It was a busy month in April with a lot of editorial changes and announcements. I paid a visit to ESC at San Jose and spent some time talking to marketing communications managers and publishers, particularly about their views on the value of online advertising. I have yet to find one with a convincing argument to support the expenditure. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. It does mean that as marketers under constant pressure to justify communications budgets in terms of ROI, we are going to continue to find this to be a challenge. Paul Miller, CEO of TechInsights, gives his views on the subject in the first of two SOAPBOX pieces this month. Chris Edwards, a well-known UK freelance writer and electronics editor of the IET’s Engineering and Technology, gives his personal and robust view of where start-ups go wrong in dealing with the media. If you have comments to make on either of these opinion pieces, please get in touch – I’ll run them in the next issue. Finally, if any journalists in Germany fancy the idea of working for EPN, see our JOBSLOT this month. Onto the news……..
Electronique International, Electronique and Mesures, together with their respective web sites, are to be sold to Yole Développement in a deal that is due to complete during May, industry sources tell us. The titles have been for sale for some time by present owner, Immeuble Europaris. Yole Développement started out as a market research and strategy consulting company and claims to be the world leader in the analysis of MEMS markets. In addition to research reports, the company has three publications: Micronews, MEMSentry and Micronews 3D IC and TSV Applications Newsletter. MEMS and semiconductor manufacturing are the main focus of these titles. Electronique and Electronique International, and their web sites, are paid subscription media. Print circulation is around 5,500 for each title, exclusively in France. Free copies boosted circulation to about 15,000 each in the past, but this element was later scrapped.
Web: http://www.yole.fr
Nominations are invited now for the industry awards that promote corporate social responsibility among electronic design companies. Readers of Electronics Product Design will be invited to vote for the winners in eight categories. The e-Legacy Awards are designed to celebrate the considerable investments made by electronics companies, in terms of time, money and equipment to safeguarding the planet and its resources and building for future generations. As well as designs that contribute to safety and security, health and medical advances, there are categories for young engineers, with initiatives and projects to introduce and encourage electronic engineering study. There are also categories that concentrate on preserving the earth’s resources either through sensitive growth or electronics design that reduces power consumption.
TechInsights (previously CMP) will shortly announce the appointment of Maury Wright as editor of a new ‘DesignLine’ web site. Details have yet to be announced. Maury was previously editorial director of EDN worldwide but was laid off by Reed in the latest round of cuts.
The Zigbee Alliance will run an English language conference for Zigbee developers in Munich from 24-25th June, 2008. It is organized and run by the German electronics magazine Design & Elektronik in cooperation with Elektronik magazine and the Steinbeis Transfer Center Embedded Design and Networking at the University of Cooperative Education Loerrach. The program includes 30 technical papers. The 2007 conference attracted 248 participants from 20 countries, says the organizer.
Web: http://www.elektroniknet.de/home/termine/foren/2nd-european-zigbee-developers-conference
TechInsights has apparently lured editor, Wolfgang Patelay, away from Reed’s EPN, where he was the German editor, to one of their new European ‘DesignLine’ web sites. They haven’t told us anything more – in fact, they haven’t told us anything - we only found out in a passing conversation! EPN is looking for a replacement – see our JOBSLOT at the end of this newsletter.
Shannon Alo-Mendosa is joining TechInsights Events - Custom Solutions group as Director of Business Development. The group produces face-to-face events, digital environments and digital trade shows. With over 10 years of international experience in the electronics market, Alo-Mendosa brings a keen understanding of the core technologies that drive the electronics market and proven relationships with the top semiconductor and electronics companies worldwide. Alo-Mendosa will be responsible for developing and fostering new relationships with vendors across the electronics industry as well as identifying new business opportunities with a specific focus on events.Prior to joining TechInsights Events, Alo-Mendosa held the position of Strategic Accounts Director where she represented CMP’s Electronics Group worldwide media portfolio. Previously, Alo-Mendosa was employed at PennWell as associate publisher of the Portable Design franchise.
elektroniknet.de Germany’s professional electronics web site reached an all-time high for visitors and page impressions in the first quarter of 2008. Audit organisation, IVW-Online, confirms some 1.7 million page impressions for the first three months of the year. ”We are confident of exceeding 6 million page impressions in 2008”, says Peter Wintermayr, editor-in-chief of elektroniknet.de.
A survey at February’s Embedded World show in Nuremberg, carried out by Gelszus for NurembergMesse, confirms Markt & Technik oon 53% and Elektronik on 44% as the titles with the highest readership in Germany. Both are published by WEKA. The third WEKA title, Design & Elektronik is in joint 3rd place with Vogel’s ElektronikPraxis, both on 36%. We don’t have details of the questions asked of visitors, but WEKA did point out that the survey does not conform for ZAW guidelines for media analysis. However, the results correlate closely with earlier research by LA ELFA, which does.
