Terrella Media, Inc.

5March2010

“How Will The End Of Print Journalism Affect Old Loons Who Hoard Newspapers?” (The Onion)

Posted by David Kalman under: Publishing Strategy; Ramblings from Dave Kalman.

h/t to Crooks and Liars.

7February2010

Cancelled: “Mobilize Your Content,” WPA Roundtable San Francisco, 3/3/2010

Posted by David Kalman under: Events; Publishing Strategy; ePublishing.

18December2009

2010 Maggies Open for Registration

Posted by David Kalman under: Events; Terrella Media News.

New Web & digital categories, online access and more

The 2010 Maggie Awards program has been streamlined and improved to make entering and judging easier than ever.

Entries into most Maggie categories can be uploaded onto the Maggie Web site. (No more tearsheets or mounted artwork.) Participants will have online access to Maggie registration and entry forms in a secure environment. Easy-to-follow instructions, FAQs, category selection, upload requirements, judging criteria and secure payment are available. Publications must carry a 2009 cover date and be published when submission is made.

The Maggie Awards cover 130 categories, including 27 new Web and digital edition categories. Deadline for Entries is January 19, 2010. To enter, see http://www.wpa-online.org for the “Maggie Call for Entries” and registration.

As a special incentive to enter, WPA is offering one free entry to all publishing companies who either renew their WPA membership or join as a new WPA member before Dec., 2009. You must enter more than one category to qualify, and the cost of your first entry will be deducted from your membership rate. The WPA will announce the Maggie winners at the 59th Annual Maggie Awards Banquet, May 7, 2010, Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Los Angeles Airport.

About the Maggies: The Annual Maggie awards ceremony and black-tie dinner is the most prestigious publishing event in the West. Over 600 publishing professionals gather to honor excellence in print and electronic publishing in over 100 editorial, design and promotional and event categories. A trademark of the Maggie ceremony is the high-tech, visually creative multimedia show featuring entries from the current year.

14October2009

AMD Gaming eNews Misfire

Posted by David Kalman under: Custom Media; Custom Publishing; Custom Publishing Review.

We can debate which audience contains the more rabid members: knitters or 3D gamers. I happen to fall into the latter group, so I twitched with anticipation upon receipt of AMD’s gaming “newsletter.” I enclose newsletter in quotation marks because upon opening it I discovered not engaging content, but gratuitous sales copy:

“Behold, the revolutionary new ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 Series of GPUs.”

There’s nothing wrong with sales copy, except when it tries to masquerade as something it’s not. The key deficiency here is lack of customer focus, from which all the subsequent and incidental insults arise. In this newsletter, we see sales copy with a couple of links to AMD Community, which in turn links to the “AMD at Play” blog, which itself turns out to be MORE SALES COPY disguised as a blog.

To fix this email newsletter, I would turn the content inside-out. The front page should profile customers and their use of the products, perhaps covering industry events such as gaming face-offs, conferences, and other game industry events. Technical content could include performance hacks, and even gaming technology fundamentals, e.g., how will gaming performance improve over time and what are the likely technologies driving innovation?

By earning the customers’ attention, AMD could then intersperse product messages and strengthen its brand attraction.

12October2009

2010 Maggie Awards Preview: Get ready to Enter, Judge, and Win!

Posted by David Kalman under: Events.

Here’s a heads up for publishers, editors, and art directors in the western half of the U.S.: Don’t miss the 2010 Maggies. The Western Publishing Association (WPA) will post the Call for Entries here on Nov. 1, online entry registration will begin Nov. 15, and entries will be due Jan. 19, 2010. Note that WPA will not send a Call for Entries via postal mail.

If you’ve entered Maggie’s in the past, you’ll appreciate a revamped entry process. With no more tearsheets or mounted artwork required, you may now complete most entries online via PDFs and URLs (depending on the category).

The new online submission process also makes it easier for judges (and the WPA seeks qualified judges across all categories). With more online categories, many judges will be able to participate without having to travel to L.A. for the traditional two-day judging confab. Categories that require a complete magazine will still be judged in hard copy at a day-long judging event.

With the Call for Entries, the WPA is offering a free Maggie entry to all publishing companies who renew their WPA memberships or join as new WPA members before Dec. 31, 2009. (You must enter more than one category to qualify. The cost of your first entry will be deducted from your membership rate.)

About the Maggies: The Maggie Awards recognize excellence in print and online publishing. Every year, more than 600 publishing professionals gather to recognize excellence in more than 100 editorial, design, promotional, and event categories. For more information, see the official Maggie Award page.

View scenes from last year’s Maggie Awards ceremony:

2October2009

MWS Asks, Are You a Print Dinosaur?

Posted by David Kalman under: Email and Social Media Marketing; Events; Publishing Strategy.

Publishing impresario Carl Landau threw a party in Minneapolis. It was called the Niche Digital Conference, where I joined Minnick Web Services (MWS) as an exhibitor of our ePublishing solutions (eBooks and Digital Editions). The MWS T-Rex was a highlight of the exhibit row. (“Are you a print dinosaur?”)

