Business journals launch novel national campaign
In an aggressive effort to highlight their growth and health at a time of challenge for all publishers, Houston Business Journal and the 39 other papers in the American City Business Journals group this week took a novel approach to tell their story: All 40 business journals printed a four-page “wrap” around their papers filled with statistics and testimonials from readers in their local markets, detailing the niche their papers fill in each of their communities.
The testimonials highlighted ways that their papers have connected them to new sales, new jobs and new ways to grow their businesses, and most recently, ways to tap government stimulus dollars. The national campaign cites statistics that include recent numbers for paid circulation, time spent reading business journals and event attendance.
Collectively, the papers grew circulation by 3.85 percent between 2005 and 2009 while daily newspapers in those same markets lost 29 percent; from 2007 to 2009 alone, the ACBJ circulation growth totaled 2.7 percent, according to figures tallied by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Nationally, ACBJ readers spend an average of 50 minutes reading their local business journal each week, according to media audits.
And through 2009, about 175,000 business leaders have attended business journal events across the country.
The campaign has linked the papers together under a single message that asks, “Who Do You Want To Meet Today?” That message centers on the way each paper connects business leaders with each other, via print, in person, at events, or online through the bizjournals paydayloans.com network of local business journal sites.
ACBJ newspapers reach 4 million readers each week with in-depth coverage of their business communities. ACBJ cites recent research as evidence of the sweet spot it occupies in the media: 83% of all business news is local. Further, the company attributes it commitment to exclusive, top-quality journalism as vital to its success.
“No one in the local business community is more connected, more aware, more in touch than business journals are,” said ACBJ CEO Whitney Shaw, in a Q&A offered in each paper’s four-page wrap. “We're giving vital, up to the minute information to corporate executives, small business owners, community leaders, to virtually anybody who has a stake in the economy. And we're giving that information with a depth they can't get anywhere else.”
ACBJ is a unit of Advance Publications Inc., which also operates Conde Nast Magazines, Parade magazine, Fairchild Publications, the Golf Digest companies, Newhouse Newspapers and cable television interests.