Huson takes over French titles as Francois Krebel retires
Francois Krebel built a reputation as being one of the "good guys" of the electronics media in Europe, and has just announced he is retiring. At Napier we had a great time working with him and wish him all the best for his well-deserved retirement. We're also really pleased that Huson Media has picked up the French titles he represented – they also do a great job for the media they represent.
Will Google really stop linking to French online publications?
The French are getting excited over the threat from Google to stop linking to French media websites in protest against legislation that would force search engines to pay for content. I think this is a good thing: Google has the power and influence to stop laws that prevent reasonable sharing of links, and publications must understand that links are the heart that pump traffic to their sites.
But what about the UK? The law has allowed the NLA to force businesses that share links to newspapers to pay licence fees. So where is the protest from Google over here? Well it appears that because Google has negotiated an exemption, they're quite happy to forget the protests. Google is a search engine, so they're fine, but media monitoring companies – who have software engines that search for content, so are hardly that different – are not. Perhaps "Don't be evil" got replaced with "I'm alright, Jack" in the UK.
DATE attracts over 1000 submissions
DATE 2013 has achieved a real milestone by attracting over 1000 submissions for the conference. This is a stunning result, and shows how challenging it can be to secure a speaking slot at an event.
Although it will be held in Grenoble, France in 2013, DATE continues to have international appeal, with the Americas and Asia-Pacific accounting for 30% and 19% of the submissions.
Competitions with prizes made easier in France
After the European Court ruled on 14 January 2010 that "a local law cannot prohibit, whatever are the circumstances, commercial practices consisting in making the entrance to a prize draw conditional on the prior purchase of a good or service, even if it is to ensure a higher level of protection of the consumer", France has finally relaxed their laws relating to promotions that offer a chance of winning a prize. I'm not a lawyer, so I strongly recommend reading the article about the changes in French law on the Marketing Law blog.
Svet elektronike plans bumper 200th issue
Publishers are always hitting milestones based upon the number of issues published or years since the launch of the magazine. Sometimes there's some good editorial content, but often these anniversaries slip by almost unnoticed. So I was impressed to hear that Svet elektronike will publish with a hardback cover to celebrate the 200th issue in September 2012.
The 200th issue will feature a selection of the best articles that the title has published, and the publisher promises a few more "candies" for readers! Despite the obvious increase in costs due to the hard cover, the magazine will also offer discounts to advertisers who would like to participate in this special edition.
It's good to see that Svet elektronike is really doing things right with this special issue: a hardback edition will definitely stay on readers' shelves for some time, which surely will encourage advertisers to take advantage of the additional exposure it will generate.
To take advantage of the special offers email stik@svet-el.si or contact Napier.
New Bulgarian online publication
PR and marketing teams often spend hours perfecting the language in press releases and other marketing materials, but then fail to translate the content. This means that - in Europe at least - the majority of your audience are trying to understand content written in their second (or third) language. Marketing teams that imagine their carefully crafted English is communicating the exact meaning they want are simply fooling themselves as translation errors and cultural factors inevitably interfere with the message.
So I[m always delighted to see new publications in local language, particularly for countries that don't have the largest electronics industries. Electronics-bulgaria.com, part of the larger IndustryInfo.bg portal, is a new site that gives marketers an effective channel to reach Bulgarian engineers. The publisher, TLL Media Ltd., is well established, and has a strong portfolio of engineering magazines.
IndustryInfo.bg contains 11 vertical portals, including Electronics-bulgaria.com, and promises to cover companies, markets, products, technologies, and services.
Whilst it does take more effort to communicate in the first language of your audience, I know that the greater impact you achieve is definitely worth the effort, and we're going to be working with the new sites for our clients' Bulgarian campaigns.
Mesago expands influence by teaming up with Chinese show
Mesago has formed a strategic partnership with the organisers of the China Electronics Fair (CEF). This has to be a good move, giving Mesago a broader geographic reach. The CEF will be held on the following dates:
- Shenzhen: 10-12 April 2012
- Chengdu: 23-25 Aug. 2012
- Shanghai:30 Oct.-01 Nov. 2012
Bodo's Power launches Chinese edition
It's great to see European publications reaching beyond our borders, and so I was excited to hear about the planned launch of Bodo's Power China. The title will be published by i2i Group, and promises a print circulation of 10,000, an electronic version of the print magazine, bi-monthly email newsletters and a local website - www.bodospowerchina.com.
The magazine will draw on the content generated for the European title, enhanced with local content, and will be published in Manderin. Five issues are planned for this year, launching with the March/April edition.
Sanoma Magazines launches general technology title 3T
Although the much-loved title Prosessori will disappear by the end of 2011, the good news for Finnish engineers is that Sanoma Magazines will launch 3T, a general technology title, on 13th January 2012. This weekly title will have a tabloid format, a tablet version that is free for all subscribers and will publish 40 issues in 2012.
3T will be a general title, targeting engineers and managers in engineering organisations. The name, 3T, is an abbreviation of the Finnish equivalents of the words technology, economy and working life, and the publication will address technology, business and economics, as well as providing a strong recruitment offering.