In my opinion, the event highlight was Dan McCarthy’s (NCI) lunchtime keynote on his social media/sharing strategy. Visit Dan’s blog for his insights. I want to thank Dan, and I also want to recognize Mike Bannan, who schooled me in video, and Joe Pulizzi who did likewise re social media.

And I can’t forget the digital edition death-match. Panelist Chris Minnick rocked the house:

28September2009

See You Oct. 28, 2009 at the SF WPA Roundtable

Posted by David Kalman under: Events; Publishing Strategy; Terrella Media News.

Join northern California media professionals in a roundtable discussion on the changing definition of “publishing.” Learn how publishers are changing their product mixes and business models to adapt to the challenges of a digital world. This event is perfect for media professionals, including publishers and editors. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

The scene at the previous San Francisco WPA Roundtable

When

Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 9 a.m. – noon

Where

Think Services, 600 Harrison St., 6th Floor, San Francisco, Calif.

How Much

In Advance: WPA members $15; Non-members $25
At Door: WPA members $25; Non members $35

Facilitators

Dave Kalman, President, Terrella Media, Inc.
Kathi Simonsen, President, Simonsen Sales and Marketing

Dave Kalman and Kathi Simonsen at the previous SF WPA Roundtable

Attend This Event for FREE!

Join WPA prior to or at this event and WPA will deduct the cost of this registration from your membership rate!

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED.

21September2009

Don’t Miss the “SEO for CEOs” Webinar

Posted by David Kalman under: Events; Publishing Strategy; ePublishing.

New from the Western Publishing Association (WPA), here’s a webinar on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practices and tips that will build your community, traffic, and readership. In this one-hour live event, you’ll learn how to build better navigation and organize your content for maximum search engine visibility.

Register today for SEO for CEOs: What Media Companies Should Do About Search
Wednesday, September 23, 11 a.m. – noon (PDT)
$15 for WPA members, $25 for non-members

15September2009

The House of the Future

Posted by David Kalman under: Ramblings from Dave Kalman.

In my work with the Eichler Network, I’ve learned to appreciate mid-century modern architecture, not so much for its execution, but for its intent. In looking forward, modern architects questioned the status quo in both form and function. The result may have been spine-bending chairs, but comfort was a small price to pay for space age optimism and confidence in a brighter future.

One icon of that era was the “X-100,” a steel-framed Eichler home nestled in the highlands of San Mateo, California, just four miles from where I’m sitting as I write this. (Read more about it on the Eichler Network) and enjoy this Universal Newsreel from October 24, 1956:

3September2009

eNewsletter Subject Line Fail

Posted by David Kalman under: Brand Community Media Process; Brand Community Media Strategy; Custom Media; Custom Publishing; Email and Social Media Marketing.

Just received the monthly e-newsletter from financial services company Vanguard. I receive this every month, and every month the subject line is the same: It’s the title of the e-newsletter, “In the Vanguard.” Unfortunately, the title tells me little about why I’d want to read further. If you want me to open a newsletter, give me a reason. Pique my interest with a hot topic. Inside this particular newsletter (which I opened only for the purpose of writing this post), I found a link to an article on the Fed’s response to the financial crisis. Now that could be interesting. New subject line: In the Vanguard: The Fed Strikes Back! Anything that’s timely and relevant would be better than the status quo.

15August2009

Cash for Clunkers Drives Big Returns: Updated

Posted by David Kalman under: Dave Kalman Analysis.

The Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) (popularly known as Cash for Clunkers or C4C) is one of the few Federal stimulus programs targeted at average workers and consumers. Does it work? You be the judge. This is not a political blog, so I’ll try to refrain from any ideological pronouncements. Instead I’ll offer my analysis as a spreadsheet jockey and business manager.

In a nutshell, Cash for Clunkers (C4C) offers rebates to vehicle (car, small truck, and SUV) buyers when they trade in older models that get significantly worse gas mileage than the new ones they purchase. I don’t need to recount the rules for you here, other than to say that rebates are offered in two tiers, $3,500 and $4,500. You get more money when you buy a vehicle with better gas mileage.

Congress funded C4C in two rounds, an initial billion bucks, and another $2B when the first billion ran out. Critics decry C4C as a transfer of taxpayer money to the unworthy. They also question the wisdom of enticing economically marginal consumers into new loans. Proponents defend C4C as both an environmental boon that will reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and an economic stimulus to keep car companies, parts suppliers, and dealers in business.

Whichever side you’re on, you’ll spin my numbers to serve your argument. So have at it. Here are some numbers. In some cases, they’re wildly guesstimated, but close enough to be worth arguing.

