SME stocks aim for strong growth
Trade journals are expanding, seeking out niches, forming partnerships, and relying on WEMF: SME publications are gearing up.
Trade journals They are expanding, looking for niches, entering into partnerships and relying on the Wemf: the SME magazines are gearing up Spectacular plans by Leader from Metrocomm in St. Gallen: Until now, the magazine, which is published eight times a year, was only present in Eastern Switzerland (WG 26, 28, 44 and 61), but now it wants to conquer the whole of German-speaking Switzerland within just two months. As announced at the beginning of May (WW 9/04), the SVP-affiliated magazine has already launched the leader edition for north-western Switzerland (6000 copies). This week it will open up the next region, Zurich (17,000 copies). This will be followed in June by Bern/Solothurn (13,000 copies) and - around three months earlier than announced - Central Switzerland (8,000 copies).interesting advertising rates
This will increase the circulation of Leader to a total of 52,000 free copies. It is still unclear whether Graubünden and Glarus will also receive an edition one day, says publishing director Natal Schnetzer. However, the advertising rates are clear: a four-color full-page ad in the Eastern and Central Switzerland editions costs CHF 2,900 each, CHF 4,400 in Zurich, CHF 3,900 in Bern/Solothurn and CHF 2,700 in Basel. The five issues can be combined as desired, and a 30 percent discount is available for all of them.
However, it remains to be seen whether Leader will actually succeed in gaining a foothold outside of Eastern Switzerland. In any case, the Basel edition did not stand out in terms of content, which is also due to Leader's mission: According to Schnetzer, it also wants to show that there are not only rip-off artists among managers, but above all those who put "their heart and soul, all their time and energy and not least often enough their money into the business".
The SME manager, who was brought into the new company KMU-Medien at the beginning of the year, is pursuing the opposite strategy to the leader. He now wants to strengthen the regional basis of his linguistic distribution. He has increased his free and Wemf-certified circulation of 116,143 copies in total to 136,000 in recent months, and now the 40,000 copies in the greater Zurich area (WG 41, 43, 44, 24) are to receive a regional split from September. The 16-page supplement with its own front page will contain an introductory interview as well as paid PR texts and around eight pages of classified advertisements, explains Remo Kuhn, the delegate of the Board of Directors of KMU-Medien.
The idea came from the sales representatives, who realized that the advertising rate of CHF 9,000 was too high for many regional companies. With the regional edition and a page price of 4800 francs, the magazine, which is published eleven times a year, wants to accommodate these potential customers. "If the split is successful, we will consider doing the same in other regions," says Kuhn. The SME manager is also expanding on another level: He is planning a relaunch for 2005.
Associations bring circulation
Expansion also at the organizer, which distributes 11400 copies, 4300 of which are Wemf-certified. A further 1500 copies go to associations, and the rest of the print run consists of the target mailing to SME managers and senior executives as well as to associations with a circulation of 1500 copies. Its circulation is constantly increasing, not least because it enters into partnerships with various associations or offers itself as an association organ. Around 1500 copies per issue are currently sent to members of four associations.
Another partnership is about to be concluded, which will bring 900 additional copies. Despite its function as an organ, the organizer, which is published ten times a year, is holding back on association news. "We do things differently: the associations provide us with specialist content that is not only of interest to their members, but also to a broader SME audience," says Publishing Director Patric Preite.
Standing in line at the Wemf
In October, Preite is also planning to launch a Business Software
Guide, a yearbook in which companies that produce software solutions are profiled. The yearbook, which is financed by company portraits and advertisements, is being realized thanks to a partnership with Top Soft, the trade fair for business software in Brugg. Unlike Netzmedien's trade fair guide for the same trade fair (see box below), the organizer's yearbook uses a language that is understandable for SME managers.
Incidentally, it seems that some SME titles have recognized their lack of official data. In any case, both KMU-Manager and KMU-Magazin (certified paid circulation 6639, certified print run 13500 copies) are having their readership figures reported by Wemf for the first time this autumn. And the organizer is at least discussing this.
Competitive market: SME magazines have ambitious expansion plans.
