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09.26.2012
In a move that takes a step closer to making it easier to encourage advertisers to place ads in digital editions, The Economist is implementing a rate base of 50,000 digital-only subscribers paying an average of about $106 per sub. The guarantee will take effect in January 2013.
The rate base only applies to North American digital edition subscribers on iPad, iPhone and Android products and excludes replicas, e-readers, website subscribers and multi-user licenses.
"We know that the agency community has been asking for it," says David Kaye, vice president of advertising for The Economist. "They're frustrated with digital being lumped in with print. We also believe that transparency is important and it's difficult to get at with so many places for the audience to be engaging with the brand. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a step in the right direction."
Other steps would include performance-related metrics, numbers that agencies are definitely interested in seeing, but are not as easily guaranteed, says Kaye.
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09.26.2012
Total European shipments of all Graphic Papers was down 2.2% in August and is down 3.8% year-to-date.
Total European shipments of Newsprint was down 0.2% in August and is down 3.6$ y-t-d.
Total European shipments of SC-Magazine was down 1.6% in August and is down 4.0% y-t-d.
Total European shipments of Coated Mechanical Reels was down 7.6% in August and is down 6.4% y-t-d.
Total European shipments of Uncoated Mechanical (Improved & Others) was up 2.5% and is down 4.0% y-t-d.
Total European shipments of Coated Woodfree was down 2.9% in August and is down 2.4% y-t-d.
Total European shipments of Uncoated Woodfree was up 0.3% in August and is down 2.7% y-t-d.
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09.26.2012
It happened first when Johanna Skibsrud’s The Sentimentalists won the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and it is happening again with the publication (by the same small Nova Scotia press) of Stephen Marche’s Love and the Mess We’re In: The Canadian literary avant-garde is boldly retreating to a bucolic past where paper is sacred and digital technology makes no impression whatsoever.
“This is a book you cannot read on a Kindle,” the author says proudly, brandishing the artifact in question during an interview in Toronto. “It’s not possible to do. This is a physical book, and the experience of holding it in your hands is integral to its reality.”
The thing that makes Marche’s third novel so resistant to digitization is its form. Between the covers is a poignant, fractured narrative of adultery and madness that is sometimes laid out in parallel columns like a script, sometimes in typographic patterns like concrete poetry, and sometimes like flowing waves set sideways. Designed by Andrew Steeves of Gaspereau Press, it revives the kind of black-and-white formal experimentation that flourished in the dying days of hot type 50 years ago – as does the unconventional, non-linear text, which picks up where the experimenters at Coach House Press left off in 1973.
http://www.teleread.com/books/this-book-cannot-be-read-on-a-kindle/
In occupying the minds of online shoppers, social media is the 1%
Social media may be the shiny object for marketers. But consumers aren't as enamored with social when it comes to prompting purchases. In fact, 39 percent of new customers who make purchases on e-commerce sites are led there by paid or organic search links, and 30% percent of transactions completed by repeat customers begin with a click on an email from the retailer.
Those are the key findings of a study of 77,000 online transactions over a two-week period conducted by Forrester Research and GSI Commerce, eBay's e-commerce services unit. Social media darlings such as Facebook and Pinterest, meanwhile, proved to be far less powerful drivers to consumers' wallets. Fewer than 1% of purchases examined in the study could be traced to social media activity.
One fifth of both new and repeat customers who arrived at e-commerce sites via one touchpoint did so by direct visit. When multiple touchpoints were involved, 12% of new customers used organic or paid search and 17% of repeat customers opened an email.
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09.26.2012
Oil fell to the lowest level in seven weeks after a report showed rising U.S. stockpiles and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Charles Plosser said a new stimulus plan probably won’t boost economic growth.
Futures slid as much as 1.1 percent, extending yesterday’s 0.6 percent decline. The American Petroleum Institute said crude supplies increased 335,000 barrels, a third weekly gain, while Citigroup Inc. cut its global demand forecasts. Bond purchases announced by the Fed this month probably won’t spur expansion or hiring, Plosser said in a speech yesterday. Oil surged to $100.42 a barrel on Sept. 14, its highest this year, after the Federal Open Market Committee said it will undertake a third round of quantitative easing.
“The quantitative easing euphoria has eased,” Ole Hansen, senior manager of trading advisory at Saxo Bank A/S, said by phone from Copenhagen. “Renewed worries, especially in Spain, are putting the focus back onto global growth and the potential for subdued demand for oil.”
Crude for November delivery fell as much as $1.04 to $90.33 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $90.73 at 11:01 a.m. London time.
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09.26.2012
The American Forest & Paper Association released its August 2012 U.S. Containerboard Statistics Report last week.
Containerboard production rose 2.2 percent over July 2012 and was flat when compared to the same month last year. The month over month average daily production increased 2.2 percent. The containerboard operating rate for August 2012 gained 2.1 points over July 2012, from 95.4 percent to 97.5 percent.
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09.26.2012
The American Forest & Paper Association released its August 2012 Kraft Paper Sector Report last week.
Total Kraft paper shipments were 133,000 tons, a decrease of 3.6 percent compared to the prior month. Total inventory was 77,800 tons this month. Both unbleached and bleached Kraft shipments decreased year over year.
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09.26.2012
The American Forest & Paper Association released its August 2012 U.S. Recovered Fiber Monthly Report on Friday, Sept. 21.
According to the report, total U.S. industry consumption of recovered paper in August was 2.56 million tons, 6 percent higher than July 2012. Year-to-date total consumption in 2012 is 4 percent lower than during the same period last year.
U.S. exports of recovered paper, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, increased 5 percent in July compared to June, led by a 14 percent increase in Mixed Papers exports. Year-to-date exports of recovered paper in 2012 are 6 percent lower than during the same period in 2011.
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09.26.2012
The American Forest & Paper Association has released its August 2012 Printing-Writing Paper Report.