We're "guaranteed" a 55,000 circulation (the publishers project that it will be 60,000), with the UIL (the Finnish engineering association) subscribing all its members to provide the vast majority of the circulation. Looking into the details, however, less than one third of the readers will be directly working in engineering and design or R&D, with other readers in management, administration, IT and technician roles. A little over 10% of the readers will be students. Given the broad range of technologies that the title will cover, I suspect that some advertisers might be a little disappointed when they look beyond the unquestionably impressive headline circulation.
3T will offer a comprehensive website, that includes a mobile version as well as the option to read the magazine on a tablet - it's good to see the publishers experimenting with different delivery methods.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this announcement is the decision to launch a weekly tabloid "newspaper". This goes against conventional thinking in the B2B publishing industry that readers get news from the web, preferring print for in-depth analysis. The crippling print and postage costs of a weekly title are also a huge factor. I suspect that the involvement of the UIL had a major impact on the format, and I'd be very interested to know whether they demanded a weekly publication for their members, or that because of their financial support Sanoma Magazines could afford to go weekly.
Whilst the loss of Prosessori is a huge disappointment, I'm optimistic that 3T will be able to take its place in the market and provide a strong communications channel to reach Finnish engineers.
Finland loses its last dedicated electronics magazine
Sadly Prosessori is to close. The last issue of the magazine will be the November 2011 issue, with the website shutting down at the end of the year. Although the publisher, Sanoma Magazines Finland, will offer a <a href="/index.php?page_id=4985">much broader technology title, 3T,</a> that will hopefully engage the current Prosessori readership, this is clearly a significant blow to Finnish electronics engineers who want to get industry news and information in their own language.
Jari Peltoniemi and Veijo Ojanperä will be employed on the new title, which gives some hope that the new title will have a strong focus on the electronics market, although clearly some good journalists are going to be looking for a new role.
Jari emailed me about the closure, saying
"The Finnish electronics industry has suffered a lot during the last few years. The global financial crisis in 2008 accelerated the trend as the manufacturing of handsets and the export of telecom equipments slowed. The development has had its effect on Prosessori as well."
I'm surprised. Although Nokia clearly has had its problems, and many electronic components companies and their marketing departments continue to demand PR coverage without offering financial support to titles, I haven't seen any desperate attempts to save Prosessori as a publication. Perhaps the clue is in something else that Jari told me:
"During the last few years it has become more and more difficult to financially justify publishing a high quality magazine for the professionals in electronics."
Prosessori has refused to compromise on quality. It has refused to slash the editorial team, and continued to reject the idea of filling the publication with contributed articles. However Prosessori didn't investigate other approaches to cost saving, such as digital distribution. Clearly it's harder for a magazine that pulls in a significant amount of subscription revenue to convince people to keep paying when they don't get a physical product, but I would have expected something to be done.
T3 does have one major advantage - it has been chosen by the UIL (The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland) as the publication it will send to its members, ensuring a first year circulation of 55 to 60,000. Like Engineering and Technology in the UK, I hope that support from the professional organisation will ensure the funding required for a high quality editorial product.
The truth is that Prosessori had a lot going for it. Subscription income, outstanding website traffic and a country with a strong electronics industry (even if it's not as strong as it was). Even with all this, they couldn't produce a high quality magazine that was profitable. I worry that this is a bad sign - there is a clear trend amongst publishers to compromise editorial quality to save cost, although there are certainly a number of publications that retain a strong. Could it really be that ultimately no specialist electronics publication will be able to deliver a product that consists mainly of high-quality staff written articles and make a profit? I hope not!
Austrian magazine adds sales to editorial role
Ronald Riska, Editor in Chief of Austrian title Elektronik Report will now have responsibility for sales, alongside his existing editorial role. Ronald will work with Stefan Teubel, who remains sales manager.
Whilst my heart says that separation of the editorial and advertising roles has to be the best approach, I'm realistic enough to appreciate that this isn't always possible. In fact in much of the B2B trade press editors are obviously driven by commercial as well as editorial considerations. So rather than condemn this move as a degradation of standards in the electronics media, I'd like to see it as an honest assessment of Ronald's role.
Although I'm not getting upset about this change, I will be watching closely. Once editors are openly involved in advertising, it is essential that they continue to think long term: creating a magazine that has the high-quality independent writing that makes engineers want to read it, and therefore advertisers want to buy space in it. I'm confident that Ronald knows this, and will be strong enough to ensure that the long-term future of the publication is never sacrificed with short-term puff pieces about advertisers.
Austrian advertising awards
Readers of Technik Report, Elektronik Report and Dispo will be voting in the advertising awards run by Weka Austria. You'll need to buy an advert in the relevant issue, but the awards will provide good feedback on how well your adverts are perceived by the audience. A flyer describing the awards (in German) is available online.
New Bulgarian publication for energy industry
TTL Media, publishers of the Bulgarian title Energy Review, have launched a new publication, Energy Info BG. Available online and as an annual printed catalogue, Energy Info BG provides a catalogue of the companies supplying products and services for the energy sector in Bulgaria, including renewable energy and energy efficiency equipment and service providers.
