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From the Chairman: Innovation is Alive in Magazines!

Jim Meyers
Chairman, Custom Media Committee

15-Sept-08 —I just returned from my local Borders and found that—despite all the doom and gloom I hear and read about in the print publishing industry—creativity and innovation are not dead!

If you haven’t seen it yet, run out right now and buy the 75th anniversary edition of Esquire magazine. The cover art utilizes the world’s first E-Ink cover. Digital comes to print!

Displayed prominently on the front tables of Borders—real estate normally reserved for the latest best-selling books—the magazine cover flashes with innovative digital impressions, much like we’re all used to seeing on websites. It’s sheer genius on the part of Esquire and I’m sure they had no problem getting the whole thing paid for by Ford who got to share the digital technology on the inside front cover in an ad for its new Flex SUV. The cashier at Borders told me the issue is flying off their shelves.

Some will say it’s a gimmick, but I say that this is innovation in publishing at its finest. And we need a lot more of it. Instead of remembering the good old days, let’s focus on how we can bring innovation to the publishing world for the future.

This kind of innovation is, in large part, driving the success of custom media even when traditional publishing is in decline. The willingness to think differently, to understand the needs of marketers and to come up with innovative content solutions is what custom media is all about.

Every day, my firm, Imagination, spends time thinking about what innovative new content strategy we can bring to our clients that will help them achieve their business objectives. That is not only the key to our 14 years of success, but it is critical to protecting our company from the down cycles that will always occur into the future.

Kudos to Esquire for coming up with an exciting, bold and innovative idea when much of the print publishing industry is running for cover.

From the Chairman: B2B Lessons from Gettysburg

Jim Meyers
Chairman, Custom Media Committee

05-Aug-08 —Last week, I attended a three-day leadership experience on the American Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania (one of Imagination’s B2B association clients extended the invitation). I’ve read several books on the battle and have watched the movie “Gettysburg” multiple times, so I jumped at the opportunity to see the Civil War battlefields firsthand. The staff of the U. S. Army War College provided unique insight into the strategies, strengths and limitations of the armies and their leaders.

Sixteen participants studied the three-day battle from both a tactical and strategic viewpoint, with the idea we’d apply lessons learned to our everyday business environments. Was it relevant? Absolutely!

Before the battle of Gettysburg, the South fought a primarily defensive battle, attempting to protect its territory, rarely looking for offensive opportunities. At Gettysburg, General Lee took a huge risk by pressing the attack. Unfortunately, several factors worked against him including the lack of a clear set of objectives, poor communication with his officers, poor competitive intelligence and an opponent who had the “high” ground.

On the other hand, the North, led by General Meade—who’d been in command of the Union army for three days—provided written objectives to every senior officer, held nightly war conferences to review results and strategy, had excellent battlefield intelligence and held the high ground.

Walking the battlefields, I compared the lessons of Gettysburg to my own company and to the current state of the B2B publishing industry. Many publishers today are fighting a defensive battle to protect their territory. They’re fighting to protect existing print publications from the onslaught of digital media competitors while trying desperately to protect advertising revenues from media shifts and budget cuts.

It’s difficult and, yes, very risky to take the offense in business strategy. But every day that goes by is another opportunity lost to change the direction of our individual business wars. A key lesson I took away is that constantly being on the offensive is critical to long-term success because you are constantly keeping your competition on its heels. You’re dictating the action, rather than reacting to it.

But your objectives and plans must be communicated and understood throughout your organization so that each employee can make the tactical decisions necessary to reach that goal. In turbulent times, we need to make sure that every employee is on the same page, understands the shared goal, and has the support they need to be successful.

From The Chairman: Take a Break to Recharge

Jim Meyers
Chairman, Custom Media Committee

18-July-08 —It’s been 14 years since I started Imagination so I treated myself to a four-week vacation—nothing special, just a chance to get away and unwind. If you’re like me, one week just doesn’t do it, as it typically takes three days to begin to unwind and by the fifth day I’m already starting to think about work again.

This time, I returned refreshed and recharged. It was nice to see that things ran smoothly in my absence and that I really didn’t need to be connected to everything happening in the company.

During the time off, I read two books that I’d highly recommend.

The first is Fast Strategy by Yves Doz and Mikko Kosonen. The premise of the book is that it’s no longer enough to formulate a strategy and wait a year or two until the results come in. You must be constantly alert to emerging trends and market shifts, and you must react quickly and effectively. Strategically agile companies know how to transform themselves without losing momentum. Knowing what separates the winners from the losers in the fast strategy game is both insightful and thought-provoking for any content publisher.

My second recommendation is Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams. For anyone concerned about or fascinated by the speed at which digital collaboration and user generated content occurs, this is a must-read. The authors show how smart firms can harness the collective capability and genius of online communities to spur innovation, growth and success. The book will challenge a publisher’s current thinking and assumptions about where content will originate and what it will look like in the 21st century.