According to the report, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 5 percent in August compared to August 2011. All four major printing-writing grades posted single-digit decreases compared to last August. U.S. purchases of printing-writing papers also decreased, down 6 percent in August. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels decreased 5 percent from last month, primarily due to double-digit decreases in mechanical-grade paper inventories. Additional key findings include:
Shipments of coated free sheet papers decreased year-over-year, but August shipments reached the highest level since October 2011.
Shipments of uncoated free sheet papers down year-over-year, the sixth consecutive single-digit year-over-year decrease.
Uncoated mechanical paper inventories dropped sharply.
Inventory of coated mechanical papers also dropped and hit the lowest point since December 2007.
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09.24.2012
Maxim magazine is cutting the paid circulation it guarantees advertisers from 2.5 million to 2 million next year, a 20% drop, and reducing its publishing frequency to 10 issues next year from 11 this year. Last year Maxim published 12 issues.
Maxim President Ben Madden said the magazine continues to occupy a solid position among men's monthlies. "We're falling all the way to No. 1," Mr. Madden said. (Or to a tie, at least: ESPN The Magazine also promises advertisers paid circulation of 2 million, Mr. Madden added.)
With the circulation cut, Maxim will abandon a rate base it has maintained since 2001, when it was a white-hot challenger to established men's magazines. Many publishers have been reevaluating the benefits and costs of maintaining larger circulations, particularly as digital media competes for advertising and consumers. Established magazines that head the other way have become exceptions.
There are benefits to maintaining large circulation, but that's not the only factor, Mr. Madden added. "It's about being the most efficient and the best."
Maxim has been working on efforts to expand on digital platforms, where it had an average of 79,447 individually paid subscriptions in the first half, as well as in areas such as events. Maxim is hosting 70 events this year, a spike from about 50 last year and the number will expand next year, Mr. Madden said. The title also expects to publish two Salute to the Military newsstand specials next year following the publication of one over the summer and another last year.
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09.24.2012
Golf publication Fairways + Greensis set to rebrand itself as GolfGetaways, cementing an editorial change to the niche travel market and coinciding with a new digital effort built around apps for Apple and Nook devices.
The changes will officially occur when its next issue hits newsstands and app stores on November 6.
Editorially, the name change signifies a commitment to the golf travel market the magazine had been moving toward for the last two years. With golf equipment and instructional markets already packed, and closing of American Express’ Travel + Leisure Golf in 2009, the editor-in-chief Vic Williams says the shift happened easily.
“We’ve discovered that golf travel is really a strong niche for us to pursue,” Williams says. “It was a combination, where it kind of happened naturally and our ad base was almost exclusively resorts and destinations. So to give it a more cohesive editorial and advertising mix, we migrated that way.”
Between the move to a more associative brand name and the offer of digital access, Williams expects to see a 15 to 20 percent bump in audience for the short-term.
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09.24.2012
Linking marketing activities to sales performance has become increasingly important for B2B marketers. A new study shows that doing so is more effective with a bit of support from marketing automation tools.
Generally speaking, B2B marketers tend to track such traditional marketing metrics as leads generated, or they also track ROI-focused measure like leads conversion rates. According to the 2012 Lenskold Group / The Pedowitz Group Lead Gen Marketing Effectiveness Study, companies that use marketing automation with either measurement type will improve their marketing outcomes. But those using ROI measures outperform their traditionally focused counterparts.
The study, based on an online survey of 373 B2B marketers at companies with revenues of between $5 million and $50 million, found that marketing automation improves lead generation efforts overall. Adding marketing automation helped increase the quantity of leads generated for 61% of respondent, the quality of leads passed to sales for 60% of them, and the lead-to-closed-sale conversion for 40%. Even revenue per sale increased, for 28% of respondents.
However, companies that use ROI metrics to track marketing performance in combination with marketing automation improve their marketing outcomes significantly over those that use traditional metrics. The study showed gaps of 25% or more between the two groups in percentage of leads accepted to sales, quality of leads, conversions, and revenue per sale. The gap was a full 50% in terms of total marketing revenue contribution. Sixty-nine percent of respondents that track ROI-focused metrics—versus only 19% of marketers who use traditional metrics—saw total marketing revenue contribution improve as a result of implementing marketing automation.
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09.24.2012
Oil dropped from the highest close in almost a week as renewed discord among European leaders on measures to stem the region’s debt crisis outweighed concern that tensions in the Middle East may disrupt crude supplies.
New York futures fell as much as 1.7 percent after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande disagreed over closer integration of Europe’s banking system at the weekend. Iran, OPEC’s third-largest oil producer, will defend itself if attacked by Israel, according to excerpts of a CNN interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad scheduled for broadcast today.
“European leaders are spending more time bickering amongst themselves than solving their massive problems,” Michael Hewson, a London-based analyst at CMC Markets, said by phone. “Unless there’s a shocker out of the Middle East, I don’t see anything but downward pressures on oil.”
Oil for November delivery declined as much as $1.55 to $91.34 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $91.63 at 11:50 a.m. London time. It rose 47 cents to $92.63 on Sept. 21, the highest close since Sept. 18.
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09.24.2012
The government of Nova Scotia has reached a new agreement to reopen the shuttered NewPage Port Hawkesbury paper mill, one day a Vancouver company's bid to buy the plant collapsed, Premier Darrell Dexter announced late Saturday.
Dexter announced the revised deal with Pacific West Commercial Corp., which has offered $33 million for the 50-year-old facility, during a news conference at the provincial legislature.
He said the agreement means the money the provincial government has spent in an effort to restart the mill should be repaid in as little as 12 years. That includes a $124.5 million aid package announced last month and $36.8 million that the government has spent so far to keep the mill in a so-called hot idle state in order to quickly resume operations.
"My government has worked for a year to restart the mill," Dexter said.
"We didn't do it because it was popular. We did it because it was the right thing to do."