ElectronicProducts.com has been re-designed with new features and functionality, says publisher, Hearst. The press release says that readers can access more information in less time, navigate new and archived content specific articles on one page, customize results for product teardowns, view product demonstrations, read editorial columns, and easily navigate through the Hearst Electronics Group network of engineering and design tools.
After some 17 years now as its editor, Bjørn Ø Andersen has handed over the editorship of the Norwegian print publication Elektronikk to Einar Karlsen. Einar is no newcomer, having been writing about electronics for over 20 years. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what Einar will bring to the magazine,” says Andersen, firmly of the belief that any changes will only be to the good of both readers and advertisers. Andersen himself will now focus on the web version of the publication. As editor-in-chief, he retains overall responsibility for the magazine in both print and online format. The rest of the publishing team is unchanged. Tone Finne in is charge of subscriptions and accounts, Lis Verner Hallén in charge of production, while Morten Olsson handles advertising sales for both the print and online publications. The changes coincide with a revamp of the magazine’s look and feel. But while the front cover has undergone a radical makeover, the inside layout has undergone fewer visual changes.
The survey outlines how makers in Greater China are addressing product quality and pricing issues in the wake of the current slowdown in the United States, one of the world’s largest export markets. Researchers interviewed 322 electronics manufacturers in the Greater China region across 10 manufacturing industries, including access control, battery chargers, Bluetooth headsets, DC motors, digital cameras, in-car TVs, IP cameras, PC cameras, media players and USB flash drives. The study covers the majority of makers located in southeastern China. More than half of the respondents were based in Guangdong province, while Fujian and Zhejiang were other key locations. Survey results show that more than 84 percent of electronics suppliers in mainland China plan to increase production capacity and keep price increases to 5 percent or below. This despite higher costs of raw materials and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive compliance. Survey respondents cited their biggest challenges as fierce price competition (37 percent), design copying and piracy (25 percent), rising raw material costs (22 percent), labor shortage (10 percent), and stricter overseas standards (5 percent). Among surveyed suppliers, 39 percent are planning to increase capacity by at least 20 percent while 47 percent primarily target exports to the European Union.
Electronic Design-China celebrates its second anniversary with record-breaking 51 full-page full-color ads in its special issue in March. Sponsorships on the magazine have grown 70 percent since its launch, says Mark Saunderson, president of Global Sources Electronics Business Unit. He goes on to claim that every month, 40,387 design engineers and 267,894 pass-along readers in mainland China read Electronic Design-China. The content development team has introduced new channels that supplement engineers’ need for design information: Microwaves & RF for wireless technologies; Designed by Distributors for “turnkey“ design services and references; and Asia Technology for design solutions from Asia’s leading semiconductor vendors.
Web: http://www.corporate.globalsources.com/PRODUCTS/EDCHINA.HTM
The Elektra ’08 awards, run by the UK’s Electronics Weekly, will be taking place on the 10th November at the Hilton Hotel in Munich, Germany. It will kick-off the Electronica exhibition week. The Elektra awards are the dedicated electronics industry awards for people who are passionate about what they do. The original deadline for entries was April 25th, but it has been extended to May 9th.
Chris Shaw is joining UK-based MMG Publishing as editor for Electronics Sourcing Electronics Assembly magazine. Chris has edited a number of monthly and periodical magazines within the building and plumbing sector. Jon Barrett becomes managing editor across both publications and Amy Barker will continue her role as associate editor.
MMG will launch the European edition of Electronics Sourcing at the Electronica show in Munich (November, 2008). It will be published bi-monthly with a claimed circulation of 25,000 purchasing professionals in the electronics industry. It will largely be published in English, although some large editions or major trade show previews will be published in multiple languages.
Electronic Design Automation Ltd., publisher of Embedded System Engineering magazine, has done into liquidation. We have been told that the magazine itself was profitable but that other parts of the business were not. The magazine, which was published 8 times per annum, has closed after more than 20 years of serving the embedded engineering community.
Run by the Electronics Knowledge Transfer Network, as not-for-profit organization funded by the UK government, two events looking at RFID technology are to be held in May. The first is on May 2nd at the RFID Centre, Bracknell. The second is on May 15th at the European AIDC Centre of Excellence in Halifax. See the links below for full details and to register.
Web: http://www.regonline.co.uk/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=603678\\ Web: http://www.regonline.co.uk/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=603654
Daniel Moravanszky has been appointed as international sales executive but Nikkei Business Publishing. He is based in London, having recently moved to the UK from Budapest, Hungary, where he worked as key account manager for a portfolio of 20 publications and websites. He is now responsible for international sales on Nikkei Electronics Japan and Nikkei Electronics Asia, amongst other titles.
Mark Hauser, marketing and sales director for Vogel Europublishing, publisher of Germany’s ElektronikPraxis, has moved office to Vogel Europublishing Inc., 3321 Ashbourne Circle, San Ramon, CA 94583.
Paul Miller, CEO of TechInsights, muses on the issue of online advertising
Living in the eighties
Way back in the pre-Internet mid-1980’s, I was a fledgling sales rep working for Electronics Weekly. One of the major discussions with marketing communications departments was that the weekly newspaper did not deliver enough of the “bingo card” responses to advertisements. During one meeting with a client, I remember the point being made aggressively as the Marcom manager opened the top left draw of his desk, reached in and pulled out a pack of the aforementioned ‘bingo cards’ and made the point that the return on investment from his advertising spend was there in the top draw of his desk. I remember thinking at the time that the actual “leads” produced by the ads had not reached the client’s sales team or even seen the light of day. Fast forward 30 odd years and the discussions surrounding Internet advertising seem to be stuck on the new “bingo card” metric – “click throughs” – The Internet has certainly introduced the possibility of measurement of ROI to the marketing community but the focus on click through reminds me of the bingo card discussions of the past. In talking to the sales community at large advertisers, the link between the online ad and the CRM systems are far from perfect. As the web continues to mature, metrics may move onto “engagement” (time spent with message) and/or “immersive environments” (where engineers register, spend time with a company’s brand and request more information). With every new medium, the measurement of success changes – it’s time for new ROI measurement for BtoB online campaigns.
Chris Edwards, renowned UK freelance writer, takes a pot-shot at PR for start-ups
Delayed satisfaction
Startups are such a tease. Dealing with them is a little like playing ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’, only a lot less rewarding. That’s because interviews inevitably reach the point where you ask a question and the response comes back as some variant: “But we don’t want to give you that. This is only a company launch/technology briefing/product preview/background briefing”. On TV, Chris Tarrant then rips up the cheque. In the less glittery surroundings of a windowless room in some anonymous hotel, the story that is in my head goes through a similar process.
It’s easy to see how this situation has come about. In the late 1990s, there were plenty of pages to fill and plenty of people to write them. The problem was finding the raw material for stories. Startups looked like a ready source of stories, so we tolerated the drip feed of information that came from them. It made sense in PR terms rather than splurging out everything at once: why settle for one story when you have six? However, times have changed. It is much, much easier to seek out new themes and story ideas thanks to the web than it ever used to be. The whole social networking thing is just icing on the cake. The web is a double-edged sword. It may be putting paid to print but it’s an effective idea generator. However, resources are far more restricted than they ever used to be.
However, the startups are still presenting like it’s 1999. Here’s what you might call the canonical script for a PR exercise. In the beginning, there is stealth mode. For most companies this is no more than a euphemism, as most put up a little website to tell you’re their name and they’re hiring. Some of them go around conferences giving presentations that provide pretty heavy clues as to what they are doing if not just spelling it out straight. However, startup PR treats this as though it were happening in an inconvenient alternative universe. That’s because, the first official word to the press is the Company Launch. This is the bit where the company’s management tell journalists what they are doing and what the company’s name is...and that’s about it. That’s because, by holding stuff back, you get to do the Technology Briefing.
These technology briefings are often nothing of the sort. The presentations normally consist of some kind of placebo-science explanation that is, on occasion, so wrong and full of non sequiturs that you wonder if they are going to wait a minute and then say: “Only kidding, it works like this”.
However, if you are following the startup script, you don’t want to do the real explanation there and then. Because that would ruin the surprise of the Product Announcement. Note that it’s an announcement. That’s because there is no product. This is just a marketing veep talking about all the features and how it will solve world hunger, or something. That approach still gives room for the First Demonstration and a Product Shipping Announcement. Don’t forget, this is addition to the various announcements of Series X funding. Add all that up, assuming you’ve been talked into doing one hour ‘briefings’ – you know, I think I’m beginning to develop a Chief Inspector Dreyfus-style twitch when I hear the word ‘briefing’ – and you’ve wiped out the best part of a day wading through Powerpoint. And the list of intermediate steps seems to be getting longer. I’m half expecting to see releases with headlines like: “Marketing VP of SmegSoft has breakfast. Declares it good.”
Now, there are always going to be companies who can get away with this, but they will need to be something special. For many others, there aren’t enough hours in the day to deal with the briefings, not when there are so many other things to for journalists to go after that yield better results with less effort.
That’s because going to startup briefings can be a lot less rewarding than simply surfing the web or turning up to conferences. I’m coming across more situations where the press meeting contains almost no useful information. Yet the CTO is spilling the beans to an audience of engineers in another room. I and others have encountered situations where we have read papers and rung the company about it and got no response, only to have that same company chase after us for meetings where they tell us less than what we already knew.
So, if you find journalists being less than lukewarm about coming to your Company Launch or First Demonstration or Breakfast Briefing, you now know why.
Reed Business Publishing is seeking a replacement editor in Germany to replace Wolfgang Patelay, who left pan-European magazine, EPN, recently. The publisher is looking for an experienced electronics journalist or editor with excellent English - EPN is published in English.
CONTACT: Martin Savery, publishing director, at: msavery@reedbusiness.fr