Category Archives: Experience

Crain’s RCR Wireless News

 

Crain Communications is one of the largest privately-owned business publishers in the U.S.

Brand Assignments

RCR Wireless News:
enabling intelligence on all things wireless for industry leaders and enterprise volume buyers. RCR Wireless News is the premier news source for the wireless communications industry and related ecosystem.

RCRWireless.com
(150,000 online audience)

RCRWireless Daily Update
(75,000 registered email subscribers)

RCR Wireless News
(50,000 paid and quaified subscribers – print and digital newspaper)

RCR Wireless News CTIA Official Show Daily

RCR Wireless News WiMaxWorld Official Show Daily
(print and digital daily news magazine distributed at and around the shows)

Transforming a Media Organization

Challenges included changing a 25-year-old organization that was primarily print-centric to one that was Web2.0 savvy and operationalized, the rapid shift by marketers away from print, and the economic collapse of the ad market in 2009.

Solutions: Developed integrated media platform content products geared to professionals at wireless carriers/operators, network equipment and device manufacturers, Internet service providers, distributors and regulatory agencies; set sales and marketing strategies; identified and segmented target markets for more rapid sales growth; infused lead-generation throughout product portfolio; changed organization from print-centric to web-centric publishing. Created a system of multi-sourced content.

Alan Bergstein’s role:

  • Publisher and Editorial Director
  • Held full P&L control; recruited, trained, and retained top talent;
  • Developed and implemented strategic business plans;
  • Directed up to 26 multi-function staff and 12 outsourced vendors;
  • Evaluated acquisitions; negotiated content, production and relationship contracts.

Achievements:

• Increased scope and value of product line by driving integrated revenues across online, digital and print media channels, Webcast programs, and partnerships with trade show organizations
• Continuously expanded electronic product line from custom Web seminars to multi-topic e-newsletters to robust Web site, ultimately generating more than one-third of company revenues; expanded franchise to include more buy-in levels for more customers and revenue sources
• Changed a print-centric, news-only culture to that of advanced Web 2.0 publishing model (rapid publishing to the Web and e-Newsletter audience, plus more reflective analysis in print)
• Quadrupled web audience and tenfold increase in eNewsletter registrations through massive web-rearchitecture project and aggressive use of search engine optimization techniques.
• Tripled e-revenues
• Moved from weekly to hourly publishing workflow, doubling content without increasing head-count
• Significant advertisers including IBM, ZTE, Cisco, Nokia Siemens Networks, Huawei, ATT, Ericsson
• Inspired excellence across a team consisting of consisting of content, sales, eMedia, production, audience development, search optimization, marketing, Webcasting, and business professionals
• Recognized as the industry leader in publishing trusted information print and online by independent readership studies over CTIA attendee lists
• RCR Wireless Daily Update named as Finalist with Honorable Mention as MINs Best of the Web Award in March 2009
• Web and digital publishing methods viewed as a laboratory within the parent company for use by other Crain publishing groups.

 

IDG’s Bio-IT World, Inc.

 

IDG is the world’s leading technology media, research and events company.

Brand Assignments

Bio-ITworld.com (50,000 online audience)

Bio-IT World (27,000 magazine subscribers), leading diversified media portfolio addressing life science professionals’ utilization and purchase of indispensable technologies for drug discovery, development and clinical trials

Bio-IT World Conference + Expo (3,000 attendees to an annual three-day event in Boston)

Health-ITWorld.com and Health-IT World News (35,000 health-IT medical technology buyers)

From Multi-Platform Launch, to Sale of the Operating Group

Challenges included launching a publishing company right after the “perfect storm” of the bursting dot-com bubble, the post-Y2K declining technology ad market, the rapid change in media preference from print to online and the terrorism attacks of 9/11.

Alan Bergstein’s role:

  • Four years as Publisher and President
  • Publisher, functioning as chief operating officer from inception of these brands.
  • Promoted to president in April 2004.

Skilled in rigorous profit-and-loss budget fiscal management, recruiting, training and retaining top talent, developing and implementing comprehensive strategic plans, increasing value of the brand via product and revenue diversification. Areas of focus included: developing products/technologies and driving revenues across online, digital and print media, as well as conferences/expos, Webcast programs and non-advertising areas.

Solutions: Developed editorial content products geared to professionals at pharmaceutical, biotech and health care organizations, and set their sales and marketing strategies; identified and organized advertiser/reader customers; optimized, packaged and marketed company for recent sale.

