BtoB Media Business - December 2007 - (Page 6)

Upfront ABM management meeting looks at ways to keep print relevant BY MATTHEW SCHWARTZ AGENDA DEC. 11 Discussions of how to maintain and grow print were front and center at American Business Media’s Top Management Meeting last month in Chicago. Several panelists during the two-day conference spoke of how, despite the acceleration in all things digital, print remains integral to b-to-b publishers’ brands. “If someone is going to spend an hour with your publication, you better make sure it’s great,” said Peter Goldstone, president of Hanley Wood Business Media, who participated in a panel discussion titled Keeping Magazines Hot. Goldstone added that media products should have a “symbiotic” relationship regardless of the platform. “If you have lousy magazines, you’re not going to get any traction on your Web site, and you’re not going to get anyone to go to your events,” he said. Last year, Goldstone oversaw the debut of Architect, one of the year’s biggest b-to-b print launches and Hanley Wood’s springboard into commercial construction markets. In early 2008 the company plans to introduce Green Products and Technology. Mike Reilly, president-CEO of RandallReilly Publishing, which covers the trucking and construction industries, noted during the same panel that in the past two years RandallReilly Publishing has introduced three print products: Next Truck, Total Landscaping Care and Transportista. Although Reilly said he is budgeting for fewer ads in 2008 because of rising fuel prices, he warned his publishing colleagues against scaling back too much in what is expected to be an economic slowdown next year. “In a down market, you have to steal share,” he said. “You have to knock on a lot of doors and look for opportunity instead of ‘woe is me.’ ” But while Reilly encouraged business publishers to practice what they preach when it comes to “media agnosticism,” increasing digital revenue was clearly top of mind during the meeting, which drew about 300 senior media executives, media bankers and vendors. B-to-b media revenue projections for 2008 reflect the trend. Digital revenue is expected to grow 18% to 22%, while face-to-face revenue is expected to increase 7% to 10%, said Gordon Hughes II, president-CEO of ABM, during his opening remarks. Custom media, which publishers often turn to in greater numbers when the economy starts to soften, is expected to grow 18% to 21%. Magazine revenue is expected to drop 2% to 7%. “We’re looking at a good year, albeit a challenging one,” Hughes said. Several of the work sessions during the meeting focused on how business publishers can capitalize on the growth rates online and in events. time, you’re really lucky. Publishers, project managers and product development executives have to make sure that financial resources are available after a launch. They also need to rely on site analytic tools so that they can see how the audience is using the product—in addition to surveys and forums. It’s not about “perpetual beta,” which implies technical defects. It’s about putting out a good product, and having a chance to make it more usable and squeezing the most out of the site and, ultimately, the investment you’ve made. I still sense from [the recent] ABM Top Management Meeting that too many business publishers are clinging to print and hoping it will not decline. What they need to be looking at is the next source of revenue and not blindly investing in a print product that’s done well in the past. Integrating Mobile Into Your Media Mix Magazine Publishers of America 810 Seventh Avenue New York www.magazine.org JAN. 23 Women in B-to-B Media: Real Stories, Real Successes American Business Media Scandinavia House New York www.americanbusinessmedia.com FEB. 21-23 Online Marketing Summit Sponsored by several groups Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina San Diego www.onlinemarketingsummit.com MARCH 4-5 Digital Velocity: Real Experts, Real Applications, Real Time American Business Media New York Hilton New York www.americanbusinessmedia.com MARCH 11-13 Media Summit New York McGraw-Hill Cos. McGraw-Hill Building New York www.media-summit.com MARCH 13 THE BIG QUESTION Rose Southard IT Director Putman Media Cocktails & Connections— Neal Awards Edition American Business Media Location: TBD New York www.americanbusinessmedia.com Q. How can smaller b-to-b media companies make technology work better for their customers? A. The key is to change the software development cycle so that the project doesn’t end when an [online] product launches. The launch should be the start of a new phase and a time to ask questions: What are your customers doing with the product? What do they like and dislike about it? If need be, you may have to start all over again. If you get it right the first Keep in touch BtoB’s Media Business welcomes responses from readers. ■ Mail letters to BtoB’s Media Business, c/o Letters to the Editor, 360 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60601, or e-mail John Obrecht at jobrecht@crain.com. Include your address and daytime phone number. We reserve the right to edit responses for length and content. 6 | Media Business | December 2007 | mediabusinessonline.com http://www.magazine.org http://www.americanbusinessmedia.com http://www.onlinemarketingsummit.com http://www.americanbusinessmedia.com http://www.media-summit.com http://www.americanbusinessmedia.com http://mediabusinessonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of BtoB Media Business - December 2007

BtoB Media Business - December 2007 Contents Upfront Vertical Outlook Resource Guide Sales & Marketing M&A Events Production Online Circulation People Benchmarks Endnote

BtoB Media Business - December 2007

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