Abm power of_industry

The Power of Industry-Specific Business Magazines

2Entire contents © 2007 Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Overview
ABM engaged Forrester Consulting to complete an independent
research study of the trends and impact of B2B media on both
end-users/decision makers and marketers.
The findings and analysis of this study indicate:
• That industry specific magazines continue to be an important
communications tool and play a critical role in business decision-
making and purchase processes.
• The integrated use of industry-specific business media – and
industry-specific magazines in particular -- is the most effective way
to help decision makers evaluate purchases, grow professionally,
and improve their businesses.

Summary of survey findings
• Despite the growth in digital media use, industry-specific magazines continue to be
an important communication tool:
– Business decision makers (BDMs) rank industry-specific magazines among the top 5 media
they use on the job
– BDMs find industry-specific magazines highly valuable for validating and informing purchase
decisions
– Similarly, B2B marketers find industry-specific magazines are more effective at reaching BDMs
and generating leads than general business media
• Industry-specific magazines help BDMs do their jobs better and grow
professionally.
• BDMs – and top executives in particular – are highly involved and engaged with
industry-specific magazines, and their involvement has remained consistently high
since 2001.
• The unique strengths of industry-specific magazines make them a valuable
component of an integrated communications plan.
• Despite evidence of their unique value, B2B marketers underutilize industry-
specific magazines in their current trade marketing spending.
• Even though BDMs indicate that industry-specific magazines will continue to play
an important communications role in 2009, B2B marketers underutilize industry-
specific magazines in their future spending plans.

With digital media’s growing importance, do business decision-
makers (BDMs) continue to read industry-specific magazines
and use them on the job?
Do BDMs rely on industry-specific magazines in making
purchase decisions?
Do B2B marketers find that industry-specific magazines are
more effective at reaching business decision makers and
generating leads compared to magazines?

For doing their jobs, BDMs rank industry-specific magazines their #2
choice among all media – and rank them ahead of general business
magazines
“Which B2B media do you use or interact with to do your job?”
Base: 878 B2B decision makers
Fewer than 45% of respondents chose the following media: Specialized business Web sites, Online video or rich
Internet apps, Custom media, Online forums/communities/social networks, TV, Mobile/wireless devices, Listings in
online directories, B2B blogs, Radio, Outdoor, Podcasts, and Syndicated content feeds/RSS.
Email or electronic newsletters
Industry-specific business magazines
Peer advice, word of mouth
Vendors’ Web sites
Industry-specific conferences
Industry-specific trade shows
Web portals (e.g. Google)
Industry-specific Web sites
General business magazines
Newspapers
Web-based events
Direct mail
General business magazine Web sites
45%
51%
52%
54%
55%
55%
57%
62%
65%
66%
67%
69%
76%

When making purchase decisions, BDMs rely on industry-specific
magazines – and media – more than general business media
“Which business-related media are most effective at informing or validating
your firm's business purchase decisions?”
Base
584
582
544
485
569
609
666
458
354
484
395
500
447
348
478
Web-based events
Specialized business Web sites (e.g. IT Toolbox)
Direct mail
Online videos or rich Internet applications
Newspapers
Fewer than 40% of respondents chose the following media : Custom media, Online forums/communities/ social
networks, TV, Mobile/wireless devices, Listing in online directories, B2B blogs, Radio, Outdoor, Podcasts, and
Syndicated content feeds/RSS.
17%
23%
23%
26%
26%
27%
37%
37%
40%
40%
44%
45%
45%
48%
48%

B2B marketers agree that industry-specific magazines reach decision
makers and generate leads better than general business magazines
Reach Decision Makers Effectively
• 327 agree industry-specific magazines reach BDMs effectively
• 126 agree general business magazines reach BDMs effectively
• 132 – or 67% more – agree that industry-specific magazines are better
at reaching BDMs than general business magazines.
Generating Leads Effectively
• 260 agree industry-specific magazines generate leads effectively
• 173 agree general business magazines generate leads effectively
• 87 – or 50% more – agree that industry-specific magazines are
better at generating leads than general business magazines.

