BtoB Media Business - September 2011 - (Page 6)

COVER STORY terials Handling through its Peerless Media subsidiary. A recent survey from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business supports this approach of budgeting for growth. The CMO Survey, conducted online in August with 249 marketing executives responding, found that marketing budgets are expected to increase 9.1% over the next 12 months. Marketing hires are expected to increase 7.2% in the same time period. “These results show that while executives feel the fear of all the doomsayers operating in financial markets, these same executives are reporting positive performance gains and are spending despite the negative news,” Christine Moorman, director of the survey, said in a statement. “I conclude that these sources closer to company operations, especially in revenue- and demand-generating activities like marketing, are trying to tell us that market reactions over the past month may be grossly exaggerated.” A broad future Reed Business Information’s Variety brand is representative of how b-to-b media operations are investing in a broad future, one that encompasses digital, events and data in addition to print. Neil Stiles, president of the Variety Group, said the brand has committed to providing content via a broad array of devices. That means investing in Variety.com as well as versions of its content for email, smartphones and tablets. “Whenever you buy a subscription to Variety, you can access it whatever way you want it,” Stiles said. Variety also continues to invest in events. “The conference business is a focus of our investment,” Stiles said. “Our conference business is growing at an alarming rate.” He said Variety plans to produce 25 conferences this year. “We did four in 2009,” he said. Additionally, Variety continues to build its paid data business, acquiring research firm TVtracker in June. “It’s a revenue stream with less cyclicality and more insulation from the economic ups and downs,” Stiles said. Ed Fitzelle, managing director of Whitestone Communications, said almost all b-to-b media companies are pursuing a similar strategy of diversifying their income streams. “The successful businesses are the ones that Bullish budgeting Media execs budget for growth despite fears of a new recession BY SEAN CALLAHAN I t’s an enigma, a mystery, a paradox. ¶ The uncertainty caused by the downgrade of the U.S.’ debt, fear about the financial health of the European Union and the up-and-down stock market seems to portend a macroeconomic decline. Yet most b-to-b media executives— with the exception of those in the construction and real estate sectors— see their own markets as healthy and plan to budget accordingly. ued investment in all aspects of his business, including hiring new employees. “Overall, I’d say we’re pretty bullish— in spite of the economy,” said another media executive, Ken Moyes, president of EH Publishing, which publishes Modern Ma- One publishing executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, summed up the mood among b-to-b media leaders. “I’m terrified of a double-dip recession,” he said, but added that he saw no signs of a slowdown in his industry and planned contin- 6 | Media Business | September 2011 | mediabusinessonline.com http://www.Variety.com http://www.mediabusinessonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BtoB Media Business - September 2011

BtoB Media Business - September 2011
Table of Contents
Outsell report bodes well for b-to-b media
Companies plan for growth amid economic uncertainty
Dealmaking picks up, raising hopes of a comeback
Sales & Marketing
Events
Audience Development
Production
People
Benchmarks
How SourceMedia transformed its operations

BtoB Media Business - September 2011