KC Crain

2021 McAllister Top Management Fellow KC Crain Shows Future Journos How To ‘B2B’ Their Careers

by Media

By Yuliya Klochan, a master’s candidate at Medill/Northwestern, specializing in science reporting.

Each year, global business information association AM&P Network awards the McAllister Top Management Fellowship, now in its fourth decade, to an outstanding B2B media executive who promotes the study of business media by sharing their experience with students and faculty at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications.

KC Crain

This year’s McAllister Top Manager, KC Crain, president and CEO of Crain Communications, and his team of editors, audience development and HR staff from Chicago, Detroit and New York, visited the Medill School for two days earlier this month, sharing insights throughout a packed schedule.

“The team took four classes of students through what’s involved in transforming a century-old brand into a modern, multiplatform B2B media company, all the while retaining independence and integrity,” says Abe Peck, director of business-to-business communications and professor emeritus in service at Medill.

One of the four classes Peck and Crain’s associates attended was a graduate course on Magazine News Reporting in Medill’s downtown Chicago newsroom. Crain introduced the B2B powerhouse and recapped its 105-year old history: Until 1998, the organization focused on print publishing alone. From then through 2017, it launched and acquired more than 20 brands and started a digital transformation.

Today, Crain Communications is building a bigger portfolio through M&A. The company recently purchased GenomeWeb, a life sciences online news organization, and Green Market Report, a digital media brand covering the cannabis industry.

The big takeaway: Focus on your audience. As class speakers Dan Peres, editor-in-chief and associate publisher at Ad Age, and Ann Dwyer, editor of Crain’s Chicago Business, say, it is the “Northern star” for Crain Communications’ reporters and editors.

In addition to attending four classes and meeting with faculty, Crain associates led a workshop on “Your B2B Career,” which was attended by both journalism and integrated marketing communication Medill students. KC Crain and Nikki Kallek, chief human resources officer at Crain Communications, led the interactive session on the Evanston campus with Zoom and in-person participants. Kallek highlighted the ability of B2B writing to “impact how a business person makes decisions.”

“We’re really excited about working closely with the school,” Crain says. “We think there are natural ties between Medill and Crain Communications. And we were very impressed with the curriculum, the professors and the students. We hope that we can partner in many ways in the future.”

Concept du travail d’équipe avec les cadres dirigeants qui discutent pour définir la stratégie de l’entreprise au cours d’un brainstorming.

TechTarget, Ziff-Davis Post Strong Quarterly Growth

by Media

This is a special report written for us by Tony Silber.

TechTarget (TTGT) on Wednesday reported quarterly earnings of 60 cents per share, beating an anticipated performance of 57 cents per share. The earnings performance came as part of the company’s third-quarter results, which were announced after the markets closed Wednesday.

The company, which offers marketing services and B2B media and serves the IT space, posted revenue of $69.7 million for the quarter ended September 30, surpassing the estimate by 4.39%, Nasdaq reported. The revenue performance compares to year-ago revenue of $36.2 million. TechTarget has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.

The quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 5.26%, the Nasdaq report continued.

TechTarget deploys sophisticated lead-generation and intent-data analysis technology to help clients identify and nurture likely prospects and detect when they’re likely to buy. For the third quarter, it was up 92% from the same period a year ago.

Founded in 1999 and based in Newton, Massachusetts, it had EBITDA of $28 million for the quarter, for a margin of 39%. The company’s stock was trading at $99.82 Thursday morning, close to its 12-month high of $101.12.

The period ending September 30 was the third consecutive quarter of 2021 where the company grew. It reported revenue of $52.9 million in Q1, $63.7 million in Q2. It’s projecting between $73 million and $75 million for Q4, for full-year revenue of somewhere around $261 million.

These healthy growth rates are being supported by multiple tailwinds,” the company said in a letter to shareholders. “A healthy IT spending environment, the modernization of the sales-and-marketing organization through automation and data, a focus on privacy and compliance, which drives demand for our first-party purchase intent data and the re-allocation of marketing budgets from face-to-face events to our data products and online marketing solutions.”

