E-News : July 8, 2008
News of the Week
ABM Mourns Clay Felker
It is with great sadness that American Business Media notes the recent passing of Clay S. Felker, magazine pioneer and past chair of the Association’s Neal board of judges. He passed away on July 1 at the age of 82.
As founding editor of New York, Felker undoubtedly revolutionized American journalism, and was widely credited with inventing the formula for the modern magazine, says The New York Times. He also published, edited and wrote for dozens of major publications, including Life, Time, Esquire, the Village Voice, Adweek, Daily News Today and U.S. News and World Report. In 1995, the University of California at Berkeley named its magazine journalism program after Felker.
Felker brought his innovative vision to ABM in 1996, when he chaired the Neal Awards board of judges. Under his leadership, 1996 marked the first annual Grand Neal Award and also introduced a digital category for the editorial use of new media. Felker also served as a Neal judge in 1997.
The entire staff of American Business Media joins the members of the magazine industry in mourning his passing.
Editorial Correction
Please note that the ABM/SISO 2007 Compensation Survey was prepared by Bay Sherman & Craig, LLP/Media Consulting Group, spelt incorrectly in the July 2008 issue of ABM’s Face-to-Face Report.
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ABM Resources
ABM/SISO 2007 Compensation Survey
American Business Media (ABM) and the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) have once again joined forces to conduct a compensation study for the events industry. The survey was prepared by Bay Sherman & Craig, LLP/Media Consulting Group, a firm that provides financial and operational consulting and accounting services to the publishing and trade show industries. It includes data from 25 organizations with 554 shows that have combined revenues of $1.348 billion and more than 4,100 full-time employees.
Utilize this study in planning and evaluating your compensation and benefit structure. Contact Tanisha Dudley at 212.661.6360 or t.dudley@abmmail.com to purchase a copy.
CEBA Central
Celebrate the Best in Business-to-Business Advertising and Win $25,000
Submit your best business media creative by July 18 and you may take home the $25,000 grand prize
Publishers! Ad agencies! Advertisers! Don’t miss the opportunity to honor the best and brightest in business media advertising in your magazines, on your Web sites and at your events by entering them in American Business Media’s 2008 Creative Excellence in Business Advertising (CEBA) Awards, celebrating the best and brightest in business media advertising.
Access the online Call for Entries here, and enter your most creative work by next Friday, July 18, 2008.
Recognizing outstanding business advertising achievements in publications, digital media and face-to-face events, the CEBAs are business media’s most coveted creative award, offering a $25,000 grand prize, drawing thousands of entries and enhancing relationships among advertisers, agencies and publishers.
Advertisers are encouraged to celebrate the strength of their brand (past winners include GE, IBM and 3M Dental); agencies will be recognized for their excellence in creative business advertising (past winners include BBDO, Ogilvy One and Carmichael Lynch); and publishers will showcase their advertisers (past winners include Nielsen Business Media, Reed Business Information and Crain Communications).
Winners will be announced during the 2008 CEBA Award ceremony on Wednesday, October 1, at the Allen Room in Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street in New York City. And as the CEBAs would not be possible without the member companies who nominate outstanding examples of business advertising, ABM will present its special Publisher’s Award to those member publishers whose nominations garner CEBA Awards for ads that ran in publications, at in-person events or on Web sites.
Find out more about the grand history of the CEBA Awards and the 2008 judges at www.CEBA-Awards.com, and be sure to download a copy of the 2008 CEBA Call for Entries while you're there. The $25,000 grand prize is going to someone … Why shouldn't it be you?
Ad Campaign Update
Second Generation of 'Devoured by the Influential' Campaign Hits a Homerun for B-to-B
A new tracking study conducted by Lieberman Research demonstrates that American Business Media’s new ad campaign on behalf of the b-to-b industry is a winner.
Among those who recall the campaign:
- 70% have either taken action or plan to take action to learn about the Forrester Research study;
- 81% feel much/somewhat more favorable about using business media; and
- 62% believe that b-to-b media is a valuable element of a successful marketing program.