It's always good to see new launches, and particularly pleasing that publishers believe they can make money outside the main European countries. With the energy market likely to show some of the biggest growth potential, I'm not surprised that TTL Media and others are launching publications to serve this dynamic sector.
Peak boosts frequency
The economy must be getting better - print magazines are increasing frequency!
I was delighted to hear that Peak Magazine has increased its print frequency to six issue per year. It's great to see magazines having the confidence to produce more issues, and I'm sure that Norwegian engineers will also benefit from more of the great information provided by this publication.
Electronic Components switches back to ASA Media
Electronic Components Russia will be represented by ASA Media from January 2011. With a reduced portfolio of publications, Alastair Swift should have more time to devote to the Russian publication, so hopefully the return to a partnership with ASA will drive an increase in sales.
UK publisher launches Chinese title
Energy Storage Publishing will launch a Chinese version of BEST (Batteries and Energy Storage Technology) magazine, starting with the November issue. This comes after a trial where A taste of BEST was distributed in China to over 3000 people.
The new publication will be printed on a quarterly basis in Chinese Mandarin with English abstracts and will have a circulation of "more than 3000". With China now the largest battery producing nation, each issue is expected to run for at least 60 pages.
It's always good to see new publications, particularly when a publisher feels confident enough to launch a print magazine. With battery technology a key part of any portable product, I'd expect this title to go from strength to strength.
EP&Dee goes digital
EP&Dee (Electronic Products & Design Eastern Europe) has added digital distribution and has started a push to grow its digital circulation. The title currently has a circulation of just over 6000, and the move to digital will help increase this without the high cost of print and postage that is incurred with international distribution. It will be interesting to see how the publication develops – the title is probably the only one to establish a significant footprint across several Eastern European countries, and the digital edition should grow this significantly, as well as allowing growth beyond its current reach across South Eastern Europe.
AUTlook to add video coverage of shows
Starting at the SMART Automation show, AUTlook is planning to offer video "highlights" of key shows, as well as the traditional written coverage. Although several electronics titles already publish video interviews, AUTlook is one of the first in the automation sector to do so.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this move is the pricing: like many publications AUTlook does not treat video in the same way as other editorial content. The magazine has decided to offer the videos at a cost of EUR295 - less than most titles that charge, but still likely to make a decent income with 20-25 videos per show. Personally I think that publications will struggle to charge for editorial videos in the long term, as it will simply be seen as another format. In the near-term, however, I think there should be some reward for pioneering with a new medium, and the fact that the charge is moderate is something that should be applauded.
Chip News takes a break
Chip News (a Russian publication) has stopped publishing, although they hope to restart when the economy improves. They have made the decision only five issues after moving from a print to a CD format. The publishers cite a number of reasons for the decision: logistical problems, technical problems with ads, the expense of mailing and the fact that not as many Russian companies are ready to work with an electronic advertising format.
The decision to switch to an electronic edition of Chip News was made in Feb 2009. The publisher conducted a survey of most of their readers, and received a response from around 1/3. Westerners might be surprised that 95% of respondents requested a CD issue, rather than electronic delivery by email. Despite the clear demand from readers, it's apparent that advertisers have been less enthusiastic. Interestingly the major competitor to Chip News, Electronics and Components has also started to use a CD format, although they have retained a print version.
I'd expect Chip News to roll out an online publication pretty quickly, perhaps even by the end of this year, and hope that this will ensure the brand continues to live on.
PR in Russia
Although I guess that we should consider Mediaspray a competitor, I was impressed with Mediaspray's blog about PR in Russia. It's always good to see other agencies sharing their knowledge and expertise. As the company is driven by the same brains behind channel-e, I'm more than happy to give them a plug.
Technik Report relaunches
The austrian title, Technik Report, is relaunching, promising improved content with a clear focus on manufacturing and automation and enhanced editorial that is all packaged in a "clean, fresh layout".
Electronic Components Russia gets Western European representative
As an agency we've been actively working with Eastern European magazines for more than 10 years, and have conducted many successful campaigns for our clients in this exciting region. We're glad to see that the publishers are gradually organising sales representatives to sell space in Western Europe, as this will help grow and develop these valuable titles.
In the latest move, four Russian titles - Electronic Components, Electronics Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Embedded Systems Russia - are now being represented by Nick Walker, who continues to be the commercial face of EPN and several other Reed titles. For advice on these titles and many, many others across the countries of Eastern Europe, contact Napier.
Changes at Elektronikk
After 17 years as its editor, Bjørn Ø Andersen has handed over the editorship of the Norwegian magazine Elektronikk to Einar Karlsen. Einar has vast experience, hacing written about electronics for over 20 years. It's rare we cover a story aabout the Norwegian electronics media, which is not surprising with such long-serving, experienced editors working over there.
Bjørn is going to focus on developing the website, and the greater focus on online is shown by the newly redesigned website that has more comprehensive content management and advertising tools.