I hope that you’ll find the time to read these two books; they were an eye-opening glimpse into the future of publishing.

From the Chairman: Small Business Optimists

Jim Meyers
Chairman, Custom Media Committee

16-May-08 —For the second week in a row, I attended an industry conference where digital strategy and community engagement were key topics of discussion. This week, it was the Warrillow Summit —an annual gathering of B2B companies who are targeting small business owners. This is a market that Imagination knows well, not just because we were once a small business, but because we help several of our clients—including Wells Fargo, Xerox and MasterCard—create custom media for small business customers.

The Warrillow Summit is an invitation-only event which helps insure the attendees are marketing decision-makers at some of the largest companies in America. The conference sessions were lively, informative and on-target while the networking opportunities were plentiful and relevant.

Best of all, the attitude of the attendees was very positive; most of the marketers I talked to are seeing increases in their business with small business customers. How can this be, amid fear and obsession about recession that I’ve recently experienced at other conferences and throughout the media?

Can it be that small business owners don’t have time for a recession? They’re too busy running their businesses and looking for new opportunities to grow. Small business owners are optimists at heart and continually see opportunity while others see danger and constraints. As I listen to big business managers on cable, business magazines and newspapers, I only hear about problems, concern and cutbacks. When I talk to small business owners, I hear them talk about growth.

At this week’s Summit, I heard exciting stories about how B2B marketers are using digital media to reach and engage small business owners who are hungry to gain and share information with fellow business owners and suppliers. The key to engaging this audience, and every audience, is a continuous stream of relevant content and the opportunity to share comments, best practices and recommendations.

Dan Nye, president of LinkedIn, the business social network delivered the keynote address and announced that LinkedIn currently has 22 million members and will exceed 30 million members by the end of 2008. Today, small business owners make up more than 3 million of LinkedIn’s users providing a community where small business owners can network, prospect and engage with each other.

All of us in the publishing and content world should act more like entrepreneurs and look for the opportunities to grow that are all around us.

From the Chairman: It's Time

Jim Meyers
Chairman, Custom Media Committee

05-April-08—Greetings fellow ABM Custom Media members and other interested visitors! I’m writing today from American Business Media’s Spring Meeting in Palm Springs.

The buzz here is, of course, the rapid, nearly astronomical growth of digital media and its effect on traditional print business publishing. Clearly, the tone here is one of concern. Advertising revenues are down due to the mortgage crisis, rising fuel and food prices and an economic slowdown. But there’s more to it than that. There’s a tangible fear in the air over what the seemingly unending desire by marketers for anything digital means to their businesses.

Some want to ignore it and seem to think it will go away. Others want to embrace it but aren’t sure how. David Calhoun, CEO of Nielson issued his warning in his keynote address that this time “you’re not going to be able to budget your way to success. Today, we live in a world where customers and your readers are totally in control because of the Internet.”

The message is clear: we need to open our minds to the possibilities offered by the digital age. We need to join the conversation, embrace it fully, add value and expertise as expert content providers and be ready to change course at a moment’s notice.

Years ago, before I started Imagination, I worked as senior vice president for the Chicago Sun-Times. I once heard a senior newspaper editor say, “Our job is to give the readers what they don’t know they want and what they need to know.” That notion struck me as shortsighted then—today it strikes me as downright ridiculous!

To all of my fellow ABM members, I can offer only one painfully obvious piece of advice. It’s time for you to join the conversation!

From the Chairman

Jim Meyers
Chairman, Custom Media Committee

16-April-08—In the last decade, custom publishing evolved from relatively simple printed newsletters and magazines to sophisticated custom media delivered in print and online. Marketers research their targeted audiences and create custom content that adds value and encourages customer response.

Print publications continue to evolve and are highly effective, particularly when personalization and customization allow for more targeted message delivery. And the Internet as a driver of marketing initiatives fosters community, delivers rich media and creates social engagement. Customers can engage and participate in dialog with marketers, subject matter experts and with other customers. The Internet has opened the door for increased response, long-term engagement and higher levels of customer satisfaction. Sophisticated online tools allow marketers to measure response and analyze the needs and habits of their customers as they consume, engage and participate in content-rich custom media.

As always, high-quality content is the critical component for a successful custom-media program. That is where traditional publishers, like the members of American Business Media continue to have a real advantage. ABM members understand how to produce content that fulfills readers’ expectations, and the members of the Custom Media Committee are experts at producing content that can be delivered in a targeted manner. The result is content that encourages readers to take action—content that produces the ROI that every marketer seeks.

This microsite is a community for individuals who share an interest in custom media. Custom media providers, marketers, subject matter experts and journalists are encouraged to contribute thoughts, news, case studies and other information that will contribute to the site’s growth and usefulness. I strongly encourage you to participate in one of the many ways that are available to you on this site.

I look forward to engaging with you on a wide range of topics about custom media.