How do industry-specific magazines help BDMs on the job or in
their careers?
In light of their busy schedules – and the availability of online
content – do BDMs spend time reading magazines? Do BDMs
visit industry-specific magazine Web sites as well?
How has their time spent with industry-specific magazine titles
and Web sites changed over time?
Do BDMs find industry-specific magazines more engaging than
general business magazines?

Industry-specific magazines provide information BDMs can trust and use to
grow professionally – when used alone or with other industry-specific media
Response
Industry-
specific
magazines
Industry-
specific
Web sites
Industry-
Specific
Tradeshow
Other media
Provides objective information 25% (2) 27% (1) 9% (4)
General business
magazine = 11% (3)
Provides information that I can trust 26% (1) 25% (2) 10% (4) Vendor Web site = 12% (3)
Keeps me ahead of the competition 20% (2) 24% (1) 14% (3)
Gen’l business magazine
Web site = 9% (4)
Helps me do my job better 20% (2) 22% (1) 11% (3) Web portals =10% (4)
Helps me advance my career 19% (2) 22% (1) 14% (3)
General business
magazine = 10% (3)
Helps me grow my business 18% (2) 21% (1) 15% (3)
Gen’l business magazine
Web site = 8% (4)
Helps me become aware of new
products or services
19% (2) 17%(3) 22% (1) Vendor Web site = 16% (4)
Percentage of business decision makers who chose the following media
as the best medium for the following statements:
Base: 878 Business decision makers
Q11 Decision Makers survey: Please indicate which of the following media best helps you do the following activities.
Key: Percentage of respondents
selecting each medium
(Overall rank in parentheses)

BDMs are highly-involved with industry-specific magazines
*In 2001, ABM engaged Yankelovich Partners and Harris Interactive to complete an independent research study of the
role of B2B media on fulfilling 505 executives’ information needs. The 2001 trend data is taken from the findings of this
survey available at: http://www.americanbusinessmedia.com/abm/Yankelovich.asp?SnID=395133682.
► 64% of BDMs read 3 or more industry-specific business magazine titles in
the last month.
► Even more top executives (67%) read 3 or more titles in the last month.
► 44% of BDMs spend 3 or more hours reading industry-specific magazines
per week. This rate has more than doubled from 20% of BDMs in 2001.*
► Even more top executives (51%) spend 3 or more hours reading industry-
specific magazines per week.

BDMs are also highly-involved with industry-specific magazine
Web sites
► 54% of BDMs visited 5 or more industry-specific magazine Web sites in
the last month.
► This rate has more than tripled from just 16% of BDMs visiting industry-
specific magazine Web sites in 2001.*
► In 2007, even more top executives (61%) visited 5 or more industry-
specific magazine Web sites last month.
► 47% of BDMs spent 3 hours or more visiting industry-specific magazine
Web sites per week
► This rate has increased from just 29% of BDMs visiting industry-specific
magazine Web sites 3 hours or more in 2001.*
*In 2001, ABM engaged Yankelovich Partners and Harris Interactive to complete an independent research study of the
role of B2B media on fulfilling 505 executives’ information needs. The 2001 trend data is taken from the findings of this
survey available at: http://www.americanbusinessmedia.com/abm/Yankelovich.asp?SnID=395133682.

In fact, top executives read more titles – and spend more time reading –
industry-specific magazines compared to other decision makers
► Top executives are 2 times more likely to read 6 or more
industry-specific magazine titles per month than other BDMs.
► Top executives are more than twice as likely to spend 6 or
more hours reading industry-specific magazine titles in the
past week when compared to other BDMs.

The majority of BDMs find industry-specific content and advertising
more engaging than general business media
Statement Agree
When reading or interacting with industry-specific magazines, I find that I
spend more time reading or thinking about the editorial content and
product/service messages than with other general business media
80%
Base: 878 B2B decision makers
What’s more, 85% of senior-most executives agree with this
statement compared to 79% of other BDM titles.

