Product Launches and Acquisitions | Magazine Operations Management | Web Start-ups | Marketing Strategy and Implementation | Interim Management | Television Sales & Marketing Strategy

• A market analysis on the archaeology field for investment purposes. This included a broad market overview, a review of competitors and trends, an estimated P&L of the key competitor, and a sensitivity analysis on the potential profitability of the start-up publication based on two key components: renewal rate and cost-per-subscription-order
• An editorial analysis of the key competitor and a plan for the editorial components of the start-up publication
• Ideas for circulation strategies, printing contracts, list brokers, newsstand distribution contracts and more
• A full-blown three-year business plan with detailed assumptions across all areas of magazine publishing - circulation, advertising, operations, distribution.

A leading specialty trade publisher hired a Quantum Media member to leverage her expertise with one professional audience in order to create a new magazine for a related, but different group. Our consultant led a team of company managers and several outside vendors to:

• Perform and write up original research in the field
• Create a circulation plan
• Build the circulation model, including traditional direct response mailings, subscription agent acquisition, and bulk acquisition through associations and organizations
• Write the business plan for a print and web publication and build the business model
• Hire key staff
• Find a software integration firm
• Research line extensions of the new publication as it was launching

A potential buyer of a niche consumer magazine engaged Quantum Media to create a realistic assessment of the market as well as a projection of future revenues and expenses for the publication. After purchasing the magazine, the buyer retained the consultant to advise on various aspects of the re-launch, from setting up the departments to establishing new systems for managing finance, production, advertising, fulfillment and circulation. The consultant continues to advise the buyer on publishing strategy.

The magazine has performed closely to the consultant's projections of both revenue and expense. A year later, renewal percentages are up 20%, and the subscription base is up 26%. Both continue to improve.

The owners of an art magazine engaged a Quantum Media member to examine and advise them on their circulation/marketing efforts and fulfillment operation. Working with the Circulation Director, the consultant critiqued new and renewal marketing programs and proposed changes to improve response. She also assessed the fulfillment operation and developed in-house reports to monitor both the marketing efforts and the fulfillment processes.

As a result of this project, renewal rates almost doubled (an increase of 77%), improvements to a holiday campaign tripled the expected response, and the overall base was thereby able to grow 30% since the beginning of this project. With the new reports and systems in place, the publication also now has the tools to build on those gains and quantify their successes.

Over a period of several years, Quantum Media members have advised the circulation director and staff of this publishing group that includes a 1.5 million circulation paid magazine, a group of trade publications, and a 200,000 controlled circulation special interest publication. After a strategic review of the publishing group's business, Quantum made recommendations that both strengthened the market position and helped circulation profits materially.

Several successful initiatives included:

• A new sub-acquisition marketing format that reduced costs by 11% while simultaneously providing much needed demographic/playing data about new subscribers
• A new sub-acquisition program called "endorsed subs" that allows the company to replace previously sold, more costly subs
• Leading a discussion with the editor and encouraging use of new editorial sections/supplements to appeal to a broader spectrum of the target audience. In 1999 the resulting new editorial section ranked in the top 5 "most read" sections of the magazine
• Offering a wide-range of advice on topics such as marketing partners, strategic partners, subscription marketing on the web, subscriber loyalty, subscriber and reader research, pricing tests, customer service programs, premiums, direct response creative, renewal series, reader segmentation, database marketing and acquisitions.

A specialty women's consumer magazine engaged a Quantum Media member to develop its in-house production and manufacturing-purchasing department.

