FEATURE
2007 – a mixed bag
Where does the time go? 2007 already drawing to a close. How was it for you? If you’re a US consumer publisher, then, says Karlene Lukovitz, the answer is probably ‘good’ ... and ‘bad’. Roll on 2008!
B2B & Trade Media
B2B publishing has quietly become one of the healthier parts of the industry. The trade press that once lived on display and recruitment advertising now earns more of its money from subscriptions, data, events and membership, and private equity has noticed.
The shift meant giving up some old habits. Controlled circulation made sense in print, but open websites gave away what the magazine kept for qualified readers, and the publishers doing best have taken back control of their audiences through registration and paywalls. The Lawyer moved from an advertising-led business to one where paid content brings in over 40 per cent of revenue.
Don’t delude yourself because the barriers to entry in publishing are now non-existent.
Amanda Barnes B2B media
Specialist knowledge is the defence. AI makes generic information close to worthless, so the value lies in proprietary data, tools readers rely on in their daily work and journalism only a specialist could produce, as Computer Weekly's Post Office investigation showed. Print hasn't vanished either. Some publishers now sell it alongside digital at the same price and let readers choose.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on B2B and trade media, from subscriptions and data products to events, print, consolidation and specialist journalism, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
Essential Resources
Best Practice in Publishing
B2B media
We asked Amanda Barnes, chief executive of Faversham House, what does best practice publishing look like in B2B media? This is what she said…
FEATURE
Riches in niches
Rory Brown has enjoyed great success in business media. Having last year sold AgriBriefing and now following new paths in the B2B space, he takes some time out to tell us what he has learned on his journey so far…
A Celebration of Print
Our print strategy: Mark Allen Group
Print is certainly not dead, says Chairman Mark Allen. However, you need to offer readers choice and be neutral and agnostic about the outcome.
INTERVIEW
From controlled circ to enterprise subs
The Lawyer has been on quite a journey, successfully transitioning from a controlled circulation ad-driven model to a high value enterprise subs one. Andy Baker talks Meg Carter through the key stages and what they’ve learnt along the way.
Digital Horizons
What the ‘Intelligent Age’ means for B2B media
In the first of our new ‘Digital Horizons’ series, Tom Lake, director of product and technology at Infopro Digital, looks at the tech opportunities and challenges facing his company and the wider B2B sector.
COMMENT
Opportunities & Threats: B2B Media
The future of B2B lies in serving your sector in three connected ways: information, intelligence and events.
The Digital Transformation Journey
B2B media
John Barnes, chief digital officer, William Reed Business Media, tells Ciar Byrne about how the B2B media sector is managing the digital transformation journey.
Dickon Ross’s publishing world
The Post Office Scandal – 10 takeaways for B2B journalists
Computer Weekly deserves much credit for its role in investigating the Horizon IT scandal. Dickon Ross looks at what lessons other B2B journalists can take from their work.
MEDIA FUTURES
Gambling on M&A in 2025
The general expectation is that the buying and selling of media brands is going to increase significantly in 2025. A number of companies have been quietly building up their war-chests during a wobbly 2024, reports Jim Bilton.
COLUMN
Keep iterating
If you’re thinking of setting up a membership scheme, be prepared to play the long game because success doesn’t come overnight.
All Articles
FEATURE
South Africa’s Diamond Offering
South Africa has many of the ingredients for a successful export market: widely spoken English, a stable economy and a growing middle class. Scott Goward and Claire Laycock look at the South African magazine market and the opportunities it presents f
FEATURE
Duncan Edwards - interview
The National Magazine Company is one of the highest profile magazine publishers in the UK, publishing as it does a whole host of famous magazine titles. Lucy Aitken met with its chief executive, Duncan Edwards, to hear his views on the challenges and
FEATURE
Getting to the bottom of why subscribers lapse
Ever been at a loss as to what to do with the results of the research on your lapsed subscribers? Anthony Ray has been thinking about the problems surrounding this area and how magazine publishers can improve their processes.
FEATURE
Postal De-Regulation: Value Added Services
While the most obvious savings to be realised through postal de-regulation are in bulk direct mail, there are a host of other postal services where the liberalisation of the postal market is beginning to have an impact. In the last of the series, Ian
FEATURE
Silo strategies?
What is the best way to organise your circulation function? Does it matter if your newsstand and subs teams are in completely separate parts of the building? Kevin McCormick argues that, whatever organisational structure you adopt, it is vital that t
FEATURE
Skip intro - or three types of copy the world will never miss
We agonise over the right words to sell our titles, and it’s time well spent. Other avenues for copywriting are a complete waste of time, says Andy Maslen, who names and shames three of his particular favourites here.
FEATURE
Jan-June 2007 ABCs: a media buyer’s view
With the most recent ABCs being littered with unwelcome minus signs, some commentators have been quick to add magazines to the internet’s long list of media victims. Yet a number of titles posted very positive results and, says Lucy Brunning, it is u
FEATURE
China Read
The Chinese economy continues to grow at a phenomenal rate, as does its all-important middle class. There are plentiful opportunities for international publishers, yet UK companies have been relatively slow out of the blocks. Ian Locks looks at the C
FEATURE
Are Buyer Mandates Replacing Market Dynamics?
US publishers are bracing themselves for yet another showdown with media buyers. Karlene Lukovitz laments MediaVest’s recent announcement, but hopes that it might help bring matters to a head.
FEATURE
FFTs – the promotion process
For the right product, FFTs can be a highly effective subs acquisition tool. Of critical importance are the list, the message and the process implementation. All need to be spot-on. David Nutt looks at how to put together a successful FFT campaign.
FEATURE
Magazine Waste in the UK
In today’s more environmentally aware world, waste is a hot topic. Furthermore, now is not a good time, for any industry, to be producing more waste not less. Unless we clean up our act, says Jim Bilton, it is only a matter of time before government
FEATURE
Life Time Value: looking beyond today
Year 1 is not a terribly profitable time for most subscriptions, and that is why years 2 and beyond are so important. Publishers need to have systems in place to intelligently forecast the profitability of a subscription over its full lifetime. Beatr
FEATURE
Just Ask!
Shop saves are not new, but, crucially, how many shoppers know about them? And if more did, would magazine sales go up? In 2004, COMAG launched the Just Ask! initiative to raise awareness of shop save schemes. The initiative won an ACE award and was
FEATURE
Launch Strategies
Launches are the lifeblood of the industry. Aren’t they? In a crowded media environment, a successful launch is harder to pull off than ever before. David Hepworth looks at recent launch activity and what it tells us about the challenges faced by mag