Relaunch of SME title in French-speaking SwitzerlandThe French-language SME magazine PME Magazine from the
HandelsZeitung Fachverlag is planning a relaunch as of August 31. Advertising manager Claudia Köpfli informed her customers of this last week. PME is the French abbreviation for SMEs (Petites et Moyennes Entreprises). The monthly magazine was founded in 1989 and has 63,000 readers. The occasion for the relaunch is its 15th anniversary. Köpfli promises that the September issue will be published "with a completely new look" and a new concept, but does not want to reveal any more. (mk)
Netzwoche: New trade fairs on the netThe fact that the Orbit and Internet Expo trade fairs will merge to form Orbit-iEX in 2005 is neither surprising nor momentous for Netzmedien, publisher of Netzwoche. "As advertising has fallen sharply, the two trade fairs have not been as important to us in the last two years as they used to be," says publishing director Heinrich Meyer. He is now also targeting other events, such as Top Soft, a trade fair for business software, which was held for the ninth time in April by the Aarau University of Applied Sciences. Netzwoche published the official trade fair guide for this event. A new IT security trade fair, the security-zone, will also be held in Zurich in the fall. Netzwoche will also be publishing the official trade fair guide for this event. (mk)
Markus Knöpfli
This will increase the circulation of Leader to a total of 52,000 free copies. It is still unclear whether Graubünden and Glarus will also receive an edition one day, says publishing director Natal Schnetzer. However, the advertising rates are clear: a four-color full-page ad in the Eastern and Central Switzerland editions costs CHF 2,900 each, CHF 4,400 in Zurich, CHF 3,900 in Bern/Solothurn and CHF 2,700 in Basel. The five issues can be combined as desired, and a 30 percent discount is available for all of them.
However, it remains to be seen whether Leader will actually succeed in gaining a foothold outside of Eastern Switzerland. In any case, the Basel edition did not stand out in terms of content, which is also due to Leader's mission: According to Schnetzer, it also wants to show that there are not only rip-off artists among managers, but above all those who put "their heart and soul, all their time and energy and not least often enough their money into the business".
The SME manager, who was brought into the new company KMU-Medien at the beginning of the year, is pursuing the opposite strategy to the leader. He now wants to strengthen the regional basis of his linguistic distribution. He has increased his free and Wemf-certified circulation of 116,143 copies in total to 136,000 in recent months, and now the 40,000 copies in the greater Zurich area (WG 41, 43, 44, 24) are to receive a regional split from September. The 16-page supplement with its own front page will contain an introductory interview as well as paid PR texts and around eight pages of classified advertisements, explains Remo Kuhn, the delegate of the Board of Directors of KMU-Medien.
The idea came from the sales representatives, who realized that the advertising rate of CHF 9,000 was too high for many regional companies. With the regional edition and a page price of 4800 francs, the magazine, which is published eleven times a year, wants to accommodate these potential customers. "If the split is successful, we will consider doing the same in other regions," says Kuhn. The SME manager is also expanding on another level: He is planning a relaunch for 2005.
Associations bring circulation
Expansion also at the organizer, which distributes 11400 copies, 4300 of which are Wemf-certified. A further 1500 copies go to associations, and the rest of the print run consists of the target mailing to SME managers and senior executives as well as to associations with a circulation of 1500 copies. Its circulation is constantly increasing, not least because it enters into partnerships with various associations or offers itself as an association organ. Around 1500 copies per issue are currently sent to members of four associations.
Another partnership is about to be concluded, which will bring 900 additional copies. Despite its function as an organ, the organizer, which is published ten times a year, is holding back on association news. "We do things differently: the associations provide us with specialist content that is not only of interest to their members, but also to a broader SME audience," says Publishing Director Patric Preite.
Standing in line at the Wemf
In October, Preite is also planning to launch a Business Software
Guide, a yearbook in which companies that produce software solutions are profiled. The yearbook, which is financed by company portraits and advertisements, is being realized thanks to a partnership with Top Soft, the trade fair for business software in Brugg. Unlike Netzmedien's trade fair guide for the same trade fair (see box below), the organizer's yearbook uses a language that is understandable for SME managers.
Incidentally, it seems that some SME titles have recognized their lack of official data. In any case, both KMU-Manager and KMU-Magazin (certified paid circulation 6639, certified print run 13500 copies) are having their readership figures reported by Wemf for the first time this autumn. And the organizer is at least discussing this.
Competitive market: SME magazines have ambitious expansion plans.
Relaunch of SME title in French-speaking SwitzerlandThe French-language SME magazine PME Magazine from the
HandelsZeitung Fachverlag is planning a relaunch as of August 31. Advertising manager Claudia Köpfli informed her customers of this last week. PME is the French abbreviation for SMEs (Petites et Moyennes Entreprises). The monthly magazine was founded in 1989 and has 63,000 readers. The occasion for the relaunch is its 15th anniversary. Köpfli promises that the September issue will be published "with a completely new look" and a new concept, but does not want to reveal any more. (mk)
Netzwoche: New trade fairs on the netThe fact that the Orbit and Internet Expo trade fairs will merge to form Orbit-iEX in 2005 is neither surprising nor momentous for Netzmedien, publisher of Netzwoche. "As advertising has fallen sharply, the two trade fairs have not been as important to us in the last two years as they used to be," says publishing director Heinrich Meyer. He is now also targeting other events, such as Top Soft, a trade fair for business software, which was held for the ninth time in April by the Aarau University of Applied Sciences. Netzwoche published the official trade fair guide for this event. A new IT security trade fair, the security-zone, will also be held in Zurich in the fall. Netzwoche will also be publishing the official trade fair guide for this event. (mk)
Markus Knöpfli