Pacific West Commercial announced late Friday that an unfavourable tax ruling earlier this month from the Canada Revenue Agency made it impossible to ensure the economic viability of the Cape Breton mill.
But Dexter said Saturday that the government and the company resumed negotiations later in the night and eventually came up with a revised agreement.
"We were not prepared to support something that was backward-looking," he said.
"The paper industry is going through change, but there's always going to be a paper industry and this is one of the most high-tech mills anywhere in the world."
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09.24.2012
“I am very pleased –for the employees of the mill, members of the community, and the mill’s many suppliers and customers – to be able to announce that the issues that yesterday prevented the mill from restarting have been overcome. Many people have worked extremely hard to arrive at this moment, and we will all continue to work hard together over the coming years to ensure that Port Hawkesbury remains the highest quality, most competitive paper mill of its kind in North America.
Starting next week, we intend to call all employees back to work.
The UARB has advised us that it has extended the date for filing of the required amendments to its previous order so that the matter can be dealt with on an expedited basis next week. We are pleased that NSPI has agreed to support that application.
It is our plan to take ownership Sept 28th, and for paper to begin to roll off the machines in the very first days of October. Our sales team has alerted customers and we are taking orders now.
I really want Nova Scotians to know how hard their government leaders - both provincially and municipally - have worked to ensure there is a future for this world class mill and its people. It’s been our goal since day one and it’s what they deserve.” Ron Stern Pacific West Commercial Corporation
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09.21.2012
A provincial funding package considered vital to resume operations at the NewPage Port Hawkesbury paper mill is not in danger of unravelling despite delays in announcing details of the deal, Nova Scotia's natural resources minister said Thursday.
Charlie Parker said an announcement on a revamped funding deal for Pacific West Commercial Corp., which has proposed to buy the idled Cape Breton mill for $33 million, has been delayed.
Last Friday, Parker said details of the government's revised $124.5 million fund would be announced early this week.
"I guess we had hoped that things would come together perhaps a little sooner than they did," Parker said Thursday.
"We're hopeful that as soon as possible we'll announce the details of that restructuring."
Parker said it was unclear when that would happen. He said negotiations were ongoing with Pacific West Commercial and government lawyers were in the final stages of reviewing the deal.
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09.21.2012
Valassis recently received two Gold Ink Awards from Printing Impressions magazine, sponsor of the 2012 Annual Gold Ink Awards competition. Recognized as North America's most prestigious print competition, the Gold Ink Awards honor printing excellence. This is the 17th year Valassis has received Gold Ink awards. The winning submissions, chosen from the 1,000 printed pieces across 48 categories that were entered in this year's competition, exhibited superior color quality, technical difficulty and overall visual effect.
"We are honored to once again be recognized with these premier printing awards," said Ron Goolsby, Valassis Chief Operating Officer. "Our clients rely on us to provide formats and graphics that appeal to consumers. We greatly appreciate their trust in our ability to help them reach and engage consumers. These awards are reflective of our strong commitment to producing exemplary print promotions for our clients."
The following winners were printed at the company's Anderson Printing Division (APD) in Livonia, Mich. and were recognized in the Newspaper Insert category:
Bronze – Cabela's: APD Press Team: Jerry Gogola, Greg Spehar, Joe Gossett, John Zehel, Jim Heaney
Pewter – McDonald's: APD Press Team: Mark Passmore, Daniel Dood, Branden Chatham, Michael Monette
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09.21.2012
Sonoco Recycling, LLC, a unit of Sonoco and one of the largest packaging recyclers in North America, has completed $2 million in upgrades at the Onslow County, N.C., materials recovery facility (MRF), allowing the facility to process a higher volume of recyclables.
"Onslow County is one of the premier coastal counties of North Carolina and environmental stewardship has always been of the utmost importance," said Scott Bost, solid waste director, Onslow County. "With that in mind, we are extremely pleased to partner with Sonoco Recycling to provide long-term recycling capabilities to the citizens of the Onslow County area. Sonoco Recycling's expertise and many years of experience in the recycling industry will continue to move the County forward with efficient and sustainable waste management for Onslow County."
Ray Howard, general manager, Sonoco Recycling, agrees. "In the year that we've been here, we've found the Onslow community to be very progressive in the areas of sustainability and recycling. We are excited to provide them with expanded recycling capabilities and help the County continue to move forward in these areas."
Howard continued, "In addition to new equipment, the Company also added an education room, and has been providing tours to approximately three classes of students per week. Currently, the tours are open to students of all ages, including first grade through high school seniors."
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09.21.2012
Twin Rivers Paper Company, a leader in lightweight specialty packaging, label and publishing papers, expands its reach in the label market with its Alliance® WS in 60 lb. Designed for large glass and plastic containers used in beverage, condiment and food applications, this paper offers customers a label substrate that brings excellent printability and runnability throughout the supply chain.
“Our goal is to provide our food and beverage customers with a label paper that makes their brand stand out, while ensuring consistent quality and durability from the converter to the consumer,” says Dave Deger, Director of Business Development and Marketing.
Alliance® WS 60 is part of a comprehensive portfolio of wet-strength solutions. Products also include full and partial wet-strength labels with basis weights of 37, 39, 44, 47 and 51 lb. With a bias towards co-development, Twin Rivers offers an experienced technical team and cutting-edge research labs, providing the expertise and manufacturing know-how to develop the right label solution.
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09.21.2012
The Association of American Publishers, the national trade association for the US book and journal publishing industry, today recognized the release of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus 2012 Country Watch List and applauded IAPC’s work to promote improved protection and enforcement of creative industries’ intellectual property rights with key US trading partners.
IAPC is chaired by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) and Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Adam B. Schiff (D-CA).
“The AAP thanks Senators Whitehouse and Hatch, Representatives Goodlatte and Schiff and all Caucus members for their commitment to upholding the rights of American content creators and for acknowledging our industries’ contributions to the economy and the fabric of global culture,” said Tom Allen, President and CEO, AAP.
