Month: August 2017

In our interview, product manager Dennis Spitzhorn from Spotlight Verlag talks about language learning via app, the new requirements of learners and the steady expansion of the digital portfolio.

PMX: We look forward to welcoming you as a customer! Just introduce us to the spotlight publishing house and your publications.

DS: For over 35 years, our publishing house publishes magazines for readers who love the culture of the respective linguistic area and want to improve their language skills. “Besser mit Sprachen ” – is what our publishing house stands for with its six magazines in five languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian and German). As much as they differ in terms of identity, image language or tonality, it combines a unique mixture of quality journalism and didactics: travel reports, features or columns are combined in all the magazine with exercises on grammar, vocabulary and learning comprehension.

PMX: There are now many different platforms, software and apps with which one can easily learn languages. Some of those are even free of charge. What distinguishes your offer from other portals and what do your readers appreciate about your publications?

DS: Our products require the reader to have a certain knowledge of the respective language, not just about teaching a basic vocabulary or learning simple grammar rules. With the language magazines and the associated audio products, our readers can immerse themselves deeply in the way of life, the culture and everyday life of the respective language area – and continuously improve their language skills.

PMX: To what extent have users’ needs changed to language learning? What new challenges do these expectations entail?

DS: An important point is surely the self-determined learning: when, where and to what extent someone wants to deal with a new language are questions that many language learners would like to answer individually for themselves. Given this fact, it was important to us to enable our customers to also use our content online.

PMX:What has caused you to now offer your publications digitally and in your own apps? What requirements should they meet?

DS: The apps are an ideal addition to our existing digital product range. The focus for us lies on creating value for our existing customers, for instance through the integrated lecture notes which are spoken by native speakers. We also want to give our readers the opportunity to use our products anytime and anywhere. Whether physically as a printed booklet, online in the browser or in the app on the smartphone.

PMX: Why did you choose PressMatrix?

DS: It was important for us, for instance, to offer our existing subscribers the opportunity to use their already acquired digital content in the app. Due to the direct connection to our customer database, this is now possible without any problems. The time factor was also important: thanks to the excellent collaboration with PressMatrix, we could bring our six kiosk apps from conception to launch in just three months.

Kiosk apps are an interesting channel for digital retailing.

PMX: What challenges could you master with our digital publishing solution?

DS: Through the convenient backend of the PressMatrix solution, we could integrate the complete digital creation process for the content of the apps well into our current production process.

PMX: Could you already increase your digital turnover?

DS: Kiosk apps are an interesting channel for digital retailing: we could see an increase in sales in the first three months after the app launch. Our app “Deutsch perfekt”, which addresses German learners worldwide now has, for instance, even more readers in Italy, Spain and North America.

PMX: In addition to the magazine apps, you are still running the e-commerce site sprachenshop.de and the free rating test sprachtest.de. Are you planning more digital projects in the future?

DS: The consistent expansion of our digital portfolio is very important to us: we are currently revising the six magazine websites which offer our readers additional reading, listening and practicing opportunities. From September to December of this year, we will present them in five languages step by step. We also recently launched our free “Wort des Tages” apps – with interesting vocabulary and words in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. And for next year we have already planned another exciting digital product.

PMX: Finally another personal question: How many languages do you speak? And would you like to learn another one in the future?

DS: I speak fluent English and have basic knowledge in French and Italian.
It is important for me to stay up to date and to use my language skills on a regular basis. Fortunately, there are many opportunities in both, the professional and the private context. Spotlight, Adesso and Écoute help me very much.

PMX: Thank you for the interview!

For more information about PressMatrix’s Spotlight apps, please visit our Blog.

Discover the world from above!

With its exciting reports, the touring magazine for mountaineers from Bruckmann publishing house awakens adventure-lust and a desire to conquer tall mountains. Equally important, it offers good practical tips to achieve this. Here you can read read one edition free of charge and find inspiration for your next holiday in the multimedial alpine world.

The touring magazine for mountaineers as App for iOS and Android.

Well-putted

For those of you who yen for more green on holiday, the most widely-read golf magazine in Europe is now also available digitally. Enjoy the interactive expanses with the perfect putting green and improve your handicap with professional tips and easy-to-follow videos. P.S .: Did you know that the animal world also appreciates a nice golf course? Find out more in issue 02/2017.

The golf spielen-App for iOS and Android.

We’re taking the speed boat!