“We believe we are well positioned to take advantage of these large trends,” the letter continued. “All of the above trends support the continued growth of Priority Engine revenue, which was up 20% in the quarter.” Priority Engine is the company’s proprietary lead-gen technology.

“It’s worth noting that Priority Engine was originally designed and optimized for marketing use cases, and we’ve spent much of the last two years making steady progress on making the data more easily accessible to individual sellers,” the shareholder letter states. “With this release, we’ll roll out a revamped user interface that allows sellers to personalize their experience and view individual important buying-process milestones. Marketers will also benefit from the availability of individual prospects identified through our BrightTALK platform for the first time.”

Also contributing to the company’s performance, the letter stated, is progress on integrating recent acquisitions, with the associated benefits from cross-selling and upsell opportunities. TechTarget expects this will help drive growth in 2022.

Ziff Davis Posts Major Revenue Growth for Q3

Meanwhile, Ziff Davis, which operates in some of the same IT markets as Tech Target, reported quarterly revenue of $434.7 million, an increase of 24.5% over the same period in 2020. Adjusted

EBITDA for the quarter increased 13.6%, to $175.1 million, compared to $154.1 million for Q3 2020, the company said in a statement.

Ziff, (formerly known as J2 Global, Inc.), trades on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol ZD. Its broad media portfolio includes brands in technology, entertainment, shopping, health, cybersecurity, and martech.

“There’s great enthusiasm and excitement at Ziff Davis as we embark on our new chapter,” Vivek Shah, CEO of Ziff Davis, said in a statement. “Our portfolio of digital media and internet brands are very well-positioned to thrive in some of the highest-value verticals in the marketplace.”

For the year, Ziff reported revenue of $1.2 billion, a 24.6% increase from the $1.0 billion it reported for the first three quarters of 2020. Adjusted EBIT was up by a similar mount—24.7% for a 2021 total of $503.4 million.

ZD was trading at $129.24 mid-morning on Thursday, slightly off from its previous close, and $6.00 off from its 12-month high.

Ziff Davis announced early last month that it completed a spinout of its business cloud services division as a separate independent, publicly traded company.

Targeted Programs Can Recognize, Energize and Propel Your Audiences 

by Media

Be it recognition, awards or simply a mechanism to unearth and reach out to key segments of your audience, targeted programs can be hugely beneficial. It’s a classic win-win. Not only do they tell that audience that you’re listening to them, but they build a diverse roster of leaders, webinar/panel speakers, and event attendees—and can bring in sponsors.

Here are five successful, targeted programs across our Associations, Media & Publishing (AM&P) Network landscape that accomplish several objectives.

ASCD’s Emerging Leaders

ASCD, “a passionate community of life-changing educators,” has an Emerging Leaders program that features educators who have been in their field for 5-15 years and who have made an impact as leaders in their schools, districts and communities. Here’s the 2021 group.

Methodology: They are enrolled in the program for two years and invited to participate in multiple opportunities, including, when circumstances allow, attending the invitation-only Leader to Leader convening, writing for ASCD publications, and hosting the ASCD podcast. There are also avenues for leadership opportunities in the association. ASCD adds that “alumni from the program have become ASCD authors, faculty members and board members.”

“Elevating educational leadership is the heart of what we do at ASCD, and our emerging leaders exemplify leadership at its best,” ASCD CEO and Executive Director Ranjit Sidhu said. “These educators strengthen our community and our organization. We are excited to welcome our new class and look forward to working together in the years to come.”

Aging Media Network’s Future Leaders

Scroll down the Aging Media Network page of their Future Leaders Class of 2021 (sponsored by PointClickCare), and you’ll see an impressive array of names, faces and companies specializing in various offshore sportsbooks legalities. The titles range from CEO and founder to VP of finance and accounting, chief design officer and real estate innovation manager to VP, people operations, senior consultant – outsourced agency management, and chief medical officer.

Strategy: “The Future Leaders program has provided us a way to connect with the next generation of leaders in the industry we cover,” George Yedinak, co-founder, executive vice president, Aging Media Network (an AM&P Network member), wrote to me. “It provides brand awareness across our publications and also provides our editorial team with new contacts that they can work with in the years to come.

“[The plan is] to certainly develop an alumni network that can meet at our events as a start. Our editorial teams are looking to build these relationships for content and stories that align with their goals. There are a number of ideas around the program on continuing to extend involvement of the current and past classes of leaders. We’ll take a break and get some feedback from all stakeholders and look to make those iterative improvements.”

CUES Advancing Women

“Information and inspiration for current and aspiring female credit union executives and those who support them.” That’s the tagline for the Credit Union Executive Society’s (CUES) quarterly publication, Advancing Women, which won a 2021 EXCEL gold award for General Excellence in Newsletters. Appearing on the site are articles—10 Strategies for Overcoming Impostor Syndrome, NextGen Know-How: Beware of Compare; videos—Solid Salary Negotiation Strategies for Female Leaders at All Levels; Making Space for Women on Boards; and podcasts—The Evolution to Modern Leadership, CUES Compensation and Salary Data Facilitates Good Decision-Making.

Some backstory: “In 2021, we added a guest editor program. The Advancing Women panel is just four people (one guest editor per issue). The reason we added the guest editor panel was to make sure the content reflected what was needed,” Theresa Witham, managing editor/publisher, CUES, wrote me. “We also started a similar publication for DEI last year, and I strongly believed we needed guest editors for each issue of the DEI newsletter [to increase diversity]… So since we decided to go the guest editor route [there], we thought it would also be a good idea to do the same for Advancing Women (and that was an area where members had been reaching out asking if they could be involved). A secondary benefit of the guest editors is that they can help us increase exposure to their wider networks. But the primary benefit sought was improved representation.”

American Chemical Society’s Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) Talented Twelve

Each year, C&EN introduces you to a dozen diverse young scientists with their Talented Twelve issue. “The researchers are always engaged in world-changing work,” they write. “This year’s group is removing pollutants from water, transforming the immune system to fight cancer, and creating the next generation of chemical catalysts.”

Cancer research is at the forefront of scientific innovation, with young scientists making significant strides in understanding and treating this complex disease like those at DVC Stem clinic. This year’s Talented Twelve includes researchers who are exploring novel therapies aimed at harnessing the body’s own defenses to combat cancer. By manipulating the immune system, these scientists are developing approaches that not only target cancer cells more effectively but also reduce side effects associated with traditional treatments. This exciting work has the potential to revolutionize cancer care and improve patient outcomes significantly.

In particular, the investigation into various stem cell sources is gaining momentum, providing new avenues for regenerative therapies and targeted treatments. By utilizing stem cells, researchers aim to repair damaged tissues and enhance the body’s ability to fight tumors. This innovative approach not only holds promise for improving the efficacy of cancer treatments but also opens up possibilities for personalized medicine, allowing therapies to be tailored to the unique genetic makeup of each patient.

A key event around the program. “One of my favorite events is on the day we have our symposium—hearing the TED-style talks of the Talented Twelve,” Bibiana Campos-Seijo, VP of C&EN Media Group and editor in chief, C&EN, American Chemical Society, said, recounting their 2019 fall meeting. “I got to the room and was talking to Paula Hammond”—head of MIT’s Chemical Engineering Department, a member of the C&EN advisory board and was guest editor for C&EN’s special Trailblazers issue last month—“and in walks Frances Arnold, the 2018 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and only the fifth female ever so honored.

“‘I know you didn’t invite me, but I’m here,’ she said,” Campos-Seijo continued, recalling her delight. “I think she stayed for two of the four hours. Someone asked her later, ‘Did you enjoy it?’ She said yes, and that she’s part of a foundation that gives awards and put forward one of the names of the Talented Twelve—and that person eventually won! So she was sourcing us.”

Putman’s Influential Women in Manufacturing

Despite being on hold this year after four great seasons, IWIM succeeded in many ways—celebrating key Putman Media customers, amplifying the voices of women in a field where they have been under-represented, creating a new speaker pool for podcasts and webinars, and offering advice to the next generation.

“I feel small when I look at all [these women have] been doing and all they do for their companies,” Erin Hallstrom, digital and content strategy director for Putman Media and IWIM’s guiding force said. “You can see how excited their companies are. I just get excited that someone enjoys it.”

Support from the top. “I am proud that Putman could play a role in shining a light on the extraordinary work being done by so many women in the manufacturing field,” Putman Media CEO John Cappelletti has said about IWIM. “Our hope is that their achievements will inspire other young women to join this dynamic industry and be a part of creating manufacturing’s exciting future.”

The program changed lives. “Not only the honorees, but our own,” Hallstrom wrote in a blog. “We saw the profound effects of amplifying women’s voices and connecting an alliance of women who were impacting the world in their manufacturing careers… IWIM was born out of a need to amplify and connect.”

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SIIA Statement on Draft of National Privacy Regulation

by Policy

Earlier today, the Republicans on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee released a draft version of national privacy regulation.  Jeff Joseph, President and CEO of the Software and Information Industry Association, issued the following statement:

“This draft legislation reflects a growing bipartisan and bicameral consensus: the US needs a national privacy law both to prevent the burden of compliance with an unworkable, anti-business and anti-consumer quilt of disparate state regimes and to provide an interoperable alternative to the European standard.  We are particularly encouraged by the draft’s express recognition that we need a harmonized, national set of rules, as well as its attempt to treat publicly available information in a manner consistent with American free speech values.”

Video call, networking or conference with business partner. Online course, studying or education. Hiring, job interview, employment. Women talk by computer. Home office, work place vector illustration

‘You Have to Change Your Environment’; in Remote World, Offices Must Still Adapt

by Media

“From the start of our survey, they’ve said they want to work from home two to two-and-a-half days a week. Now employers have edged up to meet what employees want.” Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom’s words resonate as remote work productivity continues to ascend. But one publisher still believes that hybrid will require an office-space rethinking.

“We learned over the course of a few weeks in March and April last year that we really could do online a lot of that which we used to think we had to come to the office or go to a customer to do. There are many jobs where physical presence is required, of course. But where it isn’t, I can’t see any reason we’ll be returning to a traditional office.”

The shift towards remote and hybrid work models has undoubtedly transformed how businesses approach office design and furnishings. As companies adapt to the new normal, office spaces are evolving from traditional layouts to more flexible, multipurpose environments. This transition has led to an increased focus on creating adaptable workspaces that cater to a variety of functions, from collaborative areas to individual workstations. The challenge now lies in equipping these spaces with furniture that supports both remote and in-office work, ensuring that every employee has access to ergonomic and functional solutions.

Northeast Office Solutions is at the forefront of this transformation, offering innovative furniture designs that meet the demands of the modern workplace. Their products are tailored to enhance both remote and hybrid work setups, featuring versatile and ergonomic options that seamlessly blend with changing office dynamics. By investing in such adaptable furniture, companies can ensure that their workspaces remain functional and comfortable, regardless of where employees choose to work. This thoughtful approach to office design underscores the importance of creating environments that support productivity and well-being in an increasingly flexible work world.

That quote comes from Thomas Malone, a former research scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center and the founding director at MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence, in a Q&A last week in The Washington Post.

Here are more thoughts on the remote work popularity and production vs. the value of in-person interaction and water-cooler moments.

