E-News : July 27, 2010
It’s Not Too Late to Join Us Tomorrow for Custom Media Day 2010!
Cost-effective program offers research, case studies, tactics for immediate growth
Join ABM, Junta42 and the Custom Content Council tomorrow, July 28, in New York City for Custom Media Day 2010, a full-day program featuring interactive sessions on:
- New media opportunities for custom publishers
- Online engagement tactics
- Web content strategy
The event will also feature a keynote address from Jim Hopkinson of Wired.com. Other speakers include Ian Alexander, VP of Content, Eat Media; Dan Blank, Founder, We Grow Media; and Jeannine Rossignol, VP of Marketing Programs, Xerox Global Services.
This unique workshop will offer tangible solutions that you can implement immediately to expand your custom media business. Click here for more information or to register.
Custom Media Day 2010 is sponsored by Nxtbook Media and Zinio.
Top Media Moves
Canon Communications LLC announced it is in the process of redesigning NutritionalOutlook.com, the leading online resource for manufacturers of dietary supplements and healthy foods. The site redesign, featuring new content, qualified supplier search, community-building tools, and nutraceutical industry resources, will launch this fall.
Crain Communications Inc.’s Pensions & Investments debuted the P&I Research Center at www.pionline.com/researchcenter.
The Direct Marketing Association has named former direct advertising agency executive Larry Kimmel as its new CEO. He will succeed Robert “Bob” Allen, who served as interim president/CEO since February.
Committee Watch
Healthcare Council
Tomorrow, July 28, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
ABM Headquarters
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Job of the Week
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!
ABM Calls for Dismissal of USPS Request for Rate Increase
ABM, along with its many partners in the Affordable Mail Alliance, yesterday filed a preemptive salvo at the Postal Service's request for approval of an "exigent" increase in postal rates to be effective January 2.
Although the case before the Postal Regulatory Commission is in its early stages, with a decision expected by October 4, the Alliance submitted a 72-page Motion to Dismiss the Postal Service's request, contending that the USPS has not satisfied the 2006 postal reform law's provisions governing rate increases above the CPI. "The law permits exigent rate increases only in 'unusual or extraordinary circumstances,'" explained ABM President and CEO Clark Pettit, "yet the Postal Service has known for years that it would suffer the type of volume losses that it now claims justify the increase."
In addition, the law provides that exigent increases may be implemented only when necessary to permit the continuation of postal services under "honest, efficient and economical management." The Alliance motion shows that the Postal Service has lagged far behind its competitors, UPS and FedEx, and American industry in general in responding to the economic downturn and that it has permitted both the size and compensation levels of its workforce to exceed efficient levels. While commending postal management for recent cost reductions, the motion asserts that these cost-cutting initiatives "represent progress only by comparison with the Postal Service's own past record" and that without far more effective cost control, the Postal Service "will lurch from one financial crisis to another."
The motion asks the Postal Regulatory Commission to reject the Postal Service's rate increase request while, at the same time, suggesting that Congress should correct the Postal Service's overpayment of pension costs to the U.S. Treasury, a step that would make the proposed 8% increase for Periodicals and the other increases, averaging about 5%, unnecessary. According to Pettit, "Virtually all businesses, and ABM members in particular, are making difficult decisions to reduce costs due to the Internet's impact on business models, and the economic downturn; the USPS needs to do the same rather than increase rates well above inflation. Although the case's outcome is uncertain, as this is the first time the exigent rate increase provision has been invoked, ABM is confident in its position and hopes that the legal process allows for sincere consideration of the proposed increase's negative effect on our members."
Stay tuned to E-news for updates on this important issue.
Opportunity: Social Media, Mobile Spend Increasing
With digital media predicted to comprise one-third of ad spend by 2014, members that are incorporating social media and mobile platforms into their operations will be poised to leverage this opportunity.
Mobile advertising is growing faster than the Internet, according to PaidContent.org. Citing ZenithOptimedia's revised ad spend forecast, PaidContent reported that “mobile ad spend will grow by an average of 43.2 percent a year between 2009 and 2012.” Likewise, social media ad spend is predicted to increase more than 30 percent each year for that forecast period.
So what should you be thinking about? For one, how your staff can effectively stay on top of various social media platforms. “Although 70 percent of consumers want to interact with businesses using social media, less than one-third of companies have the strategies, policies, and processes in place to meet this demand,” reported InformationWeek.com. Look for tools like Siemens Enterprise Communications' customizable OpenScape Fusion Social Media Integration technologies in order to help fold social media seamlessly into operations.
In the mobile space, Computerworld reported that smartphones are predicted to replace laptops in the workplace over the next two years, so both mobi and application development is likely to become increasingly important to members. Shift some serious focus into your I.T. department to ensure that your brand is prepared for fast-paced technological evolution.