Would you rather spend your holidays on the water? No problem: For the past 50 years Delius Klasing, the interactive and largest motorboat magazine in Europe has been reporting on the latest trends in boat-ownership. It also provides travel tips for boat owners and renters within Germany and abroad. The pictures and videos alone have us dreaming of white sandy beaches and vast expanses of open sea.

The motorboat magazine-App for iOS and Android.

Lesezirkel is a magazine rental system – a subscription club if you like – with a long tradition throughout Germany. The corresponding app, “myLese”, was recently developed by magazine-rental companies Lesezirkel Limberg (Aachen) and Hettling’s Lesezirkel (Vellmar) in cooperation with Pressmatrix. It has now been officially launched in association with the nationwide Lesezirkel.

In an interview with Ulrich Limberg, Managing Director of myLese GmbH, we discuss the new app, the current challenges faced by the Lesezirkel, and changes in press and magazine sales.

PMX: Mr. Limberg, as a major sales partner for publishers and an attractive advertising partner for companies, the Lesezirkel has been an institution for years. What developments has your Lesezirkel experienced in recent years?

UL: Customer behavior has changed over time. Previously, we offered ready-made reading packages; today, the customers prefer an individual choice. We now offer over 250 different magazines.
Due to our large distribution area and numerous distribution locations, we are still attractive as an advertising partner. But the new opportunities in digital advertising present us with strong competition.

PMX: The Lesezirkel product has also recently been made available as an app. What made you decide to offer your magazines in digital form?

UL: Considering the digital transformation in the media branch as a whole, a digital solution was a must, alongside our print business. It’s a pleasure now be in a position to offer our readers the selection range and extra value that the “myLese” app provides.

PMX: Why did you choose PressMatrix for the realization of your digital project?

UL: PressMatrix has helped us get an optimal start in what for us is still a new business sector. The collaboration with PressMatrix in the joint development of our app has shown that the company not only has the technological know-how, but are also wonderful when it comes to giving advice and finding individually tailored solutions.

PMX: What new opportunities does the myLese app present to your Lesezirkel company?

UL: We now have the opportunity to adapt to our customers’ user habits and thus to keep up with the market. We’re in step with the customer’s mobile needs. Younger customers, in particular, feel understood and taken care of by display applications in their media usage.

PMX: Keywords: multiple rental, return and quality control. What are the advantages of the myLese app for your customers?

UL: In addition to their print issue, the customer now has all the benefits of digital reading. This means improved quality; the journals in the app are always up-to-date and available to multiple users at the same time.

PMX: Younger readers in particular are often unaware of the principle of the Lesezirkel. To what extent does the app offer an opportunity to pick up this target group and get them interested in reading magazines?

UL: Younger people often use smartphones or tablets. Our app offers a new reading experience in those everyday situations of waiting, through fast and uncomplicated access to a variety of magazines.

PMX: A frequent criticism of the Lesezirkel is that its service-product isn’t marketed more offensively – it needs a stronger public presence. What measures are planned to increase awareness of the Lesezirkel?

UL: We are constantly working on our public image and thus on that of the entire Lesezirkel sector. As part of our public-relations work, we sponsor the Aachen City Tennis Championships and support social projects such as McDonald’s Childcare. We are also represented at trade fairs such as Euregio Aachen. In the future we will increase our advertising in the area of social media.

PMX: Working with publishers is the basis for your Lesezirkel company. Has the relationship with publishers changed in recent years?

UL: Lesezirkel companies have been sales partners of magazine publishers for decades. We secure not only a constant circulation which the publishers can count upon, but also very large distribution areas, subject to only minor fluctuations.
The relationship with publishers is still constructive and very partnership-oriented.

PMX: The sales sector is experiencing certain difficulties, and the number of sales partners such as wholesalers and station bookshops is on the decline. What does this mean for Lesezirkel sales?

UL: It’s very important to stay on the ball. Future-oriented and customer-oriented offers have a key function. The “myLese” app is the latest innovation in the Lesezirkel sector.

PMX: Finally, a personal question: Do you yourself read magazines and journals in the print version or do you prefer the digital version?

UL: Of course I still really enjoy reading the print version, but naturally the digital version, too, when I’m on the go.

PMX: Thank you for the interview!