This tracking research is consistent with the significant number of visits and downloads of ABM’s recently-conducted Forrester consulting study since the campaign began in October 2007. Since that time, there have been 45,000 visits to the research and more than 10,000 downloads.
Click here if you have not yet seen the powerful Forrester Research study.
Click here to view and download ABM’s ad campaign.
ABM Event Report
Custom Media Breakfast One Week Away!
Recent research by Junta42 and BtoB magazine confirms that business marketers are spending approximately 30% of their total marketing budgets for 2008 on the creation and execution of custom content, while Forrester Research says 90% of all business purchasing decisions begin on the Web. All this means that content MUST be the center of b-to-b marketing strategies.
So how are marketing professionals adjusting to this new reality? And how should publishers adapt to capitalize on these new revenue streams?
Find out next Wednesday, July 16, at the Custom Media Breakfast: B-to-B Leaders in Content in New York City, presented by ABM and Junta42, where you'll hear from b-to-b marketers currently utilizing custom media to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones between brands and customers, thereby growing their revenues and profits. Click here to register or for more event information.
Featured speakers include:
- Paul Dunay, Global Director, Integrated Marketing, BearingPoint Inc.
- Lynne Esparo, Senior Director, Corporate Marketing, Nuance Communications
- Cat Moriarty, Program Manager, Corporate Advertising, USPS
- Martha Peterson, Managing Partner, Global Solutions, Mediaedge:CIA
- Joe Pulizzi, Founder/Chief Content Officer, Junta42 (Moderator)
Don't miss out on this limited-attendance breakfast event, where you'll hear how some of the best-known brand leaders in b-to-b are creating, executing and measuring their own custom media strategies and how you can use them in your own markets. Click here to register or for more event information.
The Custom Media Breakfast is sponsored by FAST and Fry Communications.
United Business Media CEO Shares Global Expertise During ABM/FIPP B-to-B World Conference
Join American Business Media (ABM) and the International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP) from September 7-9, 2008 when a melting pot of industry leaders gather in New York City to learn and discuss the latest b-to-b media applications. Exchange ideas with global business media executives to significantly increase your revenue and profits when the ABM/FIPP B-to-B World Conference comes to The Roosevelt Hotel this fall. Attendees will include approximately 500 worldwide business media leaders, of which a large number will be from (but not limited to) Europe, Asia, the Pacific Rim, South America and Africa.
On September 9, opening speaker David Levin, CEO of United Business Media, plc, will discuss how he has successfully extended his brand on a global scale.
United Business Media, plc (UBM) is an international media and business information company whose businesses inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully.
Prior to joining UBM, David was CEO of Symbian, the leading provider of smartphone operating systems. He joined Symbian after serving as COO of Psion, Symbian’s original parent company. There, David led the acquisition of the industrial computing group Teklogix and managed Psion’s exit from the consumer handheld business. Previously, he held senior management positions at the international business publisher Euromoney Institutional Investor, including COO and finance director. David also worked for the venture capital firm Apax Partners. He began his career with consulting firm Bain and Company, working in locations around the globe, including West Africa, North Asia, Southeast Asia and the U.S.
David is a member of the World Economic Forum as well as the Oxford University Press. Previous speaking engagements include the International Business Magazine and Business Media Conference; Davos Summit; The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI) Business Information Executive Forum; and the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) CEO Summit.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to build your brand on a global scale, boost your revenue and conduct business with industry professionals from around the globe – all without the travel expense! Click here to reserve your room, or click here for more event information. Need visa information? Click here.
When Gas Prices Hit Hard, Trade Shows Need to Hit Back Harder
InXpo CEO weighs in
Soaring gas prices, airfare and hotel rates ... The economy is definitely taking a hit right now, and trade shows may not be exempt from the economic battle. However, this is a time for innovation, not retreat. After all, it's when the going gets tough that the tough get creative. Now more than ever, companies need to be not only creative and innovative, but combative in their efforts to preserve the face-to-face experience.
Trade shows have already proven necessary and profitable; this hasn't changed. CEIR and VSS research indicates trade shows are an $11 billion industry and one of the higher revenue generators for b-to-b companies. In addition to this lucrative revenue stream though, the face-to-face experience can't be replaced. Literally.