“Every sector of the US publishing industry is affected by physical and digital piracy, with Canada and China among our greater concerns. It is imperative that those who learn, enjoy and value US published works recognize that threats to intellectual property rights will divert publishers’ investments in content and innovation.”
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09.21.2012
Sealed Air Corporation, a global leader in food safety and security, facility hygiene and product protection, today announced it has received the 2012 Clean Air Excellence Award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The award is in recognition of the ReNew® Air Scrubber program, an inventive solution for air pollution remediation. This award was given as part of the Clean Air Technology category, one of five categories the EPA has recognized since it launched its Clear Air Excellence Awards program 11 years ago.
ReNew technology, which is part of Sealed Air’s Diversey business, is used in the rendering process to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air. ReNew Air Scrubber program is helping organizations create a safer working environment for plant workers, lower the total cost to operate, save water and improve the odor profile of processing facilities. Today, it is the number one solution for air pollution remediation at rendering plants. Customers include 10 of the top 12 rendering companies in the U.S. representing more than 59 scrubber installations.
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09.21.2012
Rite Aid Corporation today reported improved financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended Sept.1, 2012.
Revenues for the 13-week quarter were $6.2 billion versus revenues of $6.3 billion in the prior year second quarter. Revenues decreased 0.6 percent primarily as a result of a decrease in pharmacy same store sales and store closings.
Same store sales for the quarter were flat over the prior year 13-week period, consisting of a 1.4 percent increase in front end sales offset by a 0.7 percent decrease in pharmacy sales. Pharmacy sales included an approximate 750 basis point negative impact from new generic introductions. The number of prescriptions filled in same stores increased 4.0 percent over the prior year period, which includes the benefit of additional prescriptions resulting from the Walgreens/Express Scripts dispute. Prescription sales accounted for 67.5 percent of total drugstore sales, and third party prescription revenue was 96.5 percent of pharmacy sales.
Net loss was $38.8 million or $0.05 per diluted share compared to last year’s second quarter net loss of $92.3 million or $0.11 per diluted share. The decrease in net loss year over year resulted from an increase in Adjusted EBITDA and decreases in LIFO, store closing and impairment and depreciation and amortization charges.
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09.21.2012
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) issued the following statement in response to an announcement that the U.S. Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association have agreed to a 90-day extension of the collective bargaining agreement due to expire on Sept. 30.
“The 90-day extension is welcomed news for retailers because it ensures that a work stoppage at the ports will not interfere with the flow of goods during the critical holiday season,” said Kelly Kolb, VP for government affairs. “Ports play a critical role in the supply chain and a potential disruption would be harmful to the retail industry as it would lead to lost sales and aggravated customers.”
RILA will continue to closely monitor the progress of negotiations and strongly urge the parties to reach a long-term agreement as soon as possible in order to remove the threat of a devastating work stoppage at the East and Gulf Coast ports.
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09.21.2012
Next Issue Media, the joint venture formed by Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp. and Time Inc. to market digital magazines, is sweetening the deal for its unlimited package, which gives subscribers access to every title on the newsstand, with 31 new titles. This brings the total number of titles available to unlimited subscribers to 72.
The new titles available to unlimited subscribers include Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Details, Eating Well, Elle Décor, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Family Circle, Family Fun, Food Network Magazine, Golf World, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, HGTV Magazine, House Beautiful, Ladies’ Home Journal, Living the Country Life, Marie Claire, Midwest Living, More, O, The Oprah Magazine, Redbook, Road & Track, Seventeen, Successful Farming, Teen Vogue, Town & Country, Traditional Home, Veranda, W, Woman’s Day and Wood.
The new titles are currently only available for iPad, but Next Issue is working to make Android-compatible versions available soon. The first group of 41 titles is already available for Android tablets running Honeycomb version 3.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich version 4.0, with a screen resolution of 1024x600 or 1280x800.
Subscription pricing remains the same. “Unlimited Basic,” offering access to all monthly and biweekly titles, costs $9.99 per month; “Unlimited Premium,” offering access to all 72 titles in the catalog, including weekly titles, costs $14.99 per month.
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09.21.2012
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will stop selling all Kindle products from Amazon.com Inc. Wal-Mart follows Target Corp., which made the decision to cease carrying the line of mega-popular e-readers and tablets earlier this year.
“Wal-Mart Stores made a business decision to not carry current Amazon products beyond our purchase commitments and existing inventory,” a spokeswoman tells Internet Retailer. “Our customers trust us to provide a broad assortment of products at everyday low prices, and we approach every merchandising decision through this lens. We will continue to offer our customers a broad assortment of tablets, e-readers and accessories at a variety of great price points. This decision is consistent with our overall merchandising strategy.”
The Kindle Fire and the newly released Kindle Fire HD are not just e-readers but full-fledged tablet computers. They come with the Amazon shopping app pre-installed and in a position of prominence. These devices facilitate sales of merchandise through Amazon.com’s mobile commerce channel—every Kindle Fire in the hands of a consumer gives Amazon an edge in online sales competition, says Nikki Baird, managing partner at Retail Systems Research LLC.
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09.21.2012
As Meredith’s Sales Guarantee Program is coming up on its first year in the market, EVP and president of sales Dick Porter is pleased with the way the initiative has worked to this point. Specific details are unavailable at the moment, but at worst he says, the program is expanding; at best, it’s at the head of a new trend in marketing accountability.
“Is the world of marketing going to want less accountability than they have today, exactly the same amount, or more accountability?” Porter asks. “I’m guessing it’s going up. So for Meredith, the mantra is ‘innovation in accountability.’”
Meredith announced it would offer the program (originally titled “The Meredith Engagement Dividend”) in July of 2011. Partnering with Nielsen’s Homescan analytics, the publisher guarantees a minimum level of ROI for the advertiser based on the purchasing habits of monitored households. If the mutually agreed-upon standards aren’t met, the advertiser gets free space.
