MGS:  Please give us a quick history of Applied Technology Media.  

Glen:  I purchased Applied Technology Publications in 2013 from Art Rice III, whose grandfather had started the three-generation family publishing enterprise in 1908.  Over the years the Rice’s had launched a number of successful companies and brands serving industry and manufacturing plant professionals including

Maintenance Technology Magazine (MTM), Commercial Building Products (CBP), and Lubrication Management and Technology, as well as MARTS, an industry tradeshow.   

MGS:  What was your strategy for making your newly-purchased company successful during a very challenging time in the B2B media business?

Glen:  After renaming the company Applied Technology Media, we evaluated our products (which had been primarily print-based), fine-tuned our focus and implemented a “web-first” strategy.  We stopped production of Lubrication Management and Technology and ended MARTS as well.  We now partner with other companies to support industry events, a decision which has led to great relationships and a more effective use of resources.  Most importantly, our significant investment in research resulted in readers telling us what they wanted – they liked print, but, of course, also expected more digital (including mobile) access to our  content.

We made a commitment to an extensive redesign of CBP, with a new look in print, new web and CEU programs, changes in staffing and a strategic marketing effort -- and people noticed.  Within twelve months, revenue increased 50%.  Because 52% of CBP readers are architects, we decided to change the name to Commercial Architecture.  It made sense to our readers and our advertisers.  We’re making the brand the “go to” resource for the commercial building space and are increasing publication from six to twelve times per year.  

MGS:  This October marked the arrival of Applied Technology Media’s premiere issue of Efficient Plant (formerly Maintenance Technology Magazine).  Media companies generally hesitate to rename their established brands.  You’ve done it twice.  Was this difficult for you?

Glen:  Maintenance Technology Magazine, now Efficient Plant, will be 30 years old next year.  But as established as it is, our research showed that many people incorrectly thought of it as primarily a custodial maintenance magazine.  We believe that Efficient Plant more accurately reflects our focus on the entire enterprise -- plant reliability, maintainability, safety and profitability.  Readers and advertisers have told us they agree.  We’ve received more inquiries for media kits in one month than in all of the rest of 2017.

Rebranding is not only good, it’s expected!  We asked, listened, rebuilt, and then we rebranded.  The media industry has all changed; it has diversified, and that’s fantastic.  We can’t be too attached to what we’ve gotten used to in the past.

MGS:  What do you make of the challenges as large players from outside of the industry, like Google and LinkedIn, attempt to move into the B2B media space with their own content?

Glen:  I’ve accepted that change is here and that it will continue to occur.  It used to be that small, nimble companies had an advantage and could move more quickly on new ideas than large companies.  That advantage is gone now and there is always the concern that our ideas could be taken.  But B2B media brands still know the segment of business they cover better than anyone else.  That knowledge can’t be chopped up and served by a search engine or replicated by those outside our business communities.  We have editors that have thirty-plus years of experience in our business communities.  They have encountered every maintenance problem or issue that has ever occurred.  You won't get that type of knowledge from a robot.

We continue to invest in formal research and face-to-face conversations with our communities.  We maintain their trust with a commitment to the independent auditing of our products.  Our readers and advertisers tell us what they need, and we work hard to give it to them.

MGS:  Thanks, Glen!

To see speakers and agenda for MediaGrowth Summit '18, http://mediagrowth.com