That said, Michael Lotzof, CEO of virtual event producer InXpo, shares some insight on the value of virtual trade shows. "From our perspective, virtual events are growing both in numbers and in attendance," he says. "In 2007, both the number of events and attendance grew by over 300% compared to 2006, just for our company. Based on the first half of 2008, we're continuing to see similar growth for this year as well."
Lotzof adds, "What we're also seeing today is that virtual events are now being considered and used for new events, for events that have to run multiple times in a single year, for smaller, more targeted events and for events that have to get off the ground quickly and cost-effectively."
Amidst soaring gas prices, perhaps it's time for your company to conduct a "value assessment." A healthy perspective on this matter is that the trade show industry isn't necessarily "in danger" but rather it's undergoing a value assessment. For the same dollars that have been and currently are being spent, there must be added value for the buyer.
In maximizing value, creative and innovative integration across multiple platforms is paramount. Lotzof suggests, "the biggest innovation that's helping achieve the face-to-face experience is video. Video does in fact bring participants face-to-face with each other - maybe not in-person, but you'd be amazed at the impact this connection has. After speaking with someone during a virtual event this week using video chat, I forgot after only five minutes that I was not physically in the same room, and our conversation lasted over an hour. This technology is here today. Our latest virtual events now include the capability to deliver 1-on-1 video chats, video conferencing and video webcasts."
Trade shows may be hit hard during this time of economic uncertainty, but marketers and events professionals definitely have the power to hit back with carefully-planned and executed creative innovation.
Resources and white papers to help in your research and planning are available 24/7 at www.AmericanBusinessMedia.com. They include ABM's Forrester Research break-out presentation "The Power of Industry-Specific Events" and "The Importance and Value of B2B Advertising During Times of Economic Uncertainty."
Government Affairs
Shield Law Update: Obstacles in the Senate
The Reporter Shield Law, S. 2035 or The Free Flow of Information Act, continues to languish in the Senate and is still without a firm timeframe for consideration. Work continues on the definition of a journalist and much debate has occurred over how such language should be structured. The debate has centered on the developing digital age and how the evolution of blogging has changed the journalistic landscape, especially as it relates to exactly who should be considered a journalist and, as a result, receive protection under the law.
Regardless, work on the journalist definition is not the primary obstacle to Senate floor time. Many priority pieces of legislation have yet to be passed in the Senate and, with the July 4th recess followed by a short July schedule before the month-long August recess, the Reporter Shield Law faces an uncertain future with a crush of other legislation jockeying for passage. The Senate Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), remains committed to the legislation and the Shield Law Coalition, of which American Business Media is an active member, continues to advocate for the bill.
Along with efforts in Washington, the Shield Law Coalition has also been working on a letter from the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) advocating for passage of the legislation. Currently, 37 state attorneys general have signed the letter, making it an official communication from the NAAG. With at least two other attorneys general sending individual letters and the possibility of additional signers, it is clear that this legislation has wide support in that community.
Marketing & Media Buying
The Importance of Advertising During Times of Economic Uncertainty... It's a Fact
Even in a down economy, more than 95% of executives maintain a high interest in learning about and investing in new products and services.*
That’s just one of many significant findings from American Business Media’s recently-produced PowerPoint presentation, “The Importance and Value of B2B Advertising During Times of Economic Uncertainty.”
ABM recognizes that some marketers are concerned about investing in advertising during this current period of economic uncertainty. To address these concerns, this presentation summarizes the wealth of data that has been accumulated over time, clearly demonstrating that companies who either steadily continued or aggressively increased their advertising experienced overall growth as well as continual growth past the period of economic uncertainty.
Want to learn more about clarifying your sales strategy in the face of today’s challenging economic climate? Hear from a panel of leading industry marketing and advertising executives during ABM’s “B-to-B Meets Advertising in an Economic Downturn” event on August 6. Click here for more information and to register.
* 2001 Yankelovich Harris Study
What Do These Six Companies Have in Common?