Kimberly-Clark was announced as Meredith’s first major partner in the enterprise in November of last year, but nine others joined in what Porter termed a “pilot” year. The initial experiment was limited to 10, but Meredith will widen the pool going forward.
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09.21.2012
Domtar Corporation today announced the launching of an interactive, educational site The Forest Academy. The tool, introduced a few months ago, has reached a milestone of 25,000 visitors. The Forest Academy builds on Domtar's original youth education website "Tree World" that had been developed in the 1990s. It provides elementary school students with fun, informative games about trees and forest ecology,
"We're thrilled that teachers and parents are finding the new site to be a useful and engaging learning tool," notes Pascal Bossé, Domtar Vice-President Communications and Investor Relations. "We put a lot of effort into creating the site's top quality educational content, but the flash programming of the games is what makes it fun for adults and kids to learn, and what makes The Forest Academy so unique."
In addition to the games, teachers will find a faculty manual with a wealth of information about trees and forest ecology. For more information, please visit http://www.theforestacademy.com.
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09.21.2012
Bloomsbury was founded in 1986 on the principle of publishing books of the highest quality. In India it will continue this tradition for fiction, non-fiction, academic, business and education with both Indian and international authors.
In November 2012, we will publish the first Wisden India Cricketers Almanac 2012, followed in December by the spectacular Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple, whose previous books have been No. 1 bestsellers in India. On our fiction list, ManilSuri's bold and controversial new novel The City of Devi will be published in January 2013. Bloomsbury has an exceptional list of South Asian writers including Kamila Shamsie, Romesh Gunesekera, Rajesh Parameswaran, Roshi Fernando, Jaspreet Singh and Tishani Doshi.
Bloomsbury India's authors include the international bestselling writers J.K. Rowling, Khaled Hosseini and Elizabeth Gilbert; Booker Prize winners Margaret Atwood and Howard Jacobson; Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer; Orange Prize winners Madeline Miller and Anne Michaels, cookery books by the Michelin starred chefs Heston Blumenthal, Atul Kochhar and Raymond Blanc and the bestselling Anthony Bourdain. Bloomsbury India will distribute both UK and US imprints including the critically acclaimed and popular Arden Shakespeare. A rigorous academic list will focus on business, economics and management.
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09.21.2012
AAA’s Fuel Gage Report as of 9/21/12
National Unleaded Regular:
Current Average - $3.833/gallon
Month Ago Average - $3.716/gallon
Year Ago Average - $3.570/gallon
Highest Recorded Average - $4.114/gallon on 7/17/08
Diesel:
Current Average - $4.114/gallon
Month Ago Average - $4.000/gallon
Year Ago Average - $3.886/gallon
Highest Recorded Average - $4.845/gallon on 7/17/08
Current Exchange Rates as of 9/21/12
American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 1.026890
American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.158567
American Dollar to Euro = 1.300969
American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.012785
American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.078059
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09.21.2012
Oil advanced in New York as optimism that central bank stimulus will revive the global economy fanned speculation that crude’s biggest weekly decline in more than three months was excessive.
November futures rose as much as 1.2 percent after front- month prices slid 7.2 percent in the four days through yesterday, when the October contract expired. The Financial Times reported that Spanish and European Union officials were working on plans to trigger bond purchases by the European Central Bank. Global equities are trading less than 1 percent below this year’s peak, reached on Sept. 14 after the Federal Reserve announced another round of quantitative easing.
“Oil is caught between the pull of excess supply over the next few months, and the push of quantitative easing and hopes for an improvement in growth from the various stimulative programs,” said Guy Wolf, a strategist at London-based commodities broker Marex Spectron Group Ltd. “We think it is likely to remain volatile for a while longer.”
Crude for November delivery advanced as much as $1.06 to $93.48 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $92.96 at 10:58 a.m. London time. It climbed 12 cents yesterday to $92.42. The October contract expired at $91.87, down 11 cents.
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09.20.2012
It’s been almost three months since the other unions inside the mill agreed to new collective agreements, but the two trades unions at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper are still without new contracts of their own.
On June 22, the day four of the locals represented by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada agreed to concession-laden contracts, Local 96 and the electricians it represents stood their ground and rejected the same deal offered to them by parent company Kruger Inc.
Just days before that, Lodge 1567 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers also rejected the deal offered to their members, who include millwrights, welders and machinists.
No talks were scheduled during the summer months to accommodate vacations, but representatives from CEP Local 96 did meet with the company earlier this month.
However, no deal was hammered out during those three days of talks from Sept. 5-7.
Gary Healey, the CEP’s national representative at the negotiating table with the Local 96 team, would not comment on how the talks went or if any progress was made. He said Monday there were no further talks scheduled for the moment.
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09.20.2012
New togs and toys will be harder to find this holiday season if thousands of dock workers in the United States walk off the job at month’s end.
Halifax port officials were watching closely Wednesday as labour negotiations aimed at averting a shutdown of major American ports on the East and Gulf coasts resumed.
Federal mediators were to meet with members of the International Longshoremen’s Association and officials of the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents shippers, at an undisclosed location.
“The Port of Halifax has its own collective agreement for labour, so it is not directly affected by the labour actions at U.S. East Coast ports,” said Michele Peveril, senior manager of strategic relations for the port.
Thousands of members of the longshoremen’s association from Maine to Texas will be in a legal strike position after their contract expires Sept. 30, at the beginning of the critical holiday shipping season.
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09.20.2012
In his annual state of the business address to the mailing industry, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe today emphasized that the Postal Service has a solid business plan to return to long-term financial stability and that nothing will have a bigger impact on the health and future of the mailing industry than resolving legislative issues.
“The Postal Service is moving forward with the parts of our business plan that we can control, and securing comprehensive legislation will allow us to implement the rest of the plan,” said Donahoe. “Our industry is fundamentally strong and has a bright future. Mail remains an incredibly effective and important part of marketing America’s products and services.”
