Category: Referenzen

Interview with the ADAC

The travel magazine put out by the ADAC – Germany’s automobile association – has the highest circulation of any German travel magazine. It has also received several awards, among other things for “alternative story-telling” and exemplary concept and design. That makes it all the more important that they translate that success to their digital platform.

Dr. Carsten Hübner, Managing Director of ADAC Medien und Reise GmbH, and Martin Kunz, Editor in Chief of “ADAC Reisemagazin” and “Motorwelt”, spoke with PressMatrix about working on travel destinations and how well print and digital media can complement each other in integrated business models.

PressMatrix: : Working where other people go on holiday – that sounds like a great way to work. Tell us a bit about “ADAC Reisemagazin” and how the team works.

Martin Kunz (MK): The magazine editors are a really creative bunch. When we first start working on a new issue, we think about what kind of clichés people associate with the particular country or city. Then we try to convey these clichés, challenging them in the process, in order to make the issue interesting and surprising. In our current issue on Crete, for example, you’ll find a conversation among the Greek gods, perched on Mount Olympus and chatting about the situation facing the region’s holiday islands and reflecting on mass tourism.
Being editor in chief is not as fun as you may think. I send reporters and photographers off to beautiful places to do research, while I sit in the office and deal with the subtle legal details of privacy regulations.

PMX: “ADAC Reisemagazin” has received several awards, including eight from the ICMA (International Corporate Media Award) in various categories. It got the gold prize for alternative story-telling in 2015. How do you like to approach story-telling?

MK: Our editors work on the stories together with reporters and naturally use every conceivable resource for research. We place great value on having people on-site that know the destination, have insider’s tips and can give us feedback on our story ideas. Because, after all, the world is not always what it looks like from Munich. It’s not possible to produce a good issue on, say, Israel or Budapest from a distance.

PMX: Speaking of story-telling, what other media do you use to tell your stories?

MK: Our editors work on the stories together with reporters and naturally use every conceivable resource for research. We place great value on having people on-site that know the destination, have insider’s tips and can give us feedback on our story ideas. Because, after all, the world is not always what it looks like from Munich. It’s not possible to produce a good issue on, say, Israel or Budapest from a distance.

PMX: Mobility is the major theme of the ADAC. How do you integrate that into your travel magazine?

MK: Here at the magazine, we always start with a mobility story that focuses on finding your way around a destination and getting to know it. Maybe a motorbike tour to the North Cape (in our Norway magazine), a camping trip through Portugal, or lama trekking (in the issue on South Tyrol). Mobility is especially important for the ADAC travel magazine. We try to cover all the key questions – getting there and back, local transportation, car rental, costs, and legal issues like traffic regulations. That coverage has to feature the in-depth, unique knowledge that we have here at the ADAC.

“There are a number of situations in which the app version of the travel magazine is really convenient and easy to use.” Dr. Carsten Hübner

PMX: Another key objective of the ADAC is to reach “all mobile people in Germany, but especially young people from 15 to 30.” When I look at the media data, your travel magazine readers tend to be more in the 40–60 age bracket. How do reconcile that? Is that one of the reasons you’re producing your own “ADAC Reisemagazin” app?

Dr. Carsten Hübner (CH): Sure, we hope the app will allow us to reach new target groups, including younger ones, of course. But there’s no reason to assume that only young people are using apps. People 50 and up are quite familiar with digital media these days – they have smartphones and use app stores, etc. Really, the app is a digital extension of the travel magazine.

PMX: Were there any other reasons for creating your own app?

CH: There are a number of situations in which the app version of the travel magazine is really convenient and easy to use. First, it’s the ease of purchase – if you want to buy an issue, you don’t have to run to the nearest newspaper stand. And then the app has a number of useful features, like search, bookmarking, etc. Not to mention storage – all the issues are archived and you can use your living room shelves for other things.

PMX: What requirements did the app need to meet?

CH: Our goal was to make it as easy to use as possible. Just like you pick up a print magazine and leaf through it, stopping to read an interesting story here and there and saving others for later, we wanted an app that would work the same way.

