Just out of Adobe Labs is Adobe® Digital Editions 1.0 which provides publishers a new tool for presenting ebook content.
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As big publishing brands realize the opportunities online I expect to see more acquisitions like Meridith’s purchase of Healia and Condé Nast’s acquisition of reddit for Wired Digital.

Content technology tools will play a key part of the advantage these major publishers have over smaller publications if they can leverage the digital tools before more nimble niche competitors. (more…)

CMP Technology recently announced that they will be eliminating 200 jobs and according to Steve Weitzner, CMP’s President & CEO will be making changes to focus on their strong growth and more balanced magazine brands portfolio. Newsday.com reports that the company will fold some publications and reduce the number of times certain publications are published.

In my opinion, Mr. Weitzners comments about the reduction in print revenue provides continued evidence that magazine publishers must seek to re-align their publications online. Magazine publishers must begin to look at their brands as business and social communities centered on content and not as paper magazine publishers. These brands should facilitate the exchange of information over all mediums possible especially on the mediums that are more conducive to the way consumers are migrating to receive their content and media: websites, digital editions, blogs, podcasts, rss feeds, video, mobile, web communities, social networking platforms, and online interactive events. (more…)

An excellent direction for magazines as they confirm niche dominance is the addition of a magazine wiki.

“By offering users the opportunity to work collaboratively on a matter of common interest to them and the magazine, the sites extend the magazine’s brand and value to readers.”

MediaPost tells how reference wiki pages will be the hot trend for publishers for late 2007. MediaDailyNews (more…)

Anything reasonable that can help magazine publishers demonstrate their value to advertisers gets a thumbs-up in my book. Brandweek’s Todd Wasserman covers the new mobile phone campaign several print magazines are using to attract m-commerce transactions. (more…)

When a major magazine publisher makes a move to embrace technology and tools for brand extension online you know there’s probably a strategy well beyond the surface value of the deal. (more…)

According to the JEGI Group who tracks merger and acquisitions in the media sector the largest increase YTD over prior Year is for Marketing & Interactive services with 63% growth. B2B Magazines M&A down 22% and Consumer Magazines up 16%.

Is the strong growth in marketing and interactive related to a higher confidence in Web 2.0 or the rapid growth of social networking sites. Either way, publishers ought to be thinking about their role as marketers and the interactive nature of their offers, advertising, events, and promotions. In other words, hey publishers – what are you doing to get interactive with your readership?

Magazine publishers who aren’t generating publicity from their feature stories, news, and exclusive articles are missing a big opportunity to drive traffic (and potential subscribers) to their magazines online. A top seated daily news release can cost less than $250 and deliver long term traffic based on a periodic publishing cycle. (more…)

It seems that The Wicks Group of Companies sees more value in what they can do with CMP Entertainements Media assets. CEO Tony Keefe stated,

we will all be working together to maximize the potential of our multimedia platform

Thus indicating a vision of the companies capability to extend these brand beyond their print representations. The acquisition includes 14 magazines, eight events, numerous supplements and newsletters, custom products, and over 20 rapidly growing online properties “ serve professional and enthusiast musicians, recording professionals, sound engineers, audio and video systems installers and technology educators. [tags]Entertainment, Media, Publishing, Magazines, CMP, Wicks Group[/tags] Full Press Release The Wicks Group of Companies CMP Press Release

If we are going to look at digital media as a powerful brand extension for print magazine publishers we must take note of how both interactive and social media are rapidly developing. Magazine publishers centered on the goal of niche ownership must expand to accommodate social interactions as well as use them as marketing and publicity tools for growing their own publication. (more…)