Donahoe spoke during the National Postal Customer Council (PCC) Day, an annual event that brings together thousands of mailers, industry partners and customers nationwide to recognize their contributions to the Postal Service and outline future plans and goals. PCCs are a network of community-based business mailers and representatives of the Postal Service, who meet regularly to share ideas and resources to create a closer working relationship.
Despite concerns about obtaining legislation, Donahoe said the Postal Service is focused on innovating to create new opportunities for growth in the mailing industry. “That means that in an increasingly digital world, we need to continue to find ways of increasing the value of mail for both senders and receivers,” he said.
Donahoe underscored one of the most important aspects of innovation at the Postal Service: the way technology is used through Intelligent Mail™ barcodes to harness data in the Postal Service network. He urged mailers to adopt the new barcode technology as it will provide them with greater visibility into the effectiveness of mail. Donahoe also pointed out that tracking data is only going to become a more powerful marketing tool for mailers in the future.
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09.20.2012
Quad/Graphics, Inc., announced today that its Actable™ interactive print solutions helped Milwaukee Magazine create its first entirely interactive issue. The October “Best of 2012” issue, on newsstands this week, features 146 image recognition and augmented reality experiences that readers can launch on their Actable-enabled smartphones and other mobile tablet devices. Readers will go behind the scenes of a music studio, see a 3D gold watch pop off the page, hear the restaurant critic narrate dining listings, kick extra points on a virtual football field and much more.
The special edition is a joint project by Quad/Graphics and the magazine to demonstrate applications of new interactive print technologies. “Quad/Graphics is leading the charge to be a technology integrator that will help our clients make print even more powerful in today’s multichannel media world,” said Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics Chairman, President & CEO. “Our goal with Milwaukee Magazine was to show the many creative ways that interactive print can be used to produce even more engaging and powerful reader experiences in both editorial and advertising, connecting print and mobile in ways that both amaze and inform.”
Editor Cristina Daglas explained the interactive issue to her audience in her Editor’s Letter column and a companion video that launches right on the page when readers hold their mobile devices over her column. “With a dedicated team of Quad/Graphics interactive specialists, we’ve produced an entire issue in augmented reality. Each page is fully loaded with at least one experience.”
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09.20.2012
Vertis Holdings and SGS International announced an agreement under which SGS will further augment its complete, design-to-print packaging solutions with the purchase of additional prepress packaging equipment, data files and certain related assets from Vertis.
Proceeds from the sale of these assets will allow Vertis to strengthen its overall liquidity position and further invest in its core direct marketing, advertising inserts and large-format businesses. Vertis expects to immediately invest in a new EFI GS VUTEk 5000 inkjet printer, which will expand its large-format capacity to better meet clients’ growing demand for these products, as well as new HP and Kodak inkjet heads for its direct marketing business.
Vertis had previously announced its intention to exit the prepress packaging business in order to focus on growing its core businesses.
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09.20.2012
Sappi Fine Paper North America has been nominated for three awards in the fourth annual 2012 Pulp & Paper International (PPI) Awards. The PPI Awards are the only global awards dedicated to recognizing these achievements in various sectors of the pulp and paper industry.
Sappi Fine Paper North America has been declared a finalist for three awards spanning three different categories. The award nominations are a testament to Sappi's continued strong performance in the market, the impact our strategic initiatives have on positioning the company for the future and the valuable tools and resources Sappi provides our customers:
•Executive Leadership: Global CEO of the Year Award – Mark Gardner, CEO and President of Sappi Fine Paper North America is recognized for posting consistently strong financial results, overall strategy and outstanding leadership and vision. His proven industry track record spans a thirty-year career of achievements with the Company, which includes successfully implementing cost-efficiencies, upgrades in renewable energy and innovative capital expansions; most notably the $170M investment in the Cloquet pulp mill to convert from kraft pulp to chemical cellulose.
•Company Award: Environmental Strategy of the Year Award – Our company-wide commitment to environmental strategy is recognized for excellence in achieving operational goals, contributing to step change improvements in reducing emissions, waste management, and increased productivity. As an integral and inseparable part of our business, the sustainable practices outlined in our Sustainability Report are exercised across the organization through dedicated employee education, civic responsibility and triple certification programs.
•Environmental Message, Promotional Campaign of the Year: eQ Journal 004:Taking the Guilt out of Paper – eQ is Sappi's industry-leading branded communication platform on sustainability and includes the eQ Microsite, which is designed to elevate readers' environmental knowledge with blog posts, videos and insights into the industry. Our latest issue, eQ Journal 004: Taking the Guilt out of Paper is recognized for debunking the myths and guilt associated with paper by providing evidence in how sustainable forestry results in healthier forests and thriving wildlife.
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09.20.2012
Should marketers of luxury products be doing more print advertising? It couldn't hurt.
Affluent consumers like hard copy, despite their over-indexing for digital-media devices. The new Ipsos MediaCT’s 2012 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey shows that 82% of those with annual household income of $100,000 or more are reading more print pubs.
In particular, affluent women in households that make $100,000 or more annually, and "ultra affluents" (those with household income $250,000 or more) are heavy print consumers, with the highest reach and number of titles and issues read. Ultra affluents consume approximately 25% more print media than last year, reading an average of 23.5 issues across an average of 10 titles, per the study.
And this is happening as affluent consumers have vastly increased their exposure to digital content and platforms. The 2012 Mendelsohn Affluent survey from Ipsos MediaCT found, for example, that 26% of affluent consumers personally own a tablet, and 47% live in a household with a tablet, a threefold increase versus 2011.
More than half now own a smartphone, up from 45% in 2011. The firm found that in 2012, 4.7 million Affluents downloaded a magazine app, nearly doubling from 2.4 million in 2011; seven million downloaded a newspaper app, up from 4.6 million in 2011. Affluents reported using the Internet an average of 37.4 hours weekly -- up 14% from 2011, with the largest growth seen in sites related to social media, entertainment and shopping.