PMX: When you decided to go digital, what prompted you to choose PressMatrix?

CH: PressMatrix has considerable experience in publishing digital versions of print magazines. The technology is mature; the functionality that was offered was more than adequate for our needs; and what’s more, there are a number of features that we aren’t currently using but plan to integrate in the future.

PMX: What has your experience been with the app so far? What are your customers saying?

CH: The app has been very well received so far. We haven’t offered a subscription to the travel magazine in the app yet, and are “only” selling single issues, but we’ve been asked about it. These are all indications that we’ve chosen the right path.

The only specialist magazine that focusses exclusively on the Styrian harmonica: the “Harmonikawelt”. Here, the reader can expect up-to-date insights, practical tips and reports on people from the scene, as well as portraits on the instrument makers and information on the craft.

Giving folk music a stage

The Styrian harmonica, also known locally as the Ziach, is a type of bisonoric, diatonic button accordion.
Primarily at home in Bavaria and Austria, the instrument plays an important role in folk music. To keep it that way, the “Harmonikawelt” has set itself the task of supporting professional musicians as well as beginners and amateur musicians.

Alongside the main section, there is an extensive practical section that comprises the presentation of various techniques as well as music scores to practise, which are accompanied in the app with additional videos and audio contributions. The “Doctor Harmonica” column informs about the care and storage of the instrument and gives advice for ones own repair work.

Harmonikawelt – more than an app

In addition to digital reading, the web version of the magazine offers its own shop system in which individual purchases and subscriptions can be acquired as well as free trial and preview editions.
In addition to “Harmonikawelt” you will find “zwiefach” and “akkordeon magazine” in the shop.

Language: German

ear of publication: 2018

Content: payable

Find even more apps in our Applights, which keeps you informed four times a year on new apps and exciting titles.

For all those who love and live folk music, “zwiefach” magazine offers a window onto the scene. Both comprehensive and in-depth, it reports on customs, folk culture, costumes and lifestyle, especially in Austria and Bavaria. The contents are as complex as the target group itself. Singers, dancers and musicians between the ages of 18 and 90 will find sheet music, an events program, along with reports on the folk music scene and interesting portraits of musicians and singers.

zwiefach – a dance becomes a program

With the help of the app, the music and popular magazine comes to life and can, in the truest sense, be “heard”. Numerous audio files, videos, and sound samples not only give musicians an acoustic orientation, they also showcase the lively and, above all, young culture of folk music.

In addition to digital reading, the web version of the magazine offers its own shop system in which individual purchases and subscriptions can be acquired as well as free trial and preview editions.
Along with “zwiefach” you will also find “Harmonikawelt” and “akkordeon magazine” in the shop.

Language:German

Year of publication: 2017

Content: payable

Find even more apps in our Applights, which keeps you informed four times a year on new apps and exciting titles.

In the magazine “Kryptokompass”, investors provide exclusive monthly assessments and comprehensive analyses of the current situation on the crypto markets. The reader can thus evaluate the relevant risks and make long-term successful investments. In the meantime they also pick up helpful insights into the underlying blockchain technology.

“Kryptocompass” – the first stock market newsletter for digital currencies

The app enhances the digital reading experience according to the topic and supports the print content with additional explanatory videos, graphics and pictures.

Beginning in November all fans of Bitcoin & Co. can take advantage of a new feature. The “Kryptocompass” offer will be supplemented by an Alexa skill, by means of which the current stock market values and the latest investment opportunities and risks can be accessed quickly and effectively on a daily basis.

How it works?

Usind the “Alexa Skill” app from amazon, search for the “Kryptokompass”, activate it, and add to the daily summary skills. From now on, you can simply retrieve the information by saying “Alexa, what’s my daily summary?” Have fun!

Language: German

Year of publication: 2018

Paid content

Find more PressMatrix apps in the Applights magazine.

