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Quality
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“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” – William A. Foster
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The over-arching approach of successful brands is that they focus on relationships with buyers.
1. Get personal. Example: Amazon Amazon fosters relationships by helping consumers make decisions through recommendations of items based on past purchases, user reviews and ratings, and suggested complementary purchases. Consumers also have many options for forging a personal bond with the brand, including user profiles, reviews and ratings and wish lists. 2. Sell happiness. Example: Coca-Cola "Everything they do is inspired by this idea of, How do we promote, develop and create happiness?" says branding consultant Jim Stengel. “They take the ideas of spontaneity and delight and infuse [them] into everything." Coca-Cola pushes this message across all points of customer contact, from Facebook to its custom vending machines. 3. Live up to your promise. Example: FedEx They've elevated the brand by recognizing that it's not just about the logistics of moving packages and boxes; they appreciate that the contents of those packages mean a lot to people. Consumers believe that the brand will do what it says it will do. 4. Keep it cool (and fun). Example: Apple Whatever that new Apple product is, consumers trust that it will be smart and sleek and that it will improve the way they communicate,
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work or spend their leisure time. What's more, they'll enjoy the experience of making the purchase. Apple uses its retail outlets to show, not tell, consumers its brand philosophy.
appeal that connects the athletic apparel company to consumers worldwide; the brand really does invite everyone to ‘Just Do It,’ " notes branding consultant Kevin Lane Keller.
5. Design an experience. Example: Target Target provides a consistently exceptional retail experience — thanks to easy-to-maneuver layouts, consistent designs and notable customer service, it's retail outlets are easy and intuitive places to shop, giving customers confidence they will be able to find what they want, for the right price.
8. Forge connections. Example: Starbucks From the free Wi-Fi to the in-store music to the large tables with room for groups and meetings, the company's stores are designed to help customers interact.
6. Stay consistent. Example: Ford Ford's consistent branding has established the company as a beacon of reliability. "Changing the logo, tagline and messaging on a frequent basis will ensure that nothing about your brand sticks in your intended customers' heads," says Brad VanAuken, chief brand strategist for The Blake Project consultancy. "Once you have developed a unique and compelling value proposition for your brand, repeat it again and again." 7. Can-do attitude. Example: Nike On its website, Nike declares its mission to "bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world," adding, "If you have a body, you are an athlete.” “It's that aspirational message and mainstream
9. Serve up the quirky. Example: Southwest Airlines This low-cost carrier has consistently set its own route in the airline industry, creating a distinct personality through everything from open passenger seating to flight attendants who sing the safety demonstrations. 10. Focus on the customer: Nordstrom Attentive service–which includes a liberal return policy, emailing digital photos of new items to regular customers and sending thank-you notes after purchases–frees the Seattle-based retailer from having to focus on competitive pricing, which helps keep profit margins higher.
Source: Entrepreneur Magazine, April 2012
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Babcox Media is investing in a centralized audience resource (CAR) for data collection, management and segmentation, to guide our editorial, strategic and promotional efforts. Our BPA-audited, controlled-circulation subscriber lists are more powerful than ever, now that we’ve created a comprehensive view of our audience’s interactions with our brands and platforms – print, digital, web and mobile.
What is CAR? CAR is Babcox Media’s integrated, centralized audience database covering the automotive, powersports and truck fleet aftermarkets. • Contains contextual data for demographics and engagement about our audience, allowing us to segment our audience on specific titles, companies, functions or geographical areas. • Contains behavioral data based on topic, interest areas and engagement metrics for our audience, allowing us to develop and deliver content that is important to our readers.
Centralized Audience Resource
Audience-First Attitude
Everything we do is with our audience - our readers - in mind. Knowing who our readers are, and how they prefer to receive information, allows us to deliver relevant, timely information when and where they want it.
To receive more information about CAR, contact Brandi Gangel at bgangel@babcox.com or 330-670-1234, ext. 239
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Magazine Media Brands deliver powerful relationship that‌
Influence, Inspire The 2015 Babcox Media Automotive Aftermarket Reader Survey provides insight into how technicians consume media‌
82.7% 58.6%
Prefer to receive technical & product information from print magazines
of technicians own a smartphone and own a tablet
31.5%
How they use them... Smartphone Personal Work Both
34.2% 11.6% 54.2%
Tablet Personal Work Both
50% 15.7% 34.3%
To receive the complete 2015 Babcox Media Automotive Aftermarket Reader Survey, contact Brandi Gangel at bgangel@babcox.com or 330-670-1234, ext. 239
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Source: Babcox Media
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and Endure.
The experience is based on trusted editorial, complemented by relevant advertising.
The 2015 Magazine Media Factbook reports...
In Millions
215.7 Net audience for magazine print & 214.1 digital editions is growing 210.7
Total 18+ magazine media audience 2012 – 2014. Note: Measured magazine titles excluding Sunday magazines. Source: GfK MRI, Fall 2012–2014.
Percentage of American adults who read digital editions of magazines has more than quadrupled over the past 3 years!
Magazine media is more trusted, inspiring and influential than other media Magazine Ad-Supported A way to learn about new products Gets me to try new things Inspires me to buy Something to talk about Trust to tell the truth Get valuable info from
Media
Websites
TV Networks
129
130
81
122 117 114 114 113
107 113 95 105 110
81 79 97 86 85
Index: Percentage of purchase influencers within the household for each medium vs. percentage of purchase influencers within the household for the combination of magazine media, websites and TV vehicles used by each respondent. Source: Experian Marketing Services, Simmons Multi-Media Engagement Study, Spring 2014. Note: Data for each medium is based on levels of agreement with the above statements for a set of vehicles used by each individual in each medium. Index scores are represented in the above table.
Source: 2015 Magazine Media Factbook
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TIME
Tested
#1 Small Car 2012 Honda Civic ($14k and up)
These used vehicles ranked highest in their respective categories, in a 2015 survey based on performance, interior, safety, reliability and total cost of ownership.
#1 Mid-Size Car 2012 Chevy Malibu ($15k and up)
#1 Luxury Car 2012 Mercedes-Benz E-Class ($30k and up)
#1 Mid-Sized SUV 2012 Buick Enclave ($25k and up)
#1 Full-Sized Truck 2011 Ford F-150 ($25k and up)
#1 Sports Car 2011 Dodge Challenger ($20k and up) Used vehicle rankings are based on the consensus opinion of America’s top automotive experts, as well as reliability, safety and total cost of ownership data from third-party providers.
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Source: www.USNews.com
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B
ehind our rand
Complete name: James Patrick Merle Birthdate: March 14th, I’m a Pisces. Position with Babcox Media: Group Publisher: TechGroup – Brake&Front End, ImportCar, Underhood Service, Servicio Automotriz, Shop Owner and AutoCarePro. Years with the company: 22 years, time flies. Your hometown: Akron, hometown of the American Soap Box Derby, LeBron James & Babcox Media. What’s your favorite mode of transportation? Of course it’s a 6-to-10-year-old vehicle with 100,000 miles or more being serviced by an independent repair shop. What’s your favorite phrase, idiom or mantra? Keep your promises and always over-deliver. What is your favorite holiday and why? Thanksgiving, of course! Family, food and football repeated two or more times in less than one day. It’s perfect. What’s your favorite pastime? Vacationing with my family…it never fails to deliver quality time with the five most important people in my life. Your favorite thing about your career? Providing quality solutions. What inspires you? The entire Babcox team, from top to bottom, committed every day to performing at the highest level. Favorite food & drink: Miller Lite & pepperoni pizza. After a hard day, I like to _____: unwind with a pepperoni pizza and a Miller Lite. What is something that you’ve always wanted to try? One-on-one against LeBron with a 20-point spot. I’m confident I could score one point. Right?
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Quality That Lasts 1920 India Rubber Review acquired
2000 Tech Shop founded
1931 India Rubber & Tire Review becomes Tire Review 2002 Tomorrow’s Tech founded 1931 Brake Service founded
2004 Servicio Automotriz founded
1964 Automotive Rebuilder founded
2005 AutoCarePro founded
1974 Motorcycle Product News founded
2006 Fleet Equipment acquired
1974 Fleet Maintenance and Specifying founded
2010 Shop Owner founded
1979 ImportCar founded
2010 Motorcycle Product News acquired
1982 BodyShop Business founded
2012 AftermarketJobs.com founded
1983 Counterman founded
2012 AutoProJobs.com founded
1995 Underhood Service founded
2013 Speedville founded
1999 AftermarketNews.com founded
2015 AMN Global founded
For more than 95 years, Babcox Media has founded and acquired new media brands and adopted new technologies to remain a strong B2B communications leader in the automotive, powersports and truck fleet aftermarkets. These brands continue to thrive, connecting brand marketers to niche audiences. Much like the legendary Rolling Stones continue to impact and inspire their fans, our brands continue to reinvent themselves to serve the ever-changing needs of our audience.
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Producing Quality, One Word at a Time. While many things have changed over our 95-year history, our commitment to provide readers with pertinent, timely and compelling industry information remains the same. Our editorial team works tirelessly to bring our audience information across a wide range of media. See below for some fun highlights about our content creation staff.
We produce
Our content creation team has over
1000+
230
Years
newsletters each year
of combined journalistic experience
We proudly hold numerous certifications including
ASE
& Aftermarket Professional We travel hundreds of thousands of miles each year covering the industry
We have over
95
Years of Automotive Aftermarket
Expertise
We Attend
25+
industry trade shows each year 9
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www.babcox.com
issue four comments, questions or contributions email Brandi at bgangel@babcox.com