With a "beep" to the turnaround
The special interest real estate business had a record year in 2003. The recipe for this: In the midst of the crisis, the magazine expanded its editorial team.
The special interest real estate business had a record year in 2003. The recipe for this: In the midst of the crisis, the magazine expanded its editorial team.
Until the beginning of 2003, Immobilien Business contained as many advertising pages as editorial content. Today, only a quarter of the magazine is filled with advertisements. Despite this, advertising sales rose by a full 31 percent between July 2002 and August 2003. There is no magic behind this, but a deliberately anti-cyclical strategy, which Managing Director Rolf E. Jeker describes as a "flight forward". Last year, the real estate business was still suffering
all others suffered from the advertising slump. Annual sales slumped from 1.1 million to just over 900,000 francs. Instead of cutting staff, Jeker reacted with an ambitious relaunch in March. He invested in new content, shifted the ratio between articles and advertisements and doubled the editorial team to ten people. At the same time, Immobilien Business switched from tabloid to magazine format and ventured into the newsstand.
"We invested in the hope that it would work out," says Jeker. And the calculation is right: The previous year's advertising turnover was already achieved in September. For the year as a whole, Jeker is expecting over 1.2 million francs - a new record in the middle of the crisis. "However, we are not simply doing better now," says the Managing Director, putting the success into perspective. After all, the expansion also cost a lot of money. However, by acting anti-cyclically, Immobilien Business has primarily saved on marketing costs. "If I make a 'beep' now, everyone hears it," says Jeker. He is convinced that a relaunch in the middle of the crisis only requires a tenth of the advertising expenditure. This suits him, as the former journalist prefers to invest in the content of his magazine rather than in advertising campaigns anyway.
Profits from the bear market
However, the real estate business also benefits from the market mechanisms of a bear market: Unsettled investors are flocking to the real estate sector, which promises lower but more secure returns. The relaunch has therefore also expanded the target group. Not just industry experts,
The magazine is aimed at anyone interested in real estate. At the same time, Jeker is trying to expand the circle of advertisers: "We are now going full steam ahead with suppliers of luxury goods!" He has already landed Audi as his first customer.
The next innovative step is already in the pipeline. At the beginning of 2004, Immobilien Business will enter into an advertising combination with "WohntraumTV" on TeleZüri and the online platform ImmoScout24.ch. The cross-media offer should give the specialist magazine a further boost. "We're not running at full steam yet," says Jeker. His ambitious goal: to be number one in the German-speaking market.
The updated edition of Immobilien Business has significantly more advertisements.
Stefano Monachesi
Until the beginning of 2003, Immobilien Business contained as many advertising pages as editorial content. Today, only a quarter of the magazine is filled with advertisements. Despite this, advertising sales rose by a full 31 percent between July 2002 and August 2003. There is no magic behind this, but a deliberately anti-cyclical strategy, which Managing Director Rolf E. Jeker describes as a "flight forward". Last year, the real estate business was still suffering
all others suffered from the advertising slump. Annual sales slumped from 1.1 million to just over 900,000 francs. Instead of cutting staff, Jeker reacted with an ambitious relaunch in March. He invested in new content, shifted the ratio between articles and advertisements and doubled the editorial team to ten people. At the same time, Immobilien Business switched from tabloid to magazine format and ventured into the newsstand.
"We invested in the hope that it would work out," says Jeker. And the calculation is right: The previous year's advertising turnover was already achieved in September. For the year as a whole, Jeker is expecting over 1.2 million francs - a new record in the middle of the crisis. "However, we are not simply doing better now," says the Managing Director, putting the success into perspective. After all, the expansion also cost a lot of money. However, by acting anti-cyclically, Immobilien Business has primarily saved on marketing costs. "If I make a 'beep' now, everyone hears it," says Jeker. He is convinced that a relaunch in the middle of the crisis only requires a tenth of the advertising expenditure. This suits him, as the former journalist prefers to invest in the content of his magazine rather than in advertising campaigns anyway.
Profits from the bear market
However, the real estate business also benefits from the market mechanisms of a bear market: Unsettled investors are flocking to the real estate sector, which promises lower but more secure returns. The relaunch has therefore also expanded the target group. Not just industry experts,
The magazine is aimed at anyone interested in real estate. At the same time, Jeker is trying to expand the circle of advertisers: "We are now going full steam ahead with suppliers of luxury goods!" He has already landed Audi as his first customer.
The next innovative step is already in the pipeline. At the beginning of 2004, Immobilien Business will enter into an advertising combination with "WohntraumTV" on TeleZüri and the online platform ImmoScout24.ch. The cross-media offer should give the specialist magazine a further boost. "We're not running at full steam yet," says Jeker. His ambitious goal: to be number one in the German-speaking market.
The updated edition of Immobilien Business has significantly more advertisements.
Stefano Monachesi