The best way to discover what is going on in your area is to take a look at the local gazettes. The LINUS WITTICH publishing house provides 950 of these for the most diverse regions in Germany, Oberaurach, Lohr, Geldersheim etc, etc.

LINUS WITTICH: municipality newsletter

The most recent editions are always to be found on the first pages; older editions are archived. All are conveniently readable on smartphone or tablet and, thanks to the text mode, have an individually adjustable font size.
In addition, on request local authorities keep the reader informed directly and immediately by means of push notifications on the user’s own device.

Along with the apps and the web version, LINUS WITTICH has recently been offering the latest news from the regions as an Alexa Skill. With the Alexa voice assistant the listener can use voice input to call up a daily summary of the most important messages.

Just try it out

Using the “Alexa Skill” app from Amazon, search for the LINUS WITTICH Skill, activate it, and add to the daily summary skills. From now on, you can simply retrieve the information by saying “Alexa, what’s my daily summary?” Have fun!

Language: German

Year of publication: 2017

Free Content

Find more PressMatrix app in the Applights magazine.

Interview with Dr. Reinhard Kaden, founder and publisher of Kaden Verlag

When Dr. Reinhard Kaden founded the specialist publisher of the same name, he set himself the task of presenting the essentials of the practice of ophthalmology in a specialist magazine for German-speaking physicians. This new magazine concept by Kaden Verlag is still convincing and has expanded over the years to include further specialized journals, digital offers and CME training opportunities.
In this interview Reinhard Kaden talks about the new opportunities arising with digital media.

PressMatrix: Dr. Kaden, to start off can you give us a brief introduction to your publishing house and the magazines „ZPA – Zeitschrift für praktische Augenheilkunde & Augenärztliche Fortbildung“, “OPHTHALMO-CHIRURGIE”, and “CHIRURGISCHE ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG” [“ZPA – Journal of Ophthalmology & Ophthalmology training”, “opthalmo-surgery” and “surgical general newspaper”]

Reinhard Kaden: I was still working at my opthalmologist practice in Heidelberg when I founded the Dr. med. Reinhard Kaden Verlag in 1980. My motto in all publications has always been “focus on the essentials”. I wanted to provide readers engaged in advanced professional training a medium with a primary focus on the current state of ophthalmological knowledge – this was the motivation behind my first journal, the „ZPA – Zeitschrift für praktische Augenheilkunde & Augenärztliche Fortbildung“. In addition to the training contributions, it provides news, information on professional policy, congress reports, and since 2005 also the CME [Continual Medical Education] courses that are so important to our readers in which the physicians can obtain the training credits they need through online training.

With the popularity of the ZPA amongst ophthalmologists and the emergence in the late 1980s of outpatient surgery in ophthalmology, it made sense to address this discipline in a specialist journal of its own – thus “OPHTHALMO-CHIRURGIE”was created, the only German-language journal targeted to the needs of operating ophthalmologists. Here too the training contributions are in the foreground, supplemented by video contributions, surveys among experienced operators, congress reports and much more.

In the year 2000, the new “CHIRURGISCHE ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG” was published by Kaden Verlag for the first time, transferring our successful journal concept to surgery of all disciplines. Here, too, extensive medical training contributions, CME courses, and congress reports are central, complemented by a colourful range of current news and reports as well as a detailed column entitled “Personalia”.

PMX: What strategies and concepts are you pursuing with the magazines?

RK: We want to give the doctors – our readers – an overview of the current topics in their fields. They should be given the opportunity to stay abreast of developments and to continue their education. In the flood of information that flows to the doctors every day, we see ourselves as a “pre-sorter”, picking out the individual, current topics and preparing them in informative, well written articles. With the online training offered in the “ZPA” and the “CHIRURGISCHE ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG” we also give readers the opportunity to purposefully convert the knowledge gained through the contributions into CME credit points – since 2004 the professional code requires that these be obtained on a regular basis.

PMX: How is the content of the magazines put together? Is there a permanent editorial team with specialists or do you rather acquire and coordinate external and guest authors?