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09.20.2012
Due to the ongoing cost increases for raw materials, energy, wages and transportation the Koehler Paper Group is raising its prices for carbonless paper. The price increases, which have been implemented in Europe and Latin America already in June, are now to be applied in South Africa as well. Prices for reels and sheets will go up by 6% for shipments from mid-November onwards.
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09.20.2012
While the housing market continues its slow recovery, Georgia-Pacific is looking ahead and creating more than 100 new manufacturing jobs in the Palmetto State.
GP will begin hiring immediately to fill management, craft and production jobs as it moves toward ramping up of production of an oriented strand board (OSB) mill in Clarendon County, S.C., in early 2013. Ultimately, the plant will employ approximately 120 people.
Mark Luetters, president of GP wood products, says the timing is right, “given our customers’ increased need for OSB.” The Clarendon plant, constructed in 2011 but not fully operating since, is a world-class facility that will help the company grow with its building products customers as housing slowly recovers.
The Clarendon operation’s sister mill in Allendale County, S.C., also employs about 120 people and started production in 2010. The Clarendon and Allendale facilities became part of GP in a 2010 acquisition. GP spent $30 million to complete construction on the Clarendon facility after purchasing it.
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09.20.2012
Dice Holdings, Inc., a network of niche job sites and career fair producer, has acquired the online media assets from Geeknet, including Slashdot, SourceForge and Freecode, for $20 million in cash.
Dice Holdings plans to use the deal to enhance its career offerings with the content produced via the three sites. "The SourceForge and Slashdot communities will enable our customers to reach millions of engaged tech professionals on a regular basis and significantly extends our company's reach into the global community," says Dice Holdings chairman, president and CEO Scot Melland in a statement.
Slashdot and SourceForge attract about 4 million and 40 million monthly uniques, respectively, and Freecode, an index of Linux, Unix and cross-platform software, attracts about 500,000 unique visitors a month.
Together, the three properties generated 2011 revenues of $20 million. Media bankers DeSilva + Phillips represented Geeknet in the transaction.
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09.20.2012
Oil fell to a six-week low after U.S. stockpiles climbed the most since March, Chinese manufacturing shrank and Japanese exports fell, signaling fuel demand may be slowing among the world’s biggest crude users.
Futures dropped as much as 1.4 percent, falling for a fourth day in their longest losing streak since June. U.S. oil inventories surged 8.5 million barrels last week as Gulf of Mexico production resumed after Hurricane Isaac, Energy Department data showed yesterday. China’s manufacturing may contract an 11th month, according to a purchasing managers index by HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics. Japan’s overseas sales fell a third month in August, the Finance Ministry said.
“China is still growing at reasonable levels, but the sky- rocketing growth rates seen in the past couple of years looks to be over,” said Michael Poulsen, an analyst at Global Risk Management in Middelfart, who predicts Brent crude will remain at $107 to $108 a barrel next week. “China still has a lot of economic tools left compared to the west, so I expect a soft or orderly landing to have the best odds.”
Oil for October delivery slid as much as $1.32 to $90.66 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest since Aug. 6, and was at $91.07 at 11:03 a.m. London time. The contract, which expires today, slid $3.31 yesterday to $91.98, the lowest close since Aug. 3.
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09.20.2012
A study by the Information Technology Services Marketing Association (ITSMA) and VisionEdge Marketing, Austin, has found that marketers do not give themselves high grades when it comes to measuring the performance of their marketing programs.
The study, “The Path to Better Marketing Results,” was based on an online survey in July of 405 technology marketers.
When asked how satisfied they are with their ability to measure performance on a scale of one to 10 (with one representing not at all satisfied and 10 representing extremely satisfied), marketers' average score was 5.3.
When asked how their CEOs would grade their performance on measuring marketing, only 25% of marketers gave themselves an “A” grade, while 33% gave themselves a “B”; 33%” gave themselves a “C”; and 9% gave themselves a “D” or lower.
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09.20.2012
Total boxboard production decreased by 0.8 percent compared to August 2011 but increased 2.2 percent from last month. Unbleached Kraft Boxboard production decreased over the same month last year and decreased compared to last month. Total Solid Bleached Boxboard & Liner production increased compared to August 2011 and increased compared to last month. The production of Recycled Boxboard increased compared to August 2011 and increased when compared to last month.
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09.20.2012
Adobe Systems Incorporated today reported financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2012 ended Aug. 31, 2012.
Adobe achieved revenue in Q3 FY2012 of $1.081 billion, within its targeted range of $1.075 billion to $1.125 billion. During the quarter, the Company drove faster adoption of Creative Cloud subscriptions than originally projected. As Adobe customers migrate from a legacy Creative Suite perpetual licensing model to new Creative Cloud subscriptions, revenue is recognized over time as opposed to at the time of purchase. This overachievement in subscriptions during the third quarter effectively transitioned approximately $29 million more perpetual revenue than expected to Creative Cloud.
In addition, the effect of currency impacted Q3 revenue negatively by approximately $9 million. Adjusting for these amounts in Adobe’s reported results would have enabled the Company to achieve third quarter revenue towards the high-end of its targeted range.
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09.19.2012
Every few odd weeks or months, a story pondering the future of magazines resurfaces, generating an updated round of debate on this form of print media we aren't ready to let go. While recent pieces like David Carr's "Wondering How Far Magazine Will Fall" may dampen the spirits of those still holding out for a print magazine comeback, the land of startup magazines exhibits just enough novelty and success to keep print hope alive.
Crowdfunded focus on locale and niche interests
In the past year, there has been a steady output of crowdfunded journalism projects, many of which are entrepreneurial in spirit and target a niche community. (An assortment of crowdfunding platforms and successful projects were covered in the MediaShift piece, "Crowdfunding Journalistic and Photojournalistic Projects.")
