Biedermann and the real estate agents
Real Estate Trade Eight years after its launch, the industry magazine *Immobilien Business* is undergoing a very gradual revamp.
Real Estate Business Eight years after its launch, the industry magazine Immobilien Business is undergoing a very careful renovation. "This layout can certainly be described as conservative," says Rolf E. Jeker with a smile.
The managing director of Immobilien Business Verlags AG has given his industry magazine a makeover. Starting in March, a magazine format will replace the previous newspaper-like layout. Matte instead of glossy paper, larger pictures, uniform structure, four instead of five columns. Jeker is not experimenting with the in-house redesign. "We can't expect anything flippant from our target group," he explains. "Some people were already bothered when we put the titles in the picture in the old layout."
2800 billion real estate
The target group includes decision-makers from all sectors of the real estate business: investors, investment advisors, real estate managers, property owners, architects and public authorities. Above-average educated people from the highest purchasing power classes, as it says in the ad documentation. "Our readers own properties worth 2800 billion Swiss francs," Jeker explains.
These readers will soon be able to buy Real Estate Business at newsstands. He wants to sell 2,000 to 3,000 copies directly. With the new look, he hopes, the magazine will attract the attention it needs. He had to abandon a first attempt at the newsstand when the magazine was launched in 1995. The main sales channel for the circulation of over 10,000 copies has so far been addressed direct mail. Around 1400 copies go to subscribers. In addition, an increased number of copies of the industry magazine are also distributed at international trade shows and congresses.
Business worth billions
"Our relaunch is pure anti-cyclical behavior," says Rolf E. Jeker, explaining his strategy. Despite the advertising crisis, which brought a ten percent drop in sales to Real Estate Business last year, he said he wanted to dare to do something again after eight years. As he did in 1995, when, after many years of working as a publishing consultant, he was seized by the ambition to create his own product. "I looked around for a gap in the market and found it. No one had really realized before that real estate was a billion-dollar business!" Many experts would have shaken their heads at the time. But real estate business has survived and is gaining momentum again. According to Jeker, the sales curve for 2003 is already pointing upward.
High thanks to stock market weaknessIn the past four years, Real Estate Business has seen a clear upward trend, both in subscriptions and advertising revenues. Publishing director Rolf E. Jeker hopes for a further increase. In the current poor stock market situation, assets worth billions would be shifted from shares to real estate. Jeker is convinced that this will also increase the demand for independent market information, such as that provided by Immobilien Business. (sm)
Source: Immobilien Business Verlags AG/Stand: 01/26/2003
Stefano Monachesi
The managing director of Immobilien Business Verlags AG has given his industry magazine a makeover. Starting in March, a magazine format will replace the previous newspaper-like layout. Matte instead of glossy paper, larger pictures, uniform structure, four instead of five columns. Jeker is not experimenting with the in-house redesign. "We can't expect anything flippant from our target group," he explains. "Some people were already bothered when we put the titles in the picture in the old layout."
2800 billion real estate
The target group includes decision-makers from all sectors of the real estate business: investors, investment advisors, real estate managers, property owners, architects and public authorities. Above-average educated people from the highest purchasing power classes, as it says in the ad documentation. "Our readers own properties worth 2800 billion Swiss francs," Jeker explains.
These readers will soon be able to buy Real Estate Business at newsstands. He wants to sell 2,000 to 3,000 copies directly. With the new look, he hopes, the magazine will attract the attention it needs. He had to abandon a first attempt at the newsstand when the magazine was launched in 1995. The main sales channel for the circulation of over 10,000 copies has so far been addressed direct mail. Around 1400 copies go to subscribers. In addition, an increased number of copies of the industry magazine are also distributed at international trade shows and congresses.
Business worth billions
"Our relaunch is pure anti-cyclical behavior," says Rolf E. Jeker, explaining his strategy. Despite the advertising crisis, which brought a ten percent drop in sales to Real Estate Business last year, he said he wanted to dare to do something again after eight years. As he did in 1995, when, after many years of working as a publishing consultant, he was seized by the ambition to create his own product. "I looked around for a gap in the market and found it. No one had really realized before that real estate was a billion-dollar business!" Many experts would have shaken their heads at the time. But real estate business has survived and is gaining momentum again. According to Jeker, the sales curve for 2003 is already pointing upward.
High thanks to stock market weaknessIn the past four years, Real Estate Business has seen a clear upward trend, both in subscriptions and advertising revenues. Publishing director Rolf E. Jeker hopes for a further increase. In the current poor stock market situation, assets worth billions would be shifted from shares to real estate. Jeker is convinced that this will also increase the demand for independent market information, such as that provided by Immobilien Business. (sm)
Source: Immobilien Business Verlags AG/Stand: 01/26/2003
Stefano Monachesi