RK: The journal is written by ophthalmologists and surgeons for ophthalmologists and surgeons. We have permanent editorial staff in the publishing house who are responsible for requests, editing, as well as the revision of the contributions we receive from external authors. Each one of our magazines has a specialized editorial team. These are supported by external editors, who come from the respective discipline. This, in combination with the contributions made by practising, experienced doctors guarantees the scientific quality and up-to-dateness of our magazines, which is our trademark.

PMX: What is the market for trade magazines like today and how do you think it will evolve over the next five years?

RK: It certainly won’t be easier. Generally speaking the status of reading has sunk somewhat, which is of course due to the variety of new media. At the same time, however, numerous surveys and statistics show that different rules apply to specialist magazines – here readers place great importance on accurate research and excellent editorial work and not on fast and superficial half-knowledge. It’s why I’m confident that the future prospects for trade magazines look good. This is also reflected in the stable subscriber numbers of our magazines. But of course you’ve got to incorporate the new opportunities offered by digital media and offer the reader the medium which they feel most comfortable with.

PMX: Since 2017 you’ve been offering three of the magazines in App form. What was the reason for choosing a digital solution and what challenges did the digital transformation have to overcome?

RK: Of course the publishing house must stay on its toes and keep a continual check on itself: Is our content up-to-date? What do our target groups want to read? But it’s also about new forms of presentation for our editorial content. Readers’ interests are increasingly oriented towards digital media, the possibility of being able to read at exactly that time and that place which happen to suit the individual. And so, for some, the classic print journal is no longer sufficient. With the app, we wanted to give the reader the possibility of reading the journal either exclusively digitally – “only” in the app – or as a complement to the print version for those who are interested in using both.

RK: Letters to the editor are rare for specialist magazines. We only carry out reader surveys at longer intervals. But from the stable subscription numbers and the fact that many readers keep their subscription even after retiring, we conclude the response to our magazine content is a positive one.

PMX: What other channels do you use to publish content? Do you follow different strategies on these channels?

RK: Of course, along with the magazines and the apps, we use our website to provide our readers with the latest news and services; for instance in the online journal, archive contributions can be downloaded – free for subscribers. In addition, we’ve had our own Facebook page for some time now, where we can reach a younger generation of doctors and so increase our reach and reputation. For both the ZPA and the “SURGICAL GENERAL NEWSPAPER” we also send e-mail newsletters. The ZPA newsletter , for instance, is addressed directly to assistant doctors and specifically geared to their concerns.

PMX: What experiences have you already had in digital publishing? What has worked and what has not?

RK: As I said we use several different channels – our website where users can find specific information and news, place orders for subscriptions or books, and also use the online training service. That’s well received. The Facebook page offers us the opportunity to look beyond our own backyard and gain further reach, establishing contacts with doctors and institutions through this more direct route. In addition, this medium has the charm of allowing us to directly receive reader reactions. We see directly who responds to what and how, what content is”liked” or shared by whom. The app now gives us the opportunity to add extra material to the content which readers of the printed edition also receive – links, videos, etc. This is an additional benefit which in our view is becoming ever more important and allows us to offer readers even more information and service.

PMX: Thanks for the interview!

In our PressMatrix interview series, publishers, entrepreneurs and experts talk about digital publishing. Read more about digital publishing for trade journals, special interest magazines, employee magazines and customer magazines.

Interview mit Dr. Reinhard Kaden, Gründer und Verleger des Kaden Verlags

Als Dr. Reinhard Kaden den gleichnamigen Fachverlag gründete, hatte er sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, das Wesentliche aus der Praxis der Augenheilkunde für deutschsprachige Ärzte in einem Fachmagazin zu bündeln. Dieses neue Zeitschriftenkonzept des Kaden Verlags überzeugt bis heute und wurde im Laufe der Jahre mit weiteren spezialisierten Zeitschriften, digitalen Angeboten und CME-Fortbildungsmöglichkeiten erweitert.
Im Interview spricht Reinhard Kaden über die neuen Möglichkeiten digitaler Medien.