About the myLese app:

The digital reading offer is initially intended for the business customers of Lesezirkel –
doctor’s offices, hotels, cafes, hairdressers, fitness studios and many more. Using GPS tracking, magazines selected for the predefined waiting zones of these customers are unlocked and made available to those waiting, on their smartphone or tablet. Table tents, provided to their customers by the Lesezirkel, draw attention to the digital offer.
Several publishers already work with myLese GmbH, but they would like to bring further cooperation partners on board. If you are interested, please contact Mr. Ulrich Limberg, Managing Director of myLese GmbH, tel. 02 41 – 15 60 41 or info@mylese.de.

We also recommend our blog article local based reading: Ortsbasiertes Lesen

Special-interest magazines continue to be a growing segment in the German magazine market, with stable penetration levels in the print sector. Nevertheless, digital sales channels, such as social media and apps, play an increasingly important role when it comes to reaching even more readers. We spoke with Christoph Bremer, publishing director of Wellhausen & Marquardt, about increasing their reach and the close relationship that exists between external authors, readers, and editors:

PMX: Mr. Bremer, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Thanks for agreeing to talk with us. Could you tell us a little something about yourself and about Wellhausen & Marquardt?

CB: We’re a publishing and service company that develops special-interest, general-interest, and customer magazines. We provide a full range of services, including editing, graphic design, distribution, online publishing, press and public relations, and advertising. We also organize trade fairs.

PMX: Modell Aviator, Drones and Cars & Details, are just some of the special-interest magazines that you publish. Where did this love of collecting and model building come from?

CB: Our founders, Tom Wellhausen & Sebastian Marquardt, like to call it a Schnappsidee – a great German word meaning a crazy idea that comes out of nowhere. Wellhausen himself builds model aircraft. In 1998, together with Marquardt, he established the model building magazine TRUCKS & Details. Both of them continued to work at their day jobs for a time before making the leap to self-employment.

PMX: For the most part, you work with freelance writers and journalists – how involved are they in terms of planning content and organizing the magazines?

CB: That varies quite a lot. We have some writers who have been with us since the company was founded and who play a very active role. We collaborate with them as closely as possible in the development and planning of the magazines. When Modell AVIATOR was established, for example, we sat down with five writers and said quite plainly: if you’re with us, we’ll make the magazine. If not, we won’t.

PMX: Special-interest magazines often live from the exchange with their readers. Do they play a part in the planning and organization of the magazines?

CB: Because our products are targeted at very narrow segments of the market, feedback from our readers is enormously important for us. And we accordingly place significant value on it.

„We want to reach people who no longer take that trip to the newspaper kiosk, or may never have taken it.”

PMX: Wellhausen & Marquardt titles have a huge Internet and digital presence. What opportunities do digital media have to offer?

CB: Gosh, that’s hard to say in just a few sentences. But if I could sum it up in one easy word, it would be “reach.” We can reach so many more people with our content today than we ever could have in the days when it was purely print media. And that’s great. We see that as an opportunity.

PMX: What role do Facebook, Twitter, etc. play for your company and publications?

CB: Twitter only plays a role with respect to drones. Facebook, on the other hand, is one of the most important communication channels for all our markets.

PMX: You’re making some of your publications available digitally in a PressMatrix app. What induced you to publish some of your magazines in separate apps (in addition to their print versions)?

CB: Of course, we want to expand our reach. We want to reach people who no longer take that trip to the newspaper kiosk, or may never have taken it. And there were other things that played a role, as well: prestige, and curiosity, and the desire to strengthen our brand profile.

PMX: Why did you decide to go with PressMatrix?

CB: We wanted to make real digital magazines, not just PDF files. The financial outlay had to be manageable and, most importantly, the amount of time and effort required on our part had to be relatively low. We didn’t find a supplier that we really liked for quite a while. Either the product wasn’t satisfying, or it would have required much too much time and effort, or the investment was far beyond what we ever could even have begun to recoup. PressMatrix was the only supplier to offer a sound overall concept that spoke to us from the very beginning. And at a personal level, it was a good fit, as well. We felt from the very first moment that we were in good hands. And that hasn’t changed.

PMX: You’ve recently started using the app’s article publishing feature. What’s your experience with that been like?

CB: We were one of the very first customers. Before that, we used two apps for several of our brands. One was the PressMatrix app for the magazines, and then also news apps. We used them to publish one or two messages a day, ranging from new products and events to self-promotion. Thanks to Readmatrix, we can now do it all in a single app. That has significant advantages, especially when it comes to cross-promotion.