A survey of print magazine projects on two major platforms, Kickstarter and Indiegogo, draws up a few broad project categories. First, there is a focus on local: ThirtyTwo aims to provoke a cultural renaissance in the American Midwest, and Local plans to give a voice to "one, overlooked American town per issue." The second major category is niche interest: Creatives are pushing for magazines on women empowerment, Latino empowerment, and positive body image.
In contrast to the online publishing cycle, which demands constant and regular updates, these print magazine projects embrace the slow and mulled-over nature of the print format. All of the examples mentioned publish bimonthly (every two months), quarterly, or on even less frequent schedules. Most magazine campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo do not reach their funding goal, but for the few that do, how can they turn a successful campaign into an actual magazine, and how -- dare they dream it -- can the new magazine become sustainable?
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09.19.2012
BD White Birch Investment LLC today announced the successful completion of the acquisition of the assets of White Birch Paper Company. The completion of the acquisition represents the successful culmination of a nearly three year restructuring process, resulting in the formation of a newly revitalized and competitive enterprise.
Commenting on the announcement, Peter Brant, Chief Executive Officer of the new White Birch, said, "I am pleased that the conclusion of the restructuring process, together with significant new investment by the Brant Family and the Black Diamond-led investment group, has resulted in a healthier, better capitalized company. The process of turning this company around would not have been possible without the support of our management team, new investors and the strong belief by all of our employees that this is a vital business that is well positioned to succeed in the global paper market for years to come. "
Christopher Brant, President of the new White Birch, added, "Without the contributions of our dedicated employees, our loyal customers and suppliers, our partners at Black Diamond and the support of the Quebec government, the new White Birch's future would not be nearly as bright as it is today. I would like to thank them all for their tremendous efforts throughout this long and arduous process."
Continuing, Christopher Brant said, "As the new White Birch moves forward with our current product portfolio, I am excited about the opportunities we have to develop our operations in new products and modernized platforms. Working together with our superb management team and all of the company's stakeholders, I am optimistic about the future and the long-term viability of the new White Birch."
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09.19.2012
The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index, released Tuesday, showed a drop in spending for the second month in a row.
The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.
“After a rebound during the first half of the year, the Index continued downward in August, primarily due to a drop in the price of new homes and a slight decline in the tax rate,” said Carl Steidtmann, Deloitte’s chief economist and author of the monthly Index. “Looking ahead, rising energy prices may further strain the Index heading into fall, as rising gas prices are already beginning to crimp spending.”
The Index, which comprises four components — tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices — fell to 3.13 from a downwardly revised reading of 3.22 the previous month.
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09.19.2012
Allen Press, Inc., printer and publishing services provider, has won coveted awards in 2012 in three prestigious regional and national printing competitions, where excellence in print quality as well as overall impact and degree of difficulty in technique are judged.
PIA MidAmerica, the regional trade group of the Printing and Imaging Association, bestowed the “Best of Category” award for two publications, recognizing each in their category in the company’s division. The winning pieces were Orchids 80:2, a publication of the American Orchid Society, and Catfish Alley, Fall 2011, a publication of The Commercial Dispatch, Columbus, MS. Winning Awards of Excellence were Gastronomica 11:4, from the University of California Press; The Mineralogical Record 42:2, published by The Mineralogical Record, Inc.; Gems and Gemology 47:1, a Gemological Institute of America publication; Arabian Horse Times 2012 Calendar, from Arabian Horse Times, Inc.; and Shadows of Minidoka, paintings and collections of Roger Shimomura, published by the Lawrence Arts Center. Allen Press’ accomplishments were honored at a banquet this spring in Kansas City.
Printing Industries of America awarded the company with two Premier Print Awards. The Mineralogical Record 42:2 was given an Award of Recognition, and Arabian Horse Times 2012 Calendar was given a Certificate of Merit.
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09.19.2012
Forbes will launch its 24th international edition, Forbes México, in November with MBG, a Mexican publisher of sports magazines and books. Forbes México's 40,000 copies will be distributed throughout the country.
Editor is Andrés Tapia, who was previously the deputy director of GQ México and Latin America. CEO is MBG principal Max Linares, who previously served as CEO of Initiative Media and consulted with Sony Pictures Television.
The magazine’s editorial make-up will include local business stories combined with content gleaned from Forbes U.S. The Spanish-language Web site (www.forbes.com.mx) is scheduled launch in tandem with the magazine.
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09.19.2012
Adobe will attempt to capture more of the publishing market by appealing to small companies and individuals creating content in apps for iPads. The platform, Creative Cloud publishing, now supports a folio feature, allowing content creators to build single pieces of the marketing material, brochure and publication into an iPad app, rather than a dashboard filled with a library of publications.
Marketers point to stand-alone self-publishing as the next phase for branded content. Mascord Living Spaces created a free app allowing consumers to view photography from some of the publisher's favorite homes. It allows viewers to search the latest designs and take a 360-degree spin to get an inside look at design philosophies of Alan Mascord Design Associates, a company that remodels and designs custom homes.
Today, Adobe's publishing tool remains available only for Macs, but Adobe plans to add Windows 8 support for App Builder on its product roadmap. While the design process can occur in a Windows operating system, the platform does not submit the content for publishing. The designer must submit apps on a Mac to the Apple iTunes store. The content is built into an iOS tablet application, rather than made available on the Web. All content is automatically optimized based on the iPad the content is viewed on.
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09.19.2012
HP MagCloud today announced a web-based viewer that enables publishers to bring stunning versions of their publications to life in any modern web browser on both desktop and mobile computers.
Available now, the web viewer creates an immersive experience, bringing the same compelling content customers have come to expect in HP MagCloud’s print publications to an easy-to-navigate digital format with no download required.
Readers can use the web viewer to explore, buy and read thousands of publications online through HP MagCloud. It is the first self-publishing service to offer content owners the choice to distribute a single file as a free or paid digital publication via both iPad app and web viewer, in addition to a professional-quality print option.
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