19 July 2007

Time Inc. threatens to shut down Business 2.0

As many of you may know, XPLANE has worked with Business 2.0 magazine since its initial launch in 1998. Over the last nine years we have worked closely with the magazine to develop visual explanations of technology and business issues. I believe it's a truly special publication and I have never seen another magazine quite like it.

If you want a trip down dot-com memory lane, I have posted a few of my favorite Business 2.0 XPLANATiONs here.

Time Inc., the parent company, is about to drop the axe on Business 2.0 magazine because of a decline in ad revenue. Actually, according to a recent New York Times article, this is largely due to a recent move by Time to consolidate the sales forces of its finance and business publications:

Aside from the overall downturn in the magazine business, current and former Time Inc. employees point to what appears to have been an ill-advised move this year to combine the advertising sales teams of Time Inc.’s finance and business publications, which include Fortune, Money, CNNMoney.com, Fortune Small Business and Business 2.0.

Consolidated under a single banner, Time Inc.’s Business and Finance Network (or Tibfin, as it is known inside the company), Time sales representatives stopped pitching the distinct appeal and audience of Business 2.0 to focus on the larger titles like Fortune.

That often turned Business 2.0 into an afterthought; big advertisers like Microsoft and Intel were offered discounts on other Time Inc. business titles if they would also buy pages in Business 2.0.


Adage reports a grassroots movement to save the magazine, and today readers started a Facebook group to convince Time Inc. to reconsider:

Please join the fun and let's see if we can save the magazine! Join the Facebook group here.

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8 comments:

Steve Penberthy said...

Dave:

Hearing this news totally sucks. I'm a subscriber, and have been a long-time fan of Business 2.0 magazine.

Thanks for making me aware of the issue.

Unknown said...

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Steve. I agree, it saddens me, especially because it seems mostly due to corporate bumbling of a really excellent and valuable asset.

Rodolfo said...

I will hate to see Business 2.0 desapear, Dave, it has been a very inspiring Magazine all those years and a very good exponent of XPLANE Xplanations power...

Anonymous said...

This magazine is really hard to find in Mexico City.
I bought it four or five times four years ago.

Of course one of the things that I remember most are the Xplane graphics.

Always is a shame when good things disapear.

chap said...

Recently I decided it was time to subscribe to a business magazine. I received free samples from several magazines including; Business 2.0, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., etc.

Quite honestly I found Business 2.0 to have little actual content compared to the others. It seemed to have more fluff and sponsored articles than anything informative or interestin, i.e. the cover article was "The 11 Coolest New Products on the Planet", no thanks.

Perhaps it was just a bad issue, but it was a no brainier choosing Inc. over the other publications.

Unknown said...

Hi Chap,

Interesting. If you have time I'd appreciate your answers to the following:

1. What was it about Inc. that made it such a no-brainer?

2. And how would you rank the rest, from best to worst?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

Randy Krum said...

I love Business 2.0! It's one of the 4 magazines I actively subscribe to.

Fast Company
Business 2.0
Mac|Life
Wired

Dave, here's a Linkback:
http://coolinfographics.blogspot.com/2007/08/xplane-offers-xplanations.html

Anonymous said...

Thanks for making me aware of the issue.