Ilim Group Starts Up 220M mtpy UWF PM

Ilim Group starts up its 220,000 tonne/yr UWF PM 7 at Koryazhma in Russia: On the 3rd of March in Koryazhma, Arkhangelsk oblast, Ilim Group's new paper machine build as a part of Big Koryazhma investment project made paper for the first time.

During the coming weeks, Ilim Group's specialists, supported by experts from International Paper and representatives of equipment suppliers, will be working together to bring the machine up to full production, and help it meet all of the product quality parameters.

New high quality office and offset paper - will soon enter Russian market.

Big Koryazhma is a project is an investment of $270 million, involving construction of a new paper machine, installation of an off-machine coater, installation of cut-size and folio sheeters, construction of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) plant and implementation of infrastructure projects.

China's Pulp & RCP Imports Fall for Month, Up Y/Y

Pulp
China's total pulp imports dropped -2.2% in January compared to the previous month, down to nearly 1.364 million tonnes, according to data from China Customs.

Year over year, pulp imports were up +16.3%.

RCP

China's total recovered paper (RCP) imports fell -6.3% to around 2.518 million tonnes in January, down from some 2.687 million tonnes in December 2012, according to data from China Customs.

But January's figure was much higher than that of the same period last year. It saw a surge of +42.0% compared to the almost 1.774 million tonnes recorded in January 2012.

Another Pulp Increase Announcement

Mercer International informed customers in North America and China that it would increase northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp prices $30/tonne, with effective dates spread over two months, industry contacts said today.

In North America, Mercer told customers it will increase NBSK prices $30/tonne to a $930/tonne list, effective April 1. That's the same move Canfor Pulp and Resolute Forest Products announced this week.

New Timber Regulations Begin for EU

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32010R0995:EN:NOT

The European Commission (EC) has brought in effect new measures to prohibit illegally harvested timber and timber products from being placed on the EU market. The new EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force yesterday.

According to EUTR, EU operators selling timber and timber products will have to ensure that the timber has been harvested according to the relevant laws of the country of harvest. To ensure the legality of the wood, the operators must apply the so-called "due diligence" mechanism.
This involves providing information on the supply of timber products, including description of species, volume, country of harvest, the supplyer's name and address as well as evidence of compliance with applicable legislation. The system also requires risk assessment of the supply and, where high risk is identified, mitigation to eliminate any potentially illegal timber.
Traders along the supply chain within the EU will be obliged to keep records of all operators through to the end-user.
The EU member states are responsible for applying sanctions to operators who break the rules. Timber products from countries that have entered into Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) voluntary partnership agreements with the EU are considered to be in compliance with the new regulation.

Northern Wisconsin Mill Towns Brace for Worst

http://www.jsonline.com/business/northern-wisconsin-mill-towns-brace-for-worst-rm8vgcj-194552111.html

Wausau is busy fending off the most high-profile hostile corporate battle Wisconsin has seen in years. Manhattan-based hedge fund Starboard Value LP acquired the largest single stake in Wausau in 2011 and since then has pressured the company to break itself up.

Pressure from Starboard last year prompted Wausau to shut its oldest mill in the village of Brokaw, the mill that founded the company in 1899. Starboard's pressure also compelled Wausau to make an abrupt announcement in January that it will sell its remaining mills in the Midwest, including Rhinelander, Mosinee and a third across the state line in Brainerd, Minn.
Wausau barely gave itself five weeks to find prospective buyers, however, before it made an equally abrupt announcement: It will close the Minnesota mill. Nor has it said yet that it has found buyers for its two remaining Wisconsin mills.

USDA Awards $3 Million for Wood to Energy Projects

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdamediafb?contentid=2011/06/0267.xml&printable=true&contentidonly=true

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the award of nearly $3 million in grants to 17 small businesses and community groups to develop wood-to-energy projects that require engineering services and will help expand regional economies and create new jobs.

"Biomass is a vital part of America's clean energy future as we work to decrease our dependence on foreign oil," said Vilsack. "Projects like these will help grow regional economies, create new jobs, and improve and protect our environment. We will need architects and engineers to design these plants, skilled laborers to build them and well-trained technicians to operate them."

MeeGenius Announces Partnership

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/meegenius-distribute-bestselling-random-house-100000294.html

MeeGenius, the leading digital platform for children's books, is announcing a new distribution partnership with renowned publisher Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc which will bring select titles from popular and award-winning authors and brands such as Richard Scarry, P.D. Eastman, The Berenstain Bears, Thomas & Friends, Barbie and DC Super Friends to more than 2 million MeeGenius readers.

Safeway Looking Away from Print

http://adage.com/article/media/safeway-envisions-future-print-ads/239975/

Safeway is doing its best to eliminate print advertising in favor of more personalized digital ads. The fifth largest grocery player in North America spent $20 million on newspaper ads through November of 2012. That's consistent with 2011, though a big drop off from the $33 million spent on newspaper ads in 2010. 

Still, print and free-standing newspaper inserts continue to dominate coupon media, even as digital coupons gain in popularity. Kantar Media found a 46% increase in digital coupon events by consumer packaged goods companies last year, with the trend accelerating as the year progressed.

