Hearst Magazines International has
appointed Arnaud de Puyfontaine managing director for Western
Europe. Puyfontaine, 49, has been CEO of Hearst Magazines U.K. since 2009
and EVP of Hearst Magazines International since 2011. He will now oversee the
activities of Hearst Magazines in Spain, Italy, Holland, Germany and
France. He will continue to report to Duncan Edwards, president and CEO of
HMI. HMI is building a presence in the region, launching a German edition of
Harper’s Bazaar in September and a French edition in 2014.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
REMAG Incentives Program Expands
REMAG, a program in which consumers
recycle magazines, newspapers or catalogs in in-store kiosks, has been
implemented in SuperMax supermarkets in Puerto Rico. For each recycled
periodical, consumers get up to five instant coupons good for discounts off
magazines of their choice (across 15 categories). They can also designate a nonprofit
or charity to receive a monetary reward for each coupon. The program has
support from leading consumer products companies (General Mills, P&G,
Kraft, Pepsi, among others) and environmental organizations.
Business Worries About USPS Rate Jump
Private-sector groups are growing increasingly
worried that the Postal Service's board is going to consider a broad rate
increase next month, a move they say would amount to an attack on some of the
agency’s best customers.
Industries that heavily use the mail, like magazines, catalog marketers and
banks, say that a sharp hike in the postage rate would drag down their bottom
line.
Mailers also insist that, while they understand
the USPS's board of governors has to look for ways to firm up a dire financial
situation, approving a rate increase would be counterproductive for the agency,
and little more than a temporary substitute for the long-term changes the
service desperately needs.
A postal rate increase of as much as 10 percent could produce a short-term revenue burst for the struggling service, mailers say, but could be a long-term loser once companies rely less on the mail.
A postal rate increase of as much as 10 percent could produce a short-term revenue burst for the struggling service, mailers say, but could be a long-term loser once companies rely less on the mail.
Access Intelligence Sells Health Group Brands to UCG
Terms of the deal, done on behalf of UCG's DecisionHealth LLC, were not released.
Access Intelligence, parent company of FOLIO:, produces multiplatform content for several markets including media, energy and aviation/aerospace. Healthcare is a fourth grouping, but, as evidenced by the sale, is not considered as core to the company's strategic focus.
Contexo Media provides books, software and e-learning products for medical practices in the areas of reimbursement, coding and compliance. And Dorland Health publishes the monthly Case in Point as well as a group of newsletters.
Digital Growth Ignites Innovation
Industry reports noted that high-end digital printing equipment sales reached record levels in the past year. As screen and offset technologies decline, analog manufacturers are increasingly focused on reducing costs for short runs. Meanwhile, digital UV and latex technologies are quickly gaining ground and reaching new levels of productivity and quality.
The financial climate has also pushed print providers to reduce costs and improve efficiency, while simultaneously finding new revenue with higher-value added services.
Out-of-Home Continues to Grow
Out-of-home advertising revenues increased 5%
from around $2.1 billion in the second quarter of 2012 to just under $2.2 billion
in the second quarter of 2013, according to the latest figures from the Outdoor
Advertising Association of America.
This marks the 13th straight quarter of growth for out-of-home, which has posted steady year-over-year increases since the second quarter of 2010.
This marks the 13th straight quarter of growth for out-of-home, which has posted steady year-over-year increases since the second quarter of 2010.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
EURO-GRAPH Reports P&W Jully Ships
EURO-GRAPH has reported European coated mechanical paper shipments in July fell -5.7% as compared to the same month last year. Demand declined -7.2%. Exports rose +1.3%. Coated woodfree shipments were down -5.7%, demand fell -3.8% and exports decreased -14.8%. Supercalendered paper shipments fell -0.6%, but demand went up +0.5%. Exports declined -4.8%. Uncoated woodfeee shipments for the month decreased -3.2%, demand was down -4.3%, but exports rose +6%.
UPM to Reorganize Finance & Control Operations
UPM
announced that it plans to reorganize its Finance & Control operations and
to outsource recurring transactional tasks to an external company by the end of
second quarter 2014.
The
reorganization is expected to affect up to 180 positions, mainly in Finland and
China, UPM said.
The
plan is part of UPM’s profit improvement program published on the 6th of August
2013, the company added.
According
to UPM, the restructuring of operations aims to improve Finance & Control
function’s cost-efficiency through simplifying the ways of working and building
the ability to scale to current and future business needs.
July Global Pulp Shipments Up
Global
pulp deliveries edged up by 1.2% to 3.683 million tonnes in July, up from 3.639
million tonnes in June, according to Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC)
data.
Shipments were 6.9% higher than the year-earlier period, up from 3.445 million tonnes in July 2012.
The shipment-to-capacity ratio fell from 92% in June to 90% last month.
Bleached softwood kraft (BSK) pulp shipments moved up from 1.840 million tonnes in June to 1.944 million tonnes in July, while bleached hardwood kraft (BHK) pulp deliveries fell from 1.680 million tonnes in June to 1.617 million tonnes last month.
Shipments were 6.9% higher than the year-earlier period, up from 3.445 million tonnes in July 2012.
The shipment-to-capacity ratio fell from 92% in June to 90% last month.
Bleached softwood kraft (BSK) pulp shipments moved up from 1.840 million tonnes in June to 1.944 million tonnes in July, while bleached hardwood kraft (BHK) pulp deliveries fell from 1.680 million tonnes in June to 1.617 million tonnes last month.
China's Imports of RCP and Pulp Grow
China's
recovered paper (RCP) imports ticked up last month, climbing 5.0% from June to
more than 2.384 million tonnes in July, according to data from China Customs.
Mixed
paper intake saw the biggest increase, surging 18.8% compared to June to
466,295 tonnes.
This
is down to a sharp decline in June, when intake plummeted 22.7% from May to
392,531 tonnes.
Mixed
paper is the prime target of the Chinese government's intensified customs
inspections under the Green Fence policy. Buyers and sellers have tried to stay
away from trading the grade, especially European tonnage.
July's
total RCP imports figure was 1.4% higher than the 2.352 million tonnes recorded
in July 2012.
China's total pulp imports grew 7.8% in July compared to the previous month,
climbing to 1.388 million tonnes, according to data from China Customs.
The
rise was ascribed to a surge of bleached softwood kraft pulp imports, which
amounted to 575,178 tonnes last month - up 15.2% from June.
Intake
of bleached hardwood kraft pulp edged down 3.0% month-on-month to 482,131 tonnes.
July's
total pulp import figure was 16.1% higher than the 1.196 million tonnes
recorded in the same month of 2012.
NewPage Introduces Ed #15
http://news.paperindex.com/ProductLaunches_NewTechnology/NewPage_Introduces_Ed_15_Interactive_Print/
NewPage
Corporation (NewPage) announced today the release of Ed #15: Interactive Print,
the newest brochure in its popular "Ed" series which has been
delivering educational tips and advice on printing techniques, new technologies
and sustainability topics relevant to customers and other stakeholders for more
than a decade.
"Ed #15 showcases paper as the original interactive communication medium," states Steven DeVoe, vice president, Marketing for NewPage. "Paper keeps getting better, finding new ways to connect, not just to a particular audience, but also to other media. With new browser technologies, print has become a uniquely effective gateway to video, websites, e-catalogs and other information through smart devices. Printed communication is more vital than ever. It's vibrant and highly effective—reaching millions and selling billions."
"Ed #15 showcases paper as the original interactive communication medium," states Steven DeVoe, vice president, Marketing for NewPage. "Paper keeps getting better, finding new ways to connect, not just to a particular audience, but also to other media. With new browser technologies, print has become a uniquely effective gateway to video, websites, e-catalogs and other information through smart devices. Printed communication is more vital than ever. It's vibrant and highly effective—reaching millions and selling billions."
Print: Evolve from Outbound to Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is attraction-based; give something away, create compelling content in exchange for the permission to market to a prospect who has already found your message relevant. The message in inbound marketing isn’t about you; it’s about your customer’s challenges – that’s what makes it relevant and compelling to them. We also ignore some of this marketing, not because it interrupted us but because it wasn’t relevant to us. When it is relevant, we consume the content and give “permission” to send further marketing messages.
Print Preferred by Parents for Back-to-School Shopping
http://printinthemix.com/Fastfacts/Show/768
The back-to-school
shopping season is second only to Christmas in size and importance to retail
sales.The
Back-to-School Shopping: 2013 Trends, a survey by mobile
location analytics company Placed, provides analysis of purchase planning,
advertising preferences and smartphone usage which influence shopping
activities.The survey’s results highlight the power and importance of print in the
advertising mix.PARENTS PREFER PRINT ADVERTISING FOR
BACK-TO-SCHOOL PROMOTIONS
When more than 12,000 U.S study participants (all smartphone users with at last one child) were asked which ways they prefer to receive back-to-school promotions, 46.3% said “print ads,” followed by “direct mail” (41.3%) -- far ahead of social media (21.2%).
When more than 12,000 U.S study participants (all smartphone users with at last one child) were asked which ways they prefer to receive back-to-school promotions, 46.3% said “print ads,” followed by “direct mail” (41.3%) -- far ahead of social media (21.2%).
Rodale Publishing Custom Magazines for Hotel Chains
http://www.foliomag.com/2013/rodale-publishing-custom-magazines-hotel-chains#.Uh0JJ7yYyKw
Rodale
Grow, the content marketing agency of Rodale Inc., will publish magazines
for two hotel chains owned by Hilton Worldwide. The Waldorf Astoria Hotels
& Resorts and Conrad
Hotels & Resorts will both launch luxury magazines focused on their
unique collections of lifestyle brands.
The bi-annual titles will have free print issues, available in-room at hotels and resorts globally, and be digitally distributed via Flipboard, iTunes and the Google Play Store.
“Rodale has been increasingly involved in custom publishing over the past several years,” says Robert Novick, SVP, international, business development and partnerships for Rodale in a statement. “We’re looking to expand even more this year and next in both digital and print."
The bi-annual titles will have free print issues, available in-room at hotels and resorts globally, and be digitally distributed via Flipboard, iTunes and the Google Play Store.
“Rodale has been increasingly involved in custom publishing over the past several years,” says Robert Novick, SVP, international, business development and partnerships for Rodale in a statement. “We’re looking to expand even more this year and next in both digital and print."
Reactions to USPS Exigency Case
http://www.dmnews.com/exigency-extra/article/309012/
With the direct mail industry preparing to debate the United States Postal
Service's (USPS) Postal Board of Governors on Sept. 5 in a discussion about a
potential exigent
rate increase, we present considerations posed by parties that figure to be
affected by such a move.
"If the USPS Board of Governors impose an above-CPI-cap exigency postage increase on catalog mailers, catalog mail volume will inevitably take a significant fall. In some cases, catalog volume could decline to post-2007 rate increase levels, and will be very hard for some companies to recover from. More than six years since the damaging 20%-plus postage increase imposed on catalog mail, this industry has still yet to recover; an exigency increase will only exacerbate the problem." — American Catalog Mailers Association
“With the availability of highly effective and efficient marketing alternatives, any significant postage rate increase would change the ROI calculus by companies in comparing alternatives. That shifting ROI, in turn, would threaten the sustainability of our existing strategies and compel an industry-wide shift of investment of communication and advertising dollars from mail to those alternative channels... — The Affordable Mail Alliance
“Attempting to address some of the service's inherent problems—notably an oversized and underutilized infrastructure—by imposing a rate increase on a product [periodicals] postmaster generals have called ‘the anchor of the mailbox' [as] both unwise and unlawful... — MPA , The Association of Magazine Media
“And now let's look at the reasons why the USPS should not play the exigency card. The primary reason is that the result of higher-than-CPI increases will be an immediate loss of volume and movement to other marketing channels...— Joe Schick, director of postal affairs, Quad/Graphics
And more...
"If the USPS Board of Governors impose an above-CPI-cap exigency postage increase on catalog mailers, catalog mail volume will inevitably take a significant fall. In some cases, catalog volume could decline to post-2007 rate increase levels, and will be very hard for some companies to recover from. More than six years since the damaging 20%-plus postage increase imposed on catalog mail, this industry has still yet to recover; an exigency increase will only exacerbate the problem." — American Catalog Mailers Association
“With the availability of highly effective and efficient marketing alternatives, any significant postage rate increase would change the ROI calculus by companies in comparing alternatives. That shifting ROI, in turn, would threaten the sustainability of our existing strategies and compel an industry-wide shift of investment of communication and advertising dollars from mail to those alternative channels... — The Affordable Mail Alliance
“Attempting to address some of the service's inherent problems—notably an oversized and underutilized infrastructure—by imposing a rate increase on a product [periodicals] postmaster generals have called ‘the anchor of the mailbox' [as] both unwise and unlawful... — MPA , The Association of Magazine Media
“And now let's look at the reasons why the USPS should not play the exigency card. The primary reason is that the result of higher-than-CPI increases will be an immediate loss of volume and movement to other marketing channels...— Joe Schick, director of postal affairs, Quad/Graphics
And more...
RR Donnelley Closes $400 Million Debt Offering
As previously announced, RR Donnelley intends to use the net proceeds from this offering, along with borrowings under its revolving credit facility, (1) to partially fund tender offers for up to $400 million aggregate principal amount of its debt securities, including up to $100 million of its 5.500% Notes due May 15, 2015, up to $100 million of its 6.125% Notes due January 15, 2017 and up to $200 million of its 7.250% Notes due May 15, 2018 and (2) to pay premiums in connection with those tender offers. The completion of each tender offer will be subject to customary closing conditions. If there are any remaining proceeds from the notes, RR Donnelley intends to use those proceeds to repay borrowings under its revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes. Amounts repaid under its revolving credit facility may be reborrowed for general corporate purposes, including the repayment or redemption of other indebtedness.
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