When used together with other industry-specific media, do
industry-specific magazines help BDMs recognize brands and
products better?
Do they help B2B marketers attract more qualified buyers?
Are B2B marketers spending plans keeping pace with the value
decision makers get from industry-specific magazines?

When used together, B2B magazines and other B2B media help BDMs
recognize brands and B2B marketers find more qualified buyers
B2B Decision Makers Agree
It is easier for me to recognize or remember a company’s brand or
products/services when I see messages about it in multiple media such as
magazines, online, or at events
91%
B2B Marketers Agree
Our firm gets more qualified buyers when we integrate industry-specific
B2B media like magazines and events with online media like Web ads and
sponsored links.
85%
Base: 816 B2B marketers
Q14 Decision Makers survey: Please rate your level of agreement with the following statements:
Q9: Marketers survey; Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements
Base: 878 Business decision makers

B2B marketers rank industry-specific magazines among the top 3 media
tactics they use in their marketing programs
“Which B2B media or trade marketing tactics does your company use in the past 12 months?”
Fewer than 39% of respondents chose the following media: Online video/rich Internet apps, Specialized Web
sites, B2B blogs, TV, General business magazine Web sites, Outdoor, Radio, Online
forums/communities/social networks, Mobile/wireless devices, Syndicated content feeds/RSS, and Podcasts.
39%
40%
40%
41%
42%
44%
49%
56%
61%
62%
63%
63%
71%
79%Corporate Web site
Direct mail
Public relations
Custom media
Web-based events
Newspapers
Product listings/ads in online directories

While BDMs rank industry-specific magazines #2 of all media they use for
doing their job, B2B marketers spend a significant percentage of their
budgets on media that BDMs use or rely on less, such as general
business media and traditional broadcast
Reported % trade marketing budget spent on each marketing tactic in 2007
Base: 816 Marketers

Will BDMs continue to use industry-specific magazines in 2009?
Will B2B marketers’ spending plans for advertisements in
industry-specific magazines keep pace with BDMs expected use
of industry-specific magazines?

Industry-specific magazines will continue to be more important for BDMs
than general business media in 2009
“How will your use of business-related media change in the next two years (2009)?”
Base: 878 business decision makers,
Q10 Decision Makers survey: How will your use of traditional media change in the next two years (2009)?
% who say their use of tactics will “increase” or “increase significantly” in 2009.
22%
22%
29%
39%
43%
44%
45%
45%
63%
66%
59%
58%
58%
Newspapers
Direct mail
Web-based events

Similarly, B2B marketers expect to increase their spending on industry-
specific magazines more than on general business magazines
“How do you expect your spending on business-related media to change in the next two years (2009)?”
33%
37%
34%
34%
41%
30%
32%
28%
44%
34%
42%
44%
31%
13%
17%
22%
26%
27%
31%
33%
35%
27%
32%
30%
28%
39%
6%
6%
10%
10%
9%
16%
12%
15%
8%
15%
12%
12%
24%
Newspapers
Direct mail
Public relations
Web-based events
Corporate Web site
Key: % of respondents who say: Spend somewhat more on this tactic in 2009
Spend significantly more on this tactic in 2009
Spend about the same on this tactic in 2009

Media/tactic B2B Decision Makers B2B Marketers
Industry-specific trade shows OR
conferences
58% 40%
Industry-specific business
magazines
44% 35%
Industry-specific Web sites 63% 45%
Corporate Web site 58% 62%
Email or electronic newsletters 58% 47%
Public relations 43% 42%
General business magazine Web sites 39% 36%
Traditional broadcast 33% 35%
General business magazines 29% 23%
Direct mail 22% 32%*
“In 2009, how will your spending on – or use of – the following marketing
tactics change compared with 2007?”
Despite evidence of persistent value, B2B marketers’ budget plans will
underutilize industry-specific magazines in 2009
Q3: Marketers survey
Q10: BDM survey
Base: 816 B2B marketers, 878 business decision makers
* = over-utilized
% who say their use of these tactics will “increase” or “increase significantly” in 2009

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