The consultant:

• Evaluated the magazine's pre-press, print, and paper needs
• Negotiated new pricing and established new cost-saving systems that resulted in material savings very quickly
• Identified areas in the workflow that needed improvement and implemented the practices that would provide maximum efficiencies
• Identified the appropriate suppliers/partners to accomplish the magazine's long-term goals

A Quantum Media member developed a custom-publishing, web-based service offering post-sale consumer electronics and appliances support and product ownership services. For the Internet start-up, she:

• Wrote the business plan
• Hired tech and marketing staff
• Identified funding sources and strategic partners
• Supervised the demo build
• Made calls to the trade for strategic partnerships

A prominent designer who has worked on a series of very hip publications over the years started a web and streaming media design agency and content origination company. A Quantum Media member joined the Board and is on retainer with the company to do a wide variety of tasks, including setting up the company's budgeting and accounting systems, working out pricing and cost accounting issues with the staff, and helping with general business strategy. The media design business was immediately profitable and is on a growth track with web and wireless content development.

The largest independent documentary producer for cable TV has been a growing and very profitable enterprise for over 15 years. The owner wanted to use his core competency to profitably move to the web. The Quantum Media consultant worked with the CEO on the business strategy, wrote the initial business plan, and helped hire the staff (CFO, VP, Marketing) for the parent company that would run both the video and the streaming video businesses. The consultant continues to be on retainer as the business - now a full-fledged Internet brand that compliments the video production business - continues to build.

An established publisher of a prominent group of newsletters and special reports on health issues (5 newsletters and dozens of special reports-with a 1,000,000 combined circulation) retained two Quantum Media members to help work through assorted circulation challenges and marketing issues. The consultants have worked on:

• Direct mail creative
• Pricing
• Premiums and freemiums
• The publications vis-à-vis the web site
• Membership clubs
• Co-branding with other publications
• Headlines and other promotional copy within the newsletters
• Leveraging the current organization to launch new newsletters and strategic partnerships

A team headed by two Quantum Media members created a marketing plan for the CEO and president of the firm. The consultants developed new marketing materials as well as a detailed rationale and plan to enter larger, more lucrative markets and to justify higher pricing for advertising sponsorships.

For a prominent publisher of books, newsletters, and seminars, a Quantum Media member headed up all new business development activities. The consultant created a strategy, developed business plans, assumed the role of champion, managed market research, and directed plan implementation.

A very promising new advertising medium, based in Toronto, engaged a Quantum Member as the first outside Director on its Board and as a consultant to advise on entering the U.S. market. Our consultant worked directly with the CEO on the business strategy for the American market and helped hire staff in the U.S. (COO, Head of Ad Sales). The consultant also formed a Media Advisory Board, comprised of prominent ad agency executives and advertisers, to advise the CEO, Board and staff on out-of-home advertising issues and to represent the company to prospective investors.

In order to gain distribution for the company, the consultant also led a feasibility study for a major U.S. real estate property manager to assess other locations for this medium throughout his buildings. As a result of its successful launch, the company was able to structure merger terms with its competitor on favorable terms. The consultant continues to be engaged by the acquirer.

On behalf of investors and the board, a Quantum Media member served as acting CEO of a magazine publisher specializing in women's books. The consultant reviewed operations and created circulation and business plans for this troubled company. She focused on marketing strategy, cash management and cost control, and new business development.

A key to the successful sale of the business was the consultant's development of a radical (ad-free) circulation strategy for one of the major publications (900,000 paid circulation) and a high-growth, innovative circulation strategy for the other major publication (1.5 million paid circulation). The consultant managed operations and protected assets until the business was sold one year later.

A Quantum Media member served as acting president and publisher of a 30-title magazine group for an international media conglomerate. She created a turn-around plan, directed the plan's implementation, and successfully sold the business-all within one year.

A highly-visible, young cable TV network engaged a Quantum Media member to explore the concept of ad-sponsored custom publishing as it might apply to television, with the focus on one of the top 3 multi-billion dollar, multinational advertising agencies. Working for the CEO and Head of Sales & Marketing, our consultant completed the following:

• Analyzed the advertising accounts that would be most likely prospects, along with a complete review of each account's market status and marketing challenges, using market data and personal interviews
• Chose the accounts for the pitch
• Prepared ideas and concepts for each account
• Created a business model to demonstrate the profitability to each concept