PressMatrix: Herr Dr. Kaden, können Sie uns zu Beginn den Kaden Verlag und die Magazine „ZPA – Zeitschrift für praktische Augenheilkunde & Augenärztliche Fortbildung“, “OPHTHALMO-CHIRURGIE” und “CHIRURGISCHE ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG” kurz vorstellen?

Reinhard Kaden:Ich habe den Dr. Reinhard Kaden Verlag im Jahr 1980 gegründet, parallel zu meiner damaligen Tätigkeit als niedergelassener Augenarzt mit eigener Praxis in Heidelberg. Mein Motto bei allen Publikationen war immer „Konzentration auf das Wesentliche“. Ich wollte den Lesern ein Medium an die Hand geben, das in erster Linie Fortbildungsbeiträge zum aktuellen Stand des augenärztlichen Wissens bietet – so entstand meine erste Zeitschrift, die „ZPA – Zeitschrift für praktische Augenheilkunde & Augenärztliche Fortbildung“. Neben den Fortbildungsbeiträgen bietet diese Nachrichten, Informationen aus der Berufspolitik, Kongressberichte und seit 2005 auch die für unsere Leser so wichtigen CME-Fortbildungen, in denen die Ärzte die von ihnen benötigten Fortbildungspunkte mittels einer Online-Fortbildung erlangen können.
Da die ZPA extrem gut bei den Augenärzten ankam und Ende der 1980er Jahre das ambulante Operieren in der Augenheilkunde aufkam, stellte sich die Frage, auf diese Fachdisziplin in einer speziellen Zeitschrift einzugehen – so entstand die “OPHTHALMO-CHIRURGIE”, die sich als einzige deutschsprachige Zeitschrift gezielt an operierende Augenärzte wendet. Hier sind ebenfalls die Fortbildungsbeiträge im Vordergrund, ergänzt durch Videobeiträge, Umfragen unter erfahrenen Operateuren, Kongressberichte und vieles mehr.
Im Jahr 2000 erschien im Kaden Verlag erstmals die neugegründete “CHIRURGISCHE ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG”, mit der unser erfolgreiches Zeitschriftenkonzept auf die Chirurgie aller Fachrichtungen übertragen wurde. Auch hier stehen umfangreiche Fortbildungsbeiträge, CME-Fortbildungen und Kongressberichte im Zentrum, ergänzt mit einer bunten Palette an aktuellen Nachrichten und Berichten sowie einer ausführlichen Rubrik „Personalia“.

PMX: Welche Strategien und Konzepte verfolgen Sie mit den Magazinen?

RK: Wir wollen den Ärzten – unseren Lesern – einen Überblick über die aktuellen Themen in ihrem Fachbereich geben. Sie sollen so die Möglichkeit erhalten, sich regelmäßig informieren und fortbilden zu können. In der Flut an Informationen, die jeden Tag auf die Ärzte einströmen, sehen wir uns als „Vorsortierer“, der einzelne, aktuelle Themen aufgreift und diese informativ und lesefreundlich aufbereitet. Durch die Möglichkeit der Online-Fortbildung in der “ZPA” und der “CHIRURGISCHEN ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG” bieten wir zudem den Lesern die Möglichkeit, ihr durch die Beiträge gewonnenes Wissen auch zielführend in CME-Punkte umzuwandeln, die sie gemäß der Berufsordnung seit 2004 regelmäßig erwerben müssen.

PMX: Wie setzt sich der Inhalt der Magazine zusammen? Gibt es eine feste Redaktion mit Spezialisten oder akquirieren und koordinieren Sie eher externe und Gastautoren?

RK: Die Zeitschrift wird von Augenärzten und Chirurgen für Augenärzte und Chirurgen erstellt. Wir haben eine feste Redaktion vor Ort im Verlag, die für die Anfragen, das Lektorat sowie die Überarbeitung der Beiträge verantwortlich sind, die wir von externen Autoren erhalten. Jede unserer Zeitschriften hat so im Verlag eine spezialisierte Redaktion. Diese wird unterstützt durch externe Schriftleiter, die aus der jeweiligen Fachrichtung stammen. Dies in Kombination mit den Beiträgen, die Ärzte verfassen, die mitten im Berufsleben stehen, garantiert die hohe fachliche Qualität und Aktualität unserer Zeitschriften, die unser Markenzeichen ist.