• The government funded C4C with $3B. With 3 percent administrative overhead, that’s $2.91B net.
• Dealers report that most buyers qualify for the $4,500 rebate. So, I calculated the average rebate at $4,156.
• Consequently, I estimated that C4C resulted (or will result) in 700,248 new vehicles being sold.
• Dealers also report that many buyers who didn’t qualify for rebates go on to buy a new or used vehicles anyway. Let’s say that represents an additional 20 percent on top of the total C4C vehicles sold, or 140,050 vehicles.
• If we peg the average cost/vehicle at $15,000 (net after rebate), you get a total of $12.6B in economic “stimulus.” This doesn’t account for other revenues associated with a new vehicle purchase, such as insurance and accessories.
• In turn, that $12.6B generates state and local sales taxes, as well as vehicle license and registration fees. I estimate the average rate is 4 percent, making the total local and state sales tax take $504M.
• If the program keeps employed for six months 30,000 car dealers, manufacturers, assemblers, parts suppliers, and lenders who have an adjusted gross income averaging $50,000 annually, the program generates another $750M in personal income. That income then generates $150M in Federal income taxes (based on a 20 percent rate) and another $30M in State income taxes (using a 4 percent rate).

With Cash for Clunkers, workers stay employed and get a fleet of new more fuel-efficient vehicles. The economy gets a $12.6B cash infusion, and the States and the Federal government get $1.53B back in direct return. If we wanted to take this analysis a few steps further, we could also analyze:

• the reduction in gas tax revenue
• the gain in sales tax to local economies as a result of keeping workers employed
• the gain to State and Federal governments by avoiding payment of unemployment benefits

Knock yourselves out. I’m interested to hear opinions on how to improve my numbers, but there’s no need to shout. Pick your own numbers and do your own math.

Cash for Clunkers generates $12.6B in sales, returns $1.53B back to Federal, State, and Local governments in tax

Update 1: The U.S. Department of Transportation has confirmed my numbers, reporting on August 26, 2009 that Cash for Clunkers resulted in 690,114 vehicles sold (off only 1.5 percent from my projection), resulting in $2.878 billion in rebates or an average of $4170 per rebate (both about 1 percent of my projections).

References

Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) at Cars.gov (official site)

CARS Statistics Page

Cash for Clunkers Car Buying Stimulus Program (Edmunds.com, Aug. 17, 2009)

GM, Honda Latest to Boost Production as Cash-For-Clunkers Resuscitates Small-Car Sales, (Edmunds AutoObserver, Aug. 18, 2009)

“Clunkers” Demand Prods Ford To Hike Production (Edmunds AutoObserver, Aug. 13, 2009)

Cash for Clunkers Delivers July Sales Spike — But Now What?, (Edmunds AutoObserver, Aug. 3, 2009)

Clunkers Demand Prods Ford to Increase Production, (Edmunds AutoObserver, Aug. 13, 2009)

19May2009

Eichler Faire Draws Astounding 400+ Attendees

Posted by David Kalman under: Brand Community Media Strategy; Email and Social Media Marketing; Event Marketing; Event Marketing and Production; Events.

With the Eichler Remodeling Faire (Mountain View, Calif., May 16, 2009), Keycon president Ron Key took a chance. He believed that a fun and informative event on a sunny afternoon would attract a modest number of Bay Area Eichler homeowners seeking remodeling advice and solutions. He was wrong. There was nothing modest about it. More than 400 hundred showed up (exact figure to come).

Several days before the Faire, event planner Judy Nakamura emailed me. “Dave, Can you give me an update on the registration numbers? We need to submit a final guarantee to the caterer today,” wrote Judy. We had 160 individual registrations, and knowing that many people who register for a free event don’t attend, I told her the truth: I had no idea how many would ultimately appear. So, we guaranteed BBQ for 125 adults and 25 children. Oops. Fortunately, Absolute Barbecue Company kept the burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, and drinks coming. They were amazing.

The Eichler Remodeling Faire would not have happened without Ron Key’s vision and his relationships with construction and design partners who participated in the event. At the same time, it would not have been possible without two social media powerhouses, the Eichler Network and Eventbrite.

With the Eichler Network, Keycon was able to pinpoint event marketing to the 7,000 South Bay and Peninsula Eichler households. The promotions included ads in the Eichler Network annual Home Maintenance Directory, an ad/insert card combo in the Eichler Network’s CA-Modern Magazine, and a followup postcard mailed to the magazine’s recipients.

Eventbrite provided a complete event landing page and registration system, which allowed us to present all the event details, “sell” tickets (even though this event was free), collect customer data, and communicate with ticket “buyers” via scheduled email reminders. Perhaps more importantly, using Eventbrite rocketed the Eichler Remodeling Faire to Google’s top five results for “Eichler Remodeling.” Eventbrite also enabled attendees to share information about the event with friends and neighbors. I was pleasantly surprised to see that bloggers and other event sites took notice as well.

The Eichler Remodeling Faire
Producer: Keycon, Inc.
Event Logistics: Judy Nakamura, EVENTS
Content and Marketing: Dave Kalman, Terrella Media, Inc.
Media Partner: The Eichler Network/CA-Modern Magazine
Web Platform: Eventbrite

Photo gallery (Copyright © 2009 David M. Kalman, taken with a cheap point-and-shoot camera that shall remain nameless.)