The organizer repositions itself

 
KMU-Presse On 23 October, the SME magazine Organizer will be published with a new layout and conceptual changes under the new editor-in-chief Philippe Coradi. 
If the VSW advertising statistics are to be believed, the SME titles listed there are not among the beneficiaries of the current advertising boom. One of the main losers, however, is the Organizer, a magazine about the various aspects of SMEs: from January to August 2007, it reported a 33.6 percent drop in volume compared to the same period last year. That alone would be reason enough to change something about the magazine and give it a facelift. But publishing director Patric Preite disagrees with the statistics. "My figures show a different picture," he says. "Things also went up for the organizer in 2007: with the October issue now available, we have already exceeded our 2006 turnover." But customers are becoming more demanding. "To win them as advertisers, we have to do more and more," says Preite. This additional effort is also reflected in the relaunch of the SME magazine: the magazine, which is published ten times a year, is taking two steps towards the reader. On the one hand, the aim is to increase the utility value, and on the other hand, a more journalistic focus should create a better overview. "The organizer remains a magazine with specialist articles by various experts. However, we want to make this expertise even more accessible for SMEs with additional information, graphics, info boxes and checklists," says Preite. The "more contemporary and crisper layout" and the slightly larger magazine format will play an important role in this.
The new editor-in-chief Philippe Coradi (30), who studied journalism and organizational communication after completing an apprenticeship as a bookseller, is responsible for implementing the new concept. His mission is "to increasingly supplement expert knowledge, which is not always objective, with an outside perspective", he says. In general: more people, opinions, statements, also in new formats. For example, the magazine now starts with a portrait of a person, followed by a focus. Four different SMEs are now being interviewed for the latter. In the current issue, for example, the focus is on the new salary statement and the question of how this has been implemented in the individual companies.
In addition to the previous Leadership, ICT, Marketing and Security sections, the organizer is expanding its view beyond national borders with the new "International" section - with interviews and field reports from Eastern Europe, Russia and the USA. Also new are "Scene" with photos from industry events and trade fairs as well as "Compact" with brief news from business and politics - always focused on SMEs.
The Organizer is probably the oldest SME magazine in Switzerland. It was founded in 1919 and has steadily increased its circulation in recent years despite growing competition. Its current print run is 13,200 copies, of which almost 5,500 copies are distributed free of charge via trade fairs, mail order advertising and further education institutions. The Wemf-certified paid circulation is 7,179 copies, of which 2,844 copies are compulsory subscriptions thanks to cooperation with trade fairs and nine industry associations. The organizer is one of the few SME titles with the Q-Publication seal of approval from the Swiss Press Association.   
Markus Knöpfli
The organizer is not aloneMagazines for SMEs
are almost a dime a dozen, but only a few have certified figures. In addition to the organizer, the following titles have their circulation audited by Wemf: KMU-Magazin sells 7,569 copies and distributes 5,701 issues free of charge. KMU-Manager, on the other hand, distributes its entire circulation (101,921 copies) free of charge. And SKO Leader achieves a paid circulation of 12,285 copies, primarily thanks to compulsory subscriptions. Other SME titles: io new management with 4,796 and the French-speaking Swiss PME Magazine with 12,053 copies sold.io new management, PME Magazine and KMU-Magazin
can also be ascertained in the MA Leader. In 2007, io new management achieved a reach of 6.5 percent among the top leaders in German-speaking Switzerland, the SME magazine reached 16.4 percent and the PME magazine covers a good third (36 percent) of the decision-makers in French-speaking Switzerland with 9,000 top leaders, according to VSW advertising statistics.
the following SME titles suffered advertising declines in the first eight months of 2007: KMU Manager (-23.4 %), PME Magazine (-16.5%), MQ Management und Qualität (-9%) and io new management (-2.7%). KMU-Magazin is no longer listed - although as a Q publication it would actually be obliged to do so. (mk)