Elsevier. CNN. booz & co. FedEx. Nielsen. Kraft.
These companies, and more than 5,000 others, are learning more about the power and value of business media through the recently-conducted Forrester consulting study, commissioned by American Business Media.
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. It’s one of the most comprehensive studies ever done in the business media space, and industry professionals are finding it an invaluable tool for analyzing the trends and impact of b-to-b media on both end users/decision-makers and marketers.
Take advantage of our webinar tutorial and learn how to best utilize the study’s findings, especially valuable during this time of economic uncertainty. Also be sure to check out the six different versions of the study already available on our Research & Marketing page to best fit your specific needs. Act now and access this important industry research, or contact Richard Bertin at r.bertin@abmmail.com for more information.
eMedia Update
Integrated Marketing Expert Explores the Power of Custom Media
This Wednesday morning, Paul Dunay, global director of integrated marketing for BearingPoint (formerly known as KPMG), sits down for an interview with the ABM Video Network. Paul brings a wealth of experience from leading technology companies like Google, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and Cisco; for more than 20 years, he’s helped these organizations develop effective marketing campaigns, and in his present position, he helps BearingPoint to connect with a global audience.
So take some time to tune in and hear Paul’s take on integrated marketing challenges for b-to-b marketers, developing custom content strategies and much more. Also check out his blog, Buzzmarketingfortechnology, and see what he’s saying about reputation management and how new media platforms are impacting b-to-b brands online.
With more and more of the marketing budget going to the creation of customized targeted content, b-to-b marketers are charged with developing effective strategies for custom media and measuring their effectiveness. If you’re interested in learning more, you can hear Paul discuss custom content solutions (and more) first-hand, alongside a panel of experts moderated by Junta42 founder Joe Pulizzi. They’ll be exploring the power of custom media next Wednesday, July 16, at the Custom Media Breakfast: B-to-B Leaders in Content in New York City, presented by ABM and Junta42. Just click the link for more information or to register online.
Visit www.AmericanBusinessMedia.com anytime, or just click on “Paul Dunay” in the list of videos beneath the Dragonfly player on ABM’s homepage, to watch our content when and how YOU want!
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 and download it to your computer!
Top Media Moves
Hearst Business Media and IDG have partnered in the acquisition of ee365.cn, a news and technology Web site targeting Chinese engineers.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released the Revised Ad Unit and Rich Media Creative Guidelines. By providing the industry with a common minimum set of creative specifications, these revised guidelines help simplify the online ad buying process, according to the IAB.
Online video network Tremor Media has opened a sales office in Toronto to lead its expansion into the Canadian market. It also opened new sales outposts in Detroit and Atlanta.
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has signed a multi-year contract with Freeman to act as official services contractor.
CBS Interactive has announced several organizational moves, including the formation of five distinct vertical audience-centric groups, as part of an overall integration effort following the company’s just-completed acquisition of CNET.
Butch Melton has joined Freeman’s national sales group as national sales manager of exposition services, as announced by Bob Lozier, senior executive VP. Most recently, Melton was in a senior sales role with GES Exposition Services in Atlanta.
Event Calendar
Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Invitational
August 11, 2008, Hartsdale, NY
This annual golf and tennis tournament fundraiser benefits the Business Press Educational Foundation (BPEF), which actively promotes the business media industry among college students nationwide. The invitational draws more than 100 media executives who compete for fun and to support the BPEF’s scholarship and internship programs. Sponsorship opportunities are still available; Contact Jane O’Connor for details.
Click here for more information …
Member Event of the Week
Nstein Webinar: "Italian: Food, Nationality, or Language?"
July 16, 2008, Your Desktop
Click here to find out more.
To see your event featured here, please contact us at info@abmmail.com.
Job of the Week
Sales Representative, Putman Media
Blog of the Week
Meet the Millennials: We Come in (Digital) Peace
Committee Watch
The following is a list of upcoming ABM Committee and Council meetings. All meetings are at ABM's New York offices, and time listed is EST, unless otherwise noted.
Digital Media Council
Thursday, July 10, 2008, 11:00 AM EST
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