New Proposed Privacy Legislation Introduced
The winding road to federal privacy legislation took an unexpected turn last week, as Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) introduced his own proposal for omnibus federal privacy legislation. HR 5777, the Best Practices Act, is similar to the legislation Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) has been working on, but is a completely separate bill.
While Boucher's bill has been anticipated for more than a year, was released in draft form in May, and has been subjected to comments and suggestions from all sides, Rush has taken a much different approach. He released the bill last Monday, neither solicited nor entertained comments, and scheduled an initial hearing for Thursday, at a time when many interested parties would still be studying the bill and examining its differences with the better-understood Boucher proposal.
ABM's lobbyists and consultants are currently reviewing the Rush bill, and will provide full reports to the ABM membership as soon as possible. At first glance, Rush's bill appears to have been based on the Boucher bill, but modified to create more stringent privacy protections, as favored by some consumer groups.
Among other things, in comparison to the Boucher bill, the Rush bill appears to:
- Create more barriers to sharing of information with third parties. It even classifies sister companies and business units as third parties to one another if they operate separately and do not appear related to consumers.
- Define more categories of information as "sensitive," including social security numbers and biometric data, thereby limiting their use absent specific opt-in consumer consent.
- Allow private litigation based on violations of the bill's provisions. Boucher's bill would limit enforcement powers primarily to the Federal Trade Commission.
- Delegate many issues to the FTC, including regulations on information accuracy and security, and approval of industry self-regulatory programs.
Although Rush's bill was the first to be filed, the introduction of Boucher's bill is still expected either this week or after the August recess and will still play an important role, especially since it has received the benefit of significant review and comments by both industry and public interest lobbyists. Also, the fact that Thursday's hearing examined both bills indicates that there may be less of a turf battle brewing between Rep. Boucher and Rep. Rush than first thought. Rush and Boucher are both Chairman of House Energy & Commerce subcommittees that share jurisdiction on this issue - the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, respectively.
ABM's lobbyist Tom Carpenter of Wexler & Walker and counsel Mark Sableman of Thompson Coburn LLP will continue to keep ABM members informed regarding legislative activity on both of these privacy bills as updates are warranted, so stay tuned to E-news.
This Week on the ABM Video Network:
The ABM/ANA/Booz & Co. ‘B-to-B Marketing Leadership Study’
ABM previously announced that it had joined forces with the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) and Booz & Company to conduct a major b-to-b research study, whose objective is to determine what sets marketing leaders apart across industry sectors, based on their marketing objectives, their spend priorities, and the focus of their capability-building efforts.
The “B-to-B Marketing Leadership Study” will address key gaps that marketers must address in order to enhance performance; evaluate the role of integrated marketing campaigns as part of a broader marketing mix; and identify roles that b-to-b media companies can play to support marketers’ efforts.
Results of the study will be presented on Tuesday, August 17, at 2:00 PM EDT, both in-person at ABM Headquarters and streamed live online. In the meantime, visit the ABM Video Network at www.AmericanBusinessMedia.com to check out an overview of the study from Bill Pollak, Bob Liodice and Matt Egol.
Social Media Resources for Event Professionals
Blerts, Twubs, Twitterface – having trouble keeping up with all of the latest digital tools? Check out Engage365, an online knowledge community for events professionals to network and share social media strategies.
With articles like, “25 Ways to Use Social Media for Your Next Event” and “How to Use Foursquare for a Conference,” users can find information to help them increase attendance and engage attendees, market events, and identify thought leaders using social media without feeling self-conscious about not being in the know.
Here are four social media resources for events we learned about from Engage365:
1) Pathable is a social network community for conferences. Use it to help your attendees connect and stay connected post-event.
2) Tweetchat connects users via hashtags. Use it to monitor tweets from attendees using your event's hashtag.
3) UStream allows users to record and broadcast videos. Use it to post videos of speakers, panel discussions, and roundtables.
4) Double Dutch lets users create a branded location-based check-in application for iPhones. Use it to draw attendees to various events and exhibits.
Tee Time for Charity – Just Two Weeks Away!
Finally, a guilt-free day out of the office! Join ABM member executives on Tuesday, August 10, for an afternoon of golf, tennis and networking in support of the future of business media at ABM’s 2010 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Invitational.
This annual golf and tennis tournament, now being held at the Scarsdale Golf Club (just 30 minutes from Manhattan!), benefits the Business Press Educational Foundation (BPEF), which places college students in internships within ABM member companies, many of whom move on to full-time positions.
Whether you’re an avid golfer, looking to network with your colleagues and ABM’s new president/CEO Clark Pettit, or just want an afternoon out of the office, join us to support the future of our industry. Click here to register now!
In the meantime, check out highlights from past Invitationals on the ABM Video Network.
The 2010 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Invitational is sponsored by Alvin J. Bart and Sons, Inc. and The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI).
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