PRESS RELEASE
B-TO-B AD PAGES DOWN 2.2% IN SEPTEMBER, SPENDING DOWN 1.9%
Year to date, pages are up 0.3% and dollars are up 1.5%
NEW YORK, November 24, 2004—Business-to-business ad pages decreased 2.2% in September compared to the year-ago period, according to the Business Information Network (BIN) report released today by American Business Media. Ad spending for September was down 1.9%. Year-to-date numbers showed ad revenue up 1.5% and pages up 0.3%.
“September was a disappointment, given the strength of the July and August numbers,” said Gordon Hughes, president and CEO of American Business Media. “We are still forecasting that we will end the year with 2% to 4% revenue growth.”
Ad Pages
Three categories showed an increase in ad pages in September compared to the same period last year. Telecommunications showed a healthy 17.4% increase. Drugs & Toiletries rose 3.9% and Home & Building increased 1.3%. Travel showed the biggest decline, sliding 13.8%. Services, Direct Response & Classified was down 12.6%; Manufacturing & Electrical Equipment, Materials & Components down 12.6%; Computers down 11.4%; Software down 7.2%; Finance, Business and Advertising down 1.9%; Retail down 1.5%; and Automotive down 0.2%.
Ad Spending
Three categories posted increases in ad spending for September. Telecommunications led the way with a 20.7% gain. Drugs & Toiletries were up 5.3% and Home and Building up 4.1%. Computers showed the biggest decline with a 12.7% loss. Manufacturing was down 11.2%; Travel down 9.6%; Services, Direct Response & Classified down 7.2%; Software down 6.9%; Finance, Business & Advertising down 2.0%; Automotive down 1.3%; and Retail down 0.4%.
The Business Information Network (BIN), created by American Business Media, tracks b-to-b print ad spending and pages. Founded in 1906, American Business Media is the industry association for b-to-b information providers. Its 230-plus member companies reach an audience of more than 90 million professionals and represent over 3,700 print and online titles.
As previously reported, as of January 2004 the BIN reports are being provided by IMS/The Auditor. IMS monitors advertising in 800 b-to-b publications. In addition, PERQ/HCI—which tracks more than 500 medical publications—provides information for the Drugs & Toiletries category. The Horticulture & Farming numbers are reported separately in 2004, because IMS does not have comparative data from 2003.
Contact:
Gordon Hughes, President & CEO
American Business Media
T 212.661.6360 x3314
info@abmmail.com