Achievements:

• Received 34 editorial and design awards (Neal, ASBPE, Web Marketing Assoc., Folio magazine) since launch.
• Bio-IT World named Best New Launch by Business Marketing; Health-IT World named Best eNewsletter by ASBPE.
• Simultaneous launch of Web site, eNewsletters, monthly print magazine and expo in less than six months of development.
• Grew revenue by 72 percent in second full year of publishing; achieved 24 percent ad page share against 11 publications.
• Developed products that appealed to a broad group of revenue clients, including information technology, informatics and software, equipment and instrumentation, business and legal services.
• Grew sales to more than 300 customers since launch, including bellwethers IBM, Microsoft, EMC, HP, General Electric, Apple, Oracle, Applied Biosystems, Amersham, Thermo, Sprint, CapGemini, Bearing Point, Waters and SAS.
• Audience development was completed in record time and under budget yielding a BPA-verified, controlled, mostly management circulation.
• Established three-pronged approach guiding use of digital publishing technologies: low-priced subs pushing growth into new markets, cost savings on controlled and complimentary copies, rapid launch of new titles.
• Continuously expanded electronic product line, from acustom web seminars to niche-topic e-newsletters to robust Web site, generating more than 40 percent of company revenues. Expanded franchise to include more buy-in levels, revenue sources.
• Redesigned and relaunched website on a flexible, open-standards platform, stimulating a fourfold increase in ad impressions, resulting in a major increase in revenue. Reorganized ad ops to optimize campaigns using Web analytics.
• Infused lead-generation devices throughout product portfolio.
• Prepared formal presentations to Board of Directors three times per year over four-year period.
• Trimmed over $1 million in launch and developmental expenses over last fiscal year.
Bottom line: self-sufficient run-rate achieved in three years.

CMP Media (now UMB)

 

Business Technology Group

Market leading publisher of business/technology publications, Web sites and events targeting IT and computer-savvy business professionals and engineers.

Brand Assignments

InformationWeek (440,000 subscribers)

Optimize (70,000)

InternetWeek (215,000)

Network Computing (220,000)

Windows magazine (826,000)

Tele.com (70,000)

Data Communications (134,000)

TechWeb.com.

Growing and Adapting Complex Business over Several Business Cycles

Challenges ranged from selling in an ultra-competitive environment through a number of business cycles of varying economic conditions; integrating brands into a comprehensive portfolio, maintaining focus while gaining forward momentum during the period when the company was marketed and sold; creating sales systems and publishing methodologies while redeploying assets in a re-engineered company; leading a customer-focused research team and creating meaningful analysis and market studies.

Alan Bergstein’s roles:

  • Vice President/Associate Publisher, InformationWeek, Optimize

• Reorganized into a single-brand sales model with sales responsibilities in eastern half of the United States for 12 sales teams and a $123 million budget.

• Severe economic conditions necessitated moving mindset of sales team from long-term selling approach to short-term quick hits.

• Launch team of a new publication aimed at business technology leaders.

  • Vice President Sales/ Business Technology GroupCustomer-First Program

• Responsible for a multi-titled portfolio of media products and all sales and management in eastern half of United States with as many as 54 salespeople at varying levels of experience, including regional directors, account directors, account executives and sales assistants.

• Also responsible for Business Technology Research and a department of seven research professionals on a national basis.

• As managing director, prior to earning VP title, instrumental in reorganization of our group’s sales activities around a new and unique model where sales teams were centered on specific accounts rather than individual publications.

• Record-breaking years for Business Technology Group publications.

• Managed staff as well as customer relations through critical milestones of taking the company public and ultimately it’s sale and acquisition.

  • National Accounts Manager/ Business Technology Group

• Large-account contract and relationship management through a collaboration of sales teams from individual publications.

• Developed and deployed a contract program with incentives for using multiple publications within the group, resulting in substantial increase of contracted business among client base.

  • District Manager, InformationWeek magazine

• Sold to existing and prospective accounts and their agencies in New England sales territory.

Reed/Elsevier (Cahners)

A leading publisher of technical trade magazines and Web sites and organizer of conferences.

Brand Assignments

Datamation (180,000 subscribers), cited by Advertising Age as one of the fastest growing trade pubs in 1990

Electronics market leaders EDN (220,000 engineers) and Electronic Business (80,000 electronics industry managers).

Building Important Brands, Launching New Products, Always Making Rain

Challenges included growing revenues during changing market conditions; growing the publications to the top tier market position; leading a publication team whose executive was struck with cancer; building a fledgling publication into one of stature and clout.

Alan Bergstein’s roles during fourteen years as National Manager / Regional Sales Manager / Marketing Communications Manager:

  • Regional Manager, Datamation magazine (1989-1994)

• Covered New England sales territory.
• Broke many sales revenue and share records. Cahners President’s Club winner; Salesman of the Year ’93; Custom Publishing Sales Award ’93, Excellence in Publishing ’92, and Cahners Executive Club ’92.
• Lead sales representative on Sales Workbench committee; instrumental in key elements of design and rollout of a notebook computer–enabled sales force; introduced and trained reps on the use of computer-based syndicated research.

  • National Director, Electronic Business magazine (1987-1989)

• Managed sales and marketing communications when recognized as the fastest growing business magazine in the U.S. Responsible for $5 million profit-and-loss fiscal budget, monthly management reports, circulation plans, editorial audits and competitive analysis.
• Involved in launching new products, including EB China, Volume2 advertorials and Computer Business edition; involved in the award-winning 1988 editorial redesign.

  • Regional Manager, Electronic Business magazine (1982-1987)

• Covered New England sales territory selling to existing and prospective accounts and their agencies.
• Built territory from 30 ad pages to over 320.
• Set new records in six key performance measures.

  • MarComm Manager, EDN and Electronic Business (1980-1982)

• Managed $1.2 million budget and staff of four for all marketing communications and research.
• Developed sales programs, competitive analyses and presentations.
• EDN achieved status as the top publication in field during this period.
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