Two media partners presented the first pure B2B survey on the topic of ad specials on November 24, 2009 in Würzburg: The Verband Druck und Medien Bayern e.V. and the specialist media house Vogel Business Media presented the results of the survey to around 150 visitors at the ClusterForum Print Bayern at the Vogel Convention Center in Würzburg.



The online questionnaire on the print advertising form Ad Specials in B2B communication was sent to two groups:

1. nationwide to advertising and marketing managers from industry and B2B agencies via Vogel Business Media.

2. regionally to publishers and print shops in Bavaria via Druck und Medien Bayern e.V. to all association members.



The above-average response rate of over 350 completed questionnaires demonstrates the interest in the topic and reveals revealing trends. The most important results:

- Many printers and publishers already have ad specials in their program.

- The topic of ad specials will be in greater demand by marketing managers in the future and will be increasingly offered by printers.

- The offer is available, but needs to be sold better, as ad specials require more explanation than regular print ads. They are more complex, but also more effective. Expert advice is required for the B2B sector in particular.



Key findings of the advertisers surveyed:

- just under 90 % of advertisers are aware of offers of special advertising formats in trade journals - this is a surprisingly high figure.

- over two thirds of advertisers have never booked an ad special, but are interested - there is a lot of potential here.



Key findings of the publishers and printers surveyed:

- Many, but by no means all, print shops offer ad specials or have established production technology requirements. The industry sees potential in the market here.

- There is still a lot of catching up to do in terms of training sales staff and creating special sales documents.

- Media companies are expecting increased demand from their customers and are preparing for this. They consistently attribute greater advertising effectiveness to ad specials.



A Germany-wide follow-up study on the impact of ad specials among readers of specialist media is then planned. Further information is also available at www.cluster-print.de and www.vogel-media.de. You can request the presentation of the study at: gunther.schunk@vogel.de



About Vogel Business Media: The specialist media company is one of the leading German specialist information providers with around 100 trade journals and 60 websites as well as numerous international activities. Its headquarters are in Würzburg. The print and online media primarily serve the industrial, automotive, information technology and legal/business/tax sectors. They offer advertisers customized communication solutions ranging from coverage and image building to lead generation.