Back in business. (business press advertising offers value-added services) (Marketing Technique: Business-to-Business)

For many business press advertisers the full-page colour ad is no longer enough. In response, publishers are offering 'value-added' services.

It was no fun being a business-magazine publisher in the early 90s. Not only did the supply of money being poured into advertising begin to dry up, but the business press's share of that budget (including broadcast) was shrinking too, from 10.7% in 1989 to 7.7% in 1993.

For the industrial and service firms, whose advertising formed the mainstay of the sector's income, times were hard and rattled directors often came to the same knee-jerk conclusion - cut the non-essential costs, and start with advertising. All publishers could do, it seemed, was cut rates, sell harder and wait for the clouds to lift.

In 1994 that began to happen, but with a loosening of clients' purse strings came a new demand for value-added services, which has spurred the business press into action. The full-page colour advertisement is no longer the solution to every problem. Canny advertisers …