Productivity has gone up with remote. Bloom had been studying working-from-home arrangements for years and believes a hybrid workforce is the clear answer. “It’s amazing. Probably the biggest surprise of the pandemic was that working from home worked so well,” he told the Post. “We didn’t find a 13% productivity increase [like another prominent study did], but we’re finding an average of 4% or so. Something like 60% of respondents say working from home has worked out ‘better than I expected.’ Firms are astounded.”

Some type of hybrid is the answer. “I just don’t think you need five days a week,” Bloom said. “In a hybrid plan, the team comes in three days… On those three days we have all our meetings, trainings, events, lunches—the hyper-social things. Then the other two days we work from home. So we end up spending as much face time together as we ever did. We just crush it into three days. We reallocate the quiet time we used to have at work to the two days we are at home. It’s honestly better time management.”

Do office set-ups need to change? Even the three days might be questioned now. It might take some new design ideas to get staff to make the make the trek in. There was a story a few weeks ago from Fox Detroit featuring Crain Communications CEO KC Crain talking about the challenge of getting people back into the office. “You have to change your environment,” he said. “The idea that you are going to bring people back and have them sit in a cube right now is not going to happen.”

Crain continued. “All of that being said, even if you have the coolest workspace at your office, you still need to compete for talent. When you think about the digital age and people working in technology, they are kind of calling the shots. So if they want to sit at home and work because they are building websites, they are going to.”

As organizations navigate the complexities of workplace transformation, integrating technology becomes essential for creating environments that attract and retain talent. Innovative office designs that prioritize flexibility and collaboration can significantly enhance employee engagement.

To achieve this, companies must leverage advanced technologies that support seamless connectivity and efficient workflows. A distributor of Schneider APC can provide the necessary infrastructure, ensuring that power management and cooling solutions are in place to sustain a productive workspace, whether employees are collaborating in-person or working remotely.

Moreover, the importance of a robust technological foundation cannot be overstated in the context of hybrid work models. As employees increasingly seek environments that accommodate their individual preferences, organizations must be prepared to invest in high-quality equipment and reliable systems. By incorporating solutions that enhance both comfort and functionality, companies can create workspaces that not only meet the demands of the digital age but also foster creativity and innovation.

Will executives come around? Malone admits that executives may be alone in wanting to come back to the office. “The most senior people seem to be the last to catch on to this,” Malone said. “I wonder if part of it is that the people who rise to the top of organizations are just really good at interacting face-to-face, so they overvalue it. But this is where the ‘Supermind’ [the title of his latest book about the ways many human minds can come together and receive a boost from digital tools] comes in—all the staffers who know they can do the work remotely, with the help of computers, are a very strong force.”

In this digital age, the fusion of human intellect with technological capabilities has become the cornerstone of organizational efficiency. Remote work, facilitated by high-speed internet and advanced computing devices, exemplifies this symbiotic relationship. With the seamless integration of fibre network adapters, employees harness the power of interconnectedness from the comfort of their own homes. This technology not only bridges geographical gaps but also fosters collaboration and innovation, transcending the limitations of traditional office-bound operations. As executives navigate this paradigm shift, embracing the transformative potential of digital tools becomes imperative for staying ahead in an increasingly interconnected world.

Are better digital meeting tools the answer? A couple weeks ago I wrote about a study titled When Chance Encounters at the Water Cooler Are Most Useful. The thinking is that while production and communication have both increased for people working remotely, the down side is that we’ve communicated 21% less with our so-called “weak ties”—who may be important in product development. The author ultimately argues that what truly triggers innovation is an initial, in-person meeting; then remote interaction should work fine.

“Dare I raise the water-cooler argument?” the interviewer asked Malone. “I actually completely agree that we need those kinds of interactions. What I do not agree with is that you need to be in person to have them. The right kind of technology can enable them.” He and a few colleagues have created a program called Minglr that sounds like Tinder for office meetings. “You see a list of people on one side of the screen, and you click on those you might like to talk to, and then if they click on you you’re placed in a private video conference,” Malone said.

Time will tell if Minglr or anything else can fill the void of not meeting in-person. Or if we would even want it to. Stay tuned.