As part of their recent Magazine 2004 event, the PPA hosted a subscriptions conference entitled “Looking to the future?” James Evelegh went along to hear the pearls of wisdom. In no particular order, here are fifteen of them.
Should publishers charge readers? Yes – according to Peter Hobday. Moving away from a total reliance on advertising revenues makes for a more stable business model. Lack of forward planning and ignorance of direct marketing techniques prevent many B2
Publishers and would-be publishers wile away the hours trying to find that elusive gap in the market. Two years ago, two journalists on the Eastbourne Herald thought they had found one. The events of the last eighteen months have proved them right. J
If you think that you can delegate all your marketing to your distributor, then think again. Peter Johns argues that you, the publisher, must drive the marketing activity and that the only way to do this successfully is through an intelligent analysi
In the perpetual quest to maximise revenues and cut costs, many publishers are failing to see the opportunities right under their noses – in the mailing house. James Evelegh talks to Terry Turner about the new techniques being used by some forward lo
Magazines are clearly in Mike Mirams’ blood. Having spent twenty years at COMAG, until recently as head of their specialist division, Mike has just been appointed managing director. Here he explains why magazines are special to him, looks at how the
With domestic shelf space becoming harder to find, publishers are increasingly looking to export markets to maintain or grow their total sales. James Evelegh looks at some of the challenges facing exporters.
The resources made available to circulation departments depends heavily on the attitude of the person at the top. If the boss doesn’t buy into it then even the most energetic and innovative circulation manager is going to find it tough going. Here on
When brand value is at a premium, and readership keenly sought, are publishers fully considering the impact of reader offers on their brand when fulfilment is slow or non-existent, and customer service is unable to deliver a resolution? David Thomas
Having been in the industry for over forty years, Drayton Bird has seen at first hand the best, and worst, of subscriptions marketing. In 1982 he wrote Commonsense Direct Marketing, seen by many as THE industry textbook. Here he reviews his life in s
One of the main ingredients of successful retail promotions is information. The better the quality, the better the results. Yet research and measurement are too often conspicuous by their absence in most promotion strategies. Greg Harris draws on his
Over the next six issues of InCirculation, Gary Olive of Qbase Data Services will be exploring some of the key themes underpinning a successful approach to database marketing. In his first article, Gary looks at the essential first steps along the ro
Peter Johns looks at some of the key marketing questions facing specialist consumer publishers; whether to promote, how and when to do it and, crucially, what things to measure.
“What are they up to over in the States?” UK publishers are forever wondering and with good reason. What happens over there one year, tends to get replicated over here the next. Karlene Lukovitz, VP Communications at BPA International brings us up to
The supply chain is changing and the centre of gravity is moving away from the publisher and to the retailer. This seismic shift necessitates a fresh approach from circulation teams. Here Ian Love looks at what magazine publishers need to do to stay