USPS Posts Loss for January, Direct Mail Up 4%

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130304/DIRECT0202/303049947/usps-amid-some-bright-signs-loses-437-million-in-january

The U.S. Postal Service posted a net loss of $437 million for January due to dwindling first-class mail usage and higher personnel costs. Overall revenue rose, however, driven by other product categories. 
January volume of first-class mail, the Postal Service's most profitable product, declined by 2.0%.

However, revenue for the month increased 4.4% to $5.6 billion, as standard mail, used most often for advertising, experienced a 4.0% increase in volume and a 2.6% rise in revenue. Periodical mail volume and revenue also rose—2.6% and 2.9%, respectively.

BtoB/Eloqua Survey: Defining the 'Modern Marketer'

http://www.btobonline.com/article/20130304/ADVERTISING13/303049944/btob-eloqua-survey-defining-the-modern-marketer-reveals-trends

Marketers feel that powerful prospect targeting is their most important goal, but also say they have a long way to go to reach best-of-breed competency, according to new research by BtoB.
According to BtoB's study, "Defining the Modern Marketer: From Ideal to Real," sponsored by Eloqua, marketers give themselves an average score of 7 out of 10 on their current abilities to target customers properly.

BtoB Study: 96% Use Social Marketing, Only 41% Measure

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130304/ADVERTISING13/303049945/btob-study-social-marketing-reaches-critical-mass&template=printart

Social media marketing has reached a stage of maturity that places it firmly in the mainstream of marketing channel activity, with fully 96% of marketers engaging with social media in some fashion, according to a new report by BtoB.

However, only 41% of marketers reported that they make any attempt to measure social's return on investment. Further, respondents rate the performance of social media as a marketing tool at just 6.4 on a 10-point scale.

Marketers' Key Concern: Accountability

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/194868/accountability-is-to-marketer-concern.html#axzz2Mb5S4NlY

A survey of top marketers says "accountability" is again their top concern.
The Association of National Advertisers says it's the third time this has happened since the industry group began taking the survey seven years ago (2010 and 2006). "Integrated marketing communication" comes next on the list of top concerns, followed by "aligning the marketing organization with innovation" and "building strong brands."
The group says these four issues have been at the top of its survey list since the group began its survey, in 2006. "Integrated marketing communications" was the most important issue to marketers in 2007 and 2008.

2012: Slow Growth Year For Ad Companies

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/194885/2012-proves-slow-growth-year-for-ad-companies.html#axzz2Mb5S4NlY

Not only was 2012 a “tepid” year growth-wise for the major advertising holding companies, it also got progressively worse with each succeeding quarter.
Collective organic revenue growth for the holding companies (Omnicom, Interpublic, Publicis Groupe, WPP and Havas) amounted to just 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to a new report from Pivotal Research Group’s Brian Wieser. That was down from 4.2%, 3.1% and 2% in the first, second and third quarters, respectively.
For the year, the holding companies had collective growth of between 2.5% and 3%, Wieser reported.

50 Revenue Ideas for Niche Magazine Publishers

http://blog.nichemediahq.com/ad-sales/50-revenue-ideas-for-niche-magazine-publishers/

We asked the 2013 Niche Magazine Conference attendees to share the best revenue strategies for niche magazine publishers that they learned at the event. Here are 50 of the best.

Ask your printer to do a co-mailing study for you – If the study looks good you can cut between 5% and 10% from your costs and still mail on your target dates...

Create new content for your website, not just regurgitated material from your print magazine. ..  

Use PPC (pay per click) online ads to give marketers their money’s worth in ROI. Charging a flat rate for each lead will give marketers peace of mind when deciding to advertise...And more...

Industry Effort to Improve Web Ad Metrics Stalled

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/industry-effort-improve-web-ad-metrics-goes-nowhere-147661

Is the viewable impression going nowhere fast? A full two years after IAB, the ANA and the 4A's launched Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS), a cross-industry effort to improve Web ad metrics, and a year after viewability took center stage at the IAB’s annual meeting, the movement seems to be running in place. Instead of rallying around a new ad currency, questions continue to arise over the most practical of issues, such as how to measure, implement and enforce viewable impressions—and whether the whole conversation is even worthwhile.

What If Publishers Could Start From Scratch?

http://www.digiday.com/publishers/publishers-from-scratch/

Most publishers don’t get the luxury of starting from scratch. Instead, their task is to modernize organizations built for the Industrial Age, not the Digital Age.
Digiday reached out to publishers with this question: If you could start from scratch, what would you do as a publisher?
Jason Pontin, publisher and editor-in-chief, MIT Technology Review 
I suppose the answer, considered purely economically, is that I couldn’t afford to launch a print publication if I was starting from scratch. On the other hand, the print publication, now that the business has stabilized, brings in a tidy set of revenue streams in subscriptions, print advertising, and licensing fees, and it supports the online CPM, too. I’m glad we still have a printed publication.
And more...

Kodak and Lenders Finalize Terms

Kodak and Lenders Finalize Terms of Interim and Exit Financing: Kodak today announced that it has reached an agreement with the Steering Committee of the Second Lien Noteholders to amend the terms for the previously-announced interim and exit financing package. The amendments provide Kodak with additional flexibility to successfully execute its reorganization objectives and emerge from Chapter 11 in mid-2013.