Part 2: PPA Publishing Futures 2016: Business Media today and and two years ahead
UK's Professional Publishers Association (PPA) has commissioned Wessenden Marketing to carry out this annual PPA Member Tracking Surveys, for the seventh time. The results for 2016 for B2C and B2B where published in the report PPA Publishing Futures 2016 (exclusive for PPA members).
It takes a “near futures” view, looking at current activities of PPA members and those planned for two years out.
A total of 61 PPA member participated in this online self-completion survey. Thereof 29 in the core business of consumer media, 26 in B2B media and 6 in customer media and others activities.
With the kind permission of PPA we share some findings with our reader in Germany / D-A-CH, in Europe, in Asia and ROW interested and/or active in the B2B Media and Information Sector.
Here is how these participants see and plan the near future of publishing...
(a small selection of the 62 page report)
Participants Action Plans
6.4 Developing existing products
7.9 Digital products
7.0 Multi-platform ad packages
6.1 Print products
5.8 Improving live event activities
5.3 Developing overseas opportunities
5.4 Business streamlining
6.5 Improve the efficiency of internal processes and practices
6.3 Investing in IT and technical infrastructure
6.1 Bringing in new staff with new skills & experience
6.0 Changing internal culture and attitudes
6.0 Retraining existing staff
4.4 General cost- cutting
2.7 Headcount reduction
5.1 Developing new revenue
6.5 Launching new digital products
5.7 Create new Live events
5.2 Moving in to new areas of activity
4.3 Launching new print products
3.6 Growing through acquisition
B2B Participants Revenue Map
This chart shows the balance between print and digital activities. Each dot on the B2B print-digital revenue maps represents a participant company.
- the horizontal axis shows the % of total company revenues coming from print products (both own brand and customer publishing).
- the vertical axis shows the % of total company revenues coming from digital products (own brand + customer publishing + digital service).
Participants Revenue Profile
Based on the profile of activities and a percentage of total revenues as of now and estimates for two years ahead, participants see on average a decline on adsales + sponsorship for their print brands (-6.6 %) and a more less stable copy sales (-0.2 %). In digital brands the hope for increase in sponsorship / native ads (+2.3 %), ad sales (+1.4 %) and expect less development in paid content (+0.9 %) and eCommerce (+0.2 %). With the exception of data services (+1.4 %) and Live events (1.0 %) all in all a pretty timid picture for B2B (and not much better for B2C either).
Participants Investment Focus for the next 12 Month
Respondents were given 19 different areas of digital activity and were asked to grade them on a scale of 1 to 10, according to two different criteria:
- Investment Focus: the amount of time and/or money that will be devoted to the activity over the coming 12 months.
- Financial Importance: the anticipated financial return in revenue/monetization from the activity over the coming 12 months.
And for better assessment of the spread of expectations
The all Participants Activity Map
Related Links
Publishing Futures 2016: PPA members growing in confidence at a time of radical change
Wessenden: PPA Publishing Futures Executive Summary 2014 (PDF
