Nokia is a prime example — a market-leading company that realised too late that Apple and BlackBerry were more than just a tasty pie filling.
Former McDonald’s CEO Charlie Bell once wrote: “The biggest threat to McDonald’s lies within — and that is us as a company becoming complacent. There are a lot of companies that get fat, dumb and happy and take their eye off the ball and forget about serving customers.”
I hope that is never an accusation that can be levelled at the Publican’s Morning Advertiser. Following the merger of the Morning Advertiser and the Publican in March last year, we have been careful to ensure we remain sharp and focused on meeting our readers’ needs.
And to that end, we recently commissioned independent pollsters Ipsos MORI to conduct a survey of a random and representative
sample of 500 PMA readers. The research results provide a strong endorsement of the publication, its website and events, but also give us pointers on how and where to improve.
So I thought I would share with you some of the poll highlights, and issue you with an open invitation to give us further feedback — not that some of you ever hold back!
The PMA has a dedicated, loyal audience, three-quarters of which read the publication “almost always”. Current subscribers have been reading the PMA for, on average, 11 years. They typically keep each copy for three weeks, during which time it is read by 3.4 people — giving the magazine a total readership of nearly 110,000 trade professionals. Our website and emails reach tens of thousands more.
Readers spend an average of 33 minutes reading the magazine, with 11% taking more than an hour to consume its content. And with good reason. A whopping 97% of respondents agree that the PMA keeps them up to date with issues affecting the trade; 83% that it inspires new ideas; and a strong majority that it helps them to improve their profitability.
More than eight in 10 readers say they have been prompted to do something as a result of reading the publication — more than half have either bought or recommended the purchase of a product or service, for example.
Pleasingly, 84% of respondents said that, if given the option to read just one trade title, they would choose the PMA — the title rating four times better than its nearest competitor.
It is clear from the research that trade publications in general, and the PMA in particular, in print and online, remain relevant and useful as a source of trade information — significantly more so than any other.
But, you said, there are information needs the PMA could work harder to meet. These are useful insights, and we will endeavour
to respond in a timely, meaningful way. One thing’s for sure: frogs’ legs are off the menu.