valuable products and services to members participating in the events space, the Association has partnered with the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) to provide important, timely information on the world of face-to-face … all at no cost to ABM members. CEIR is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the growth, awareness and value of exhibitions and other face-to-face marketing events by producing and delivering research-based knowledge tools.
The following resources are now available from CEIR (Go to www.CEIR.org, Select “Find Research” at the top):
- Effective Methods for Visitor Promotion (Part I: Exhibition Organizers)
- How Digital Marketing Affects Exhibition and Event Performance
- Looking Past the Recession: Exhibition Strategies for the Interim
- The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation
- The Effect of Economic Recessions on Exhibitions
The following studies will be available soon, so stay tuned to E-news.
- Effective Methods for Visitor Promotion (Part II)
- Exhibition Spend in the Corporate Marketing Mix
- Power of Exhibitions in the 21st Century: Identify, Discover, Embrace Change from the Young Generation’s Ideas
For more information, please contact Mark Rothman at 212.681.1106 or m.rothman@abmmail.com.
The ABM Video Network Goes Outside the Cube This Friday Morning
Plus, highlights from the ABM Achievement Awards coming next week
This Friday morning at 9:00 AM EST, ABM’s Wally Koval is back with a new edition of his monthly “Outside the Cube” video series, exploring issues from the vantage point of the next generation of business media managers and leaders – the Millennials. Tune in as Wally explores another hot industry topic from his cubicle.
Then, stay tuned to the ABM Video Network next week for highlights from ABM’s Achievement Awards breakfast, featuring exclusive interviews with Kevin Arsham, Partner/Communications Planning Director at MediaCom, and Glenn Laudenslager, Marketing Director at Reed Exhibitions/chair of ABM’s Media Marketing Committee.
Visit www.AmericanBusinessMedia.com and scroll down through the list of videos beneath the Dragonfly player to watch any of our content on demand.
Remember: Watching the ABM Video Network requires you to update to version 9 of Adobe’s Flash Player. And it’s easy to download: Just click here to access the update.
ABM Confirms Value of Business Media During Challenging Times
Aviation Week provides example of customizing ABM's message for your audience
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 a research presentation summarizing the wealth of data that has been accumulated over time as well as a powerful new ad that features significant findings from recent studies.
ABM member companies around the globe, including Nikkei Business Publications, McGraw-Hill and Reed, are finding the ad especially valuable in promoting the power of business media to their respective audiences. It’s available FREE for use in ABM member publications and Web sites. Contact Kate Patton to receive a copy; you can also request various electronic banner ad formats, including Leaderboard and Skyscraper. An Ag Media version of the ad is available as well.
Feel free to customize the ad with your logo, as McGraw-Hill's Aviation Week & Space Technology has done here, to make it better resonate with your audiences.
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