Having represented a number of brands in the B2B and consumer publishing field I’ve come to a few conclusions about the state of our industry:
- Consumer special interest print is fine given that some things present better (long-form content, photo essays) on coated paper in magazines. However, the advent of tablets and e-readers may change the “ease of use/portability” question that magazines have had over traditional online.
- Post office problems and the advent of the tablets may expedite point 1 above-I also suspect you will see alternative print delivery services take hold as the Post Office cuts back delivery service and increases rates.
- B2B- tablets should take hold in industries where the work is done in the field, rather than behind a desk (e.g: construction)-yet are still going to be at the mercy of cell signals, hence traditional print still has a place in old-guard industries. I’ve always said “show me what your prospect/customer does in his/her work day, and I’ll show you what the appropriate mix of print vs. online is”. This still holds to this day.
- Online works best when you are selling a product that the customer knows they want to buy (think of Google as a direct replacement for the Thomas Register and the Yellow Pages), and does not as well at selling something they’ve never heard of or may want to buy 6 months, a year or 5 years from now.
- Viable B2B media properties must have either/or strong online or conference properties-otherwise they are in big trouble.
How many sales people have the capability of explaning all of this to a customer that may/may not be all that sophisticated? Junior people on the phone and once a year at a trade show can’t do this-that’s why a seasoned independent representative may make sense for your brand!