PMX: Wie sieht der Markt für Fachmagazine heute aus und was denken Sie, wie er sich in den nächsten fünf Jahren entwickelt?

RK: Es wird sicher nicht einfacher. Generell ist das Lesen mittlerweile in seinem Stellenwert ein Stück weit gesunken, was natürlich auch der Vielfalt an neuen Medien geschuldet ist. Gleichzeitig zeigen aber viele Umfragen und Statistiken, dass für die Fachmagazine anderen Gesetze gelten – hier legen die Leser größten Wert auf genaue Recherche, eine hervorragende Arbeit in den Redaktionen und eben nicht schnelles und oberflächliches Halbwissen. Deshalb bin ich mir sicher, dass die Fachmagazine eine gute Zukunft haben. Das zeigt sich auch in den stabilen Abonnentenzahlen bei unseren Zeitschriften. Man muss jedoch die neuen Möglichkeiten einbinden, die die digitalen Medien bieten. So gelingt es, den Lesern genau das Medium anzubieten, das für sie das angenehmste ist.

PMX: Seit 2017 bieten Sie drei der Magazine auch als App an. Was war der Grund für eine digitale Lösung und welche Herausforderungen galt es mit der digitalen Lösung zu überwinden?

RK: Natürlich geht es als Verlag darum, sich immer wieder selbst zu prüfen: Sind unsere Inhalte aktuell, was will die Zielgruppe lesen? Aber es geht auch darum, neue Formen der Darbietung für unsere redaktionellen Inhalte zu entwickeln. Der Wunsch der Leser geht immer mehr in Richtung der digitalen Medien, der Möglichkeit, immer dort und zu dem Zeitpunkt zu lesen, zu dem es gerade passt. Und da ist für manche eben die klassische Form des gedruckten Magazins nicht mehr ausreichend. Hier wollten wir mit der App dem Leser die Möglichkeit geben, unsere Zeitschriften entweder ausschließlich digital zu lesen, eben „nur“ in der App, oder aber eine Ergänzung zur gedruckten Zeitschrift zu schaffen für diejenigen, die gerne beides nutzen wollen.

RK: Leserbriefe treffen bei Fachmagazinen eher selten ein. Leserumfragen führen wir lediglich in größeren Zeitabständen durch. Wir schließen aber aus den stabilen Abonnementzahlen und der Tatsache, dass viele Leser auch nach der Pensionierung ihr Abonnement beibehalten, auf eine positive Resonanz unseres Themenangebotes.

PMX: Welche weiteren Kanäle nutzen Sie, um Inhalte zu veröffentlichen? Verfolgen Sie auf diesen Kanälen verschiedene Strategien?

RK: Neben den Zeitschriften und den Apps nutzen wir natürlich unsere Internetseite, um unseren Lesern aktuelle Nachrichten und Serviceleistungen zu bieten. So steht dort z. B. ein elektronisches Zeitschriftenarchiv zur Verfügung, aus dem – für Abonnenten kostenlos – Beiträge heruntergeladen werden können. Außerdem betreiben wir schon seit längerem eine eigene Facebook-Seite, da wir dort eine jüngere Generation an Ärzten erreichen können und so unsere Reichweite und unseren Bekanntheitsgrad erhöhen. Zusätzlich versenden wir sowohl für die ZPA als auch für die “CHIRURGISCHE ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG” einen E-Mail-Newsletter, der sich z. B. mit der ZPA direkt an Assistenzärzte wendet und speziell auf deren Belange ausgerichtet ist.

PMX: Welche Erfahrungen haben Sie im Kaden Verlag bereits im digitalen Publizieren gemacht? Was hat sich bewährt und was nicht?

RK: Wie gesagