Hearst U.K. Chief: ‘ABC Trends Miss the Point’

http://ipdahome.org/newsstand/?cat=296

Hearst Magazines CEO Arnaud de Puyfontaine maintains that the circ trends in reporting by the U.K.’s Audit Bureau of Circulations (separate entity from North America’s AAM) “are missing all the points about the reality of what’s happening in the industry. I’d rather have an ABC decrease because we are publishing at capacity of selling good magazines, with a solid type of readership, rather than [increased circulations due to] bulk or pricing push.” The “doom and gloom” over declining circulations is misplaced, he said. He added that magazines are “the only medium in which advertising is not intrusive. A magazine without advertising is extremely boring. I like to evangelise the market. It’s much more exciting to work with us today than it was five years ago.” Hearst has been undergoing a “very Darwinian type of experience” in transforming itself to become a multiplatform business, De Puyfontaine said. 

CampaignLive

Mohawk/Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Partnership

http://www.piworld.com/article/mohawk-forms-new-partnership-with-martha-stewart-living-omnimedia/1

Mohawk, a privately-owned manufacturer of fine papers, envelopes and specialty substrates for commercial and digital printing, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., as Supporting Sponsor of the 2013 Martha Stewart American Made program.

This is the first year of Mohawk’s sponsorship and the second year of the American Made program, which celebrates artists, creative entrepreneurs and small business owners who are powering an economic resurgence in this country. Mohawk’s support of American Made aligns closely with the brand’s efforts to support an emerging maker movement. 

Private Equity Firm Buys Neiman Marcus

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-09/neiman-marcus-s-new-buyers-face-tough-luxury-retail-environment
Neiman Marcus Inc.’s new private-equity owners are buying a luxury chain that’s in danger of running out of room to expand in the U.S. as even well-heeled shoppers pull back.
Ares Management LLC and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board agreed today to buy the U.S. department store company from TPG Capital and Warburg Pincus LLC for $6 billion.
While Neiman has recovered some of its luster in the past year, sales remain below their 2008 peak. Many Americans are wary amid a weak economy and rather than spending on apparel are upgrading their cars and buying home-related merchandise as the U.S. housing recovery gathers momentum.

CEPI: EC EoW Proposal Fails Objectives

http://www.cepi.org/

The European Commission proposal on End-of-Waste (EoW) criteria for paper fails to address the objectives of increasing the quality and availability of paper for recycling and will have an adverse impact on making Europe a resource efficient recycling society.

Europeans are champions in paper recycling - but for how long? In 2012, 71.7% of paper consumed in Europe was recycled. Used paper has become the single most important raw material for the European paper industry with some mills being completely reliant on it for their feedstock. The Commission proposal threatens Europe's ability to maintain its recycling rates for paper, let alone improve them.

The European Commission's End-of-Waste criteria for paper move the recycling and EoW point from its current location at the paper mill to an earlier stage in the collection. As a result of this move ‘recycled paper' will be unusable without further reprocessing.

The Commission cannot demonstrate any environmental benefit for doing this. As a result the European paper industry fears the new legislation risks a lower quality of paper for recycling and poses a threat to current high levels of paper recycling. In fact, as the Waste Shipment Regulation would no longer apply, environmental impact will be negative. 

Bank of England Seeking Public Input on Switch from Paper Currency

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/news/2013/103.aspx
The Bank of England is responsible for maintaining confidence in the currency, by meeting demand with good quality genuine banknotes that the public can use with confidence.  Designing new banknotes that take advantage of developments in security features is crucial to delivering this remit.  For the past three years the Bank has conducted a research project looking at the materials on which banknotes are printed.  In particular, the Bank has reviewed the relative merits of printing banknotes on polymer rather than the cotton paper as at present. 
From our research, we are confident that printing on polymer would bring considerable benefits to both the durability and quality of banknotes, while also enhancing the strong security which the public associates with Bank of England banknotes. 

Given that banknotes play a role in everyone’s day to day lives, the Bank is undertaking a public consultation programme before deciding whether to print on polymer.  As part of this programme we will be hosting a number of events across the United Kingdom over the next two months, in order to give the public an opportunity to learn more about polymer banknotes and to provide feedback before we make a final decision.

Nippon to Hike Price for Printing Papers

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/09_10_2013nippon_paper_price_hike.html

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. today announced that it will increase pricing on its printing and communication papers, and converting paper sold in the domestic market.

The increase will be a minimum of 10%, effective with shipments on October 21.

Nippon Paper said the price hike is necessary due in part to rising input costs.

“While the depreciation of Japanese yen trend continues, the prices of raw materials and fuels are in an upward trend. Although the company has made sustained efforts to reduce costs, it has proven difficult to absorb all the cost increases through the Company's own efforts, and it was decided that there was no alternative but to pass the cost on to the product prices,” Nippon Paper said in a press release.

Lower Fiber Costs Improved Profitability in H1 2013

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/09_10_2013wood_fiber_costs_down_wri.html

Lower prices for pulp logs and wood chips in some major markets, and a strengthening US dollar resulted in lower wood fiber price indices in the 2Q/13, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ) published by Wood Resources International.

Over the past two years, hardwood fiber costs for the pulp industry have declined more than softwood fiber prices. The "Hardwood Wood Fiber Price Index" (HFPI) has fallen every quarter except one, during this period. In the 2Q/13, the HFPI was US$100.46, which was 3.1 % lower than the previous quarter and 14.8 % below the all-time high in the 3Q/11. The biggest price declines since the first quarter of 2013 have occurred in France, Japan, Australia, Russia and Germany. Comparing wood fiber costs for the global pulp industry, which typically ranges between 50-70 % of the production costs, reveals that since 2011, pulp mills in Japan, Brazil and Spain have seen their fiber costs come down the most of the major hardwood pulp-producing countries in the world.

Extra Emission Cut Should be Wake-Up Call

http://www.cepi.org/node/16438

The European Commission just announced it will cut free allocation of emission credits to industry with an additional 6% in 2013 - adding up to a startling 18% extra cut by 2020. The decision is very harsh as even the most carbon efficient companies in Europe will not receive the credits they need to operate.

It is time to make a reality check on all recent and misleading statements implying that EU ETS does not impact European industry.

The idea was simple. Industries receive free allocation of credits based on a benchmark. Only the 5% best installations receive what they need, all others have to buy carbon credits.

Time Inc. Buys AmEx Publishing

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/208815/time-inc-buys-amex-publishing.html#axzz2eQF39XP8

Time Inc. is making big strategic moves as it prepares to be spun off from Time Warner. In the biggest move so far, on Tuesday, newly appointed CEO Joseph Ripp announced the acquisition of all of American Express Publishing’s magazines, including Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Departures, Executive Travel and Black Ink.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the price tag is believed to be less than $100 million, according to unnamed sources cited by the New York Post. 
The AmEx titles will become part of Time Inc.’s Lifestyle Group, reporting to executive vice president and Lifestyle Group president Evelyn Webster.

http://www.adweek.com/news/press/time-inc-talks-buy-american-express-titles-152307

In a well-kept secret for the usually gossipy media industry, Time Inc. has agreed to buy American Express’ luxury publishing division, which includes Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure and Departures.

The price of the sale, expected to close in Q4, wasn't disclosed.

The sales talks were prompted by rules that required AmEx, as a bank holding company, to exit noncore businesses. Banking regulations limit AmEx’s ability to work in non-banking activities.

The New Yorker Tests Native Advertising

http://ipdahome.org/newsstand/?cat=296

The New Yorker has begun running content on behalf of brands. But unlike other magazines that set the stage a year or so ago, there has been little fanfare around the fact that one of the most prestigious publications in print has gone native. According to a New Yorker spokesperson, the magazine’s native advertising initiative is not very different from other large, integrated programs Condé Nast brands have run for numerous advertisers over the years. Sponsored content is being created by TNY’s business side.   

Digiday

Hearst's Harper Bazaar/Yoox Group Agreement

http://ipdahome.org/newsstand/?cat=296

Hearst’s Harper’s Bazaar and Yoox Group have signed an agreement establishing Yoox as the primary retail partner for ShopBazaar.com, the e-commerce platform. The partnership with Yoox will link ShopBazaar.com, which allows readers to shop for products featured in the magazine and its Web site (products chosen by editors), with two Yoox e-commerce sites thecorner.com and shoescribe.com, focused on high fashion and shoe shopping, respectively. E-commerce offerings from the Yoox sites are integrated into ShopBazaar.com alongside editorial content from Harper’s Bazaar. The magazine launched ShopBazaar a year ago, with Saks Fifth Avenue as its partner, but that partnership ended in June. Previously, Hearst’s Elle announced a partnership with e-commerce platform Net-a-Porter. That deal gives Elle Web site visitors access to 1,200+ luxury products from Net-a-Porter, and allows users to browse and search for products by a variety of characteristics, including category, color, price and designer.

MediaPost MediaDailyNews

WWD

Fashion Mags Bet on E-Commerce

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/208742/fashion-mags-bet-on-e-commerce.html#axzz2eQF39XP8

Fashion magazines are jumping into e-commerce feet first with a series of investments and partnerships with e-commerce sites. In the latest such investment, Hearst Corp.’s Harper’s Bazaar has signed a deal with Yoox making the latter the primary retail partner for ShopBazaar.com, the title’s online e-commerce platform.

The Atlantic’s Digital Side Expansion

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/atlantic-s-digital-side-continues-expansion-tear#.Ui9J0ryYyKw

TheAtlantic.com debuted its latest digital news site, the Education Channel, Monday evening—its tenth topic-specific site launch. The Atlantic has long made education a key subject for editorial coverage and this new channel will create a single location on the magazine’s site where readers can access all education-related stories.

POLITICO Acquires Capital New York

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/politico-acquires-capital-new-york#.Ui9JnryYyKw

Washington D.C. political reporting publication, POLITICO, announced its acquisition of Capital New York. This is the first major transaction since publisher Robert Allbritton sold his television holdings in July.
POLITICO co-founder and executive editor, Jim VandeHei will now also serve as president of the Capital New York division, and he tells Folio: this move was a play "to test our journalistic and business theories in another market." He adds that, "Everything we've done so far has been in Washington, but there is a certain way we do journalism, a certain velocity, a certain voice, and we've always wanted to try it outside of Washington. And to us, New York is the next logical place."

People Tries New Tiered-Subscription Model

http://www.foliomag.com/2013/people-tries-new-tiered-subscription-model#.Ui9JdryYyKw

People is revamping its subscription model, putting a premium on its digital products and adding new entry points.
Readers can go print- or digital-only for $112 per year, but they're getting more—i.e. apps and exclusive content—with the latter. A combination of the two runs $132 annually, while a V.I.P. offer, including multiplatform access, gift boxes and monthly prize drawings, is $200 per year.
Options had been limited before today's announcement. Combined print and digital subscription packages were sold for $112, with the choice to opt out of receiving the print magazine. There were no upper-tier options.

Direct Mail Without Call Tracking Is Just Silly

http://www.dmnews.com/direct-mail-without-call-tracking-is-just-silly/article/310903/

There's no rational reason why anyone should spend a dime, dollar, or penny on direct mail and then fail to use a call tracking number on the direct mail pieces themselves. Call tracking numbers provide incredibly valuable data about which mailers produce calls.
Not only can they tell you which ad copy, colors, size, CTA, geographic targeting efforts, and offers, produce calls—they can tell you which don't. Can you say optimization? They're also really easy to implement on direct mail pieces. You're putting a phone number on their anyway, right? You might as well put a phone number that gives you data.
Now let's talk pros and cons.

Print Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You

http://whattheythink.com/articles/65290-no-matter-what-critics-say-print-doing-just-fine-thank-you/

Ah, the travails of traditional media. Who among us hasn’t stifled a groan, or at least a yawn, upon being reminded by the digerati that the path ahead for print leads nowhere else but down?
But, the traditional media aren’t the only ones being disrupted by what’s been happening in the communications marketplace.
Digitizing information delivery doesn’t necessarily mean improving information delivery. Internet analytics provider comScore recently reported that of nearly 6 trillion display ad impressions sent across the web in 2012, 3 ads in 10 were never “rendered-in-view”: that is, actually seen by anyone. The results of this inefficiency, said comScore, were “significant waste, weaker campaign performance and a glut of poor-performing inventory that imbalances the supply-and-demand equation and depresses CPMs.”
Without doubt, print has taken its share of the lumps in the communications upheaval brought about by the rise of the Internet and, most recently, by our infatuation with mobile. But, print has been made stronger by what it’s endured, and it may be better positioned than some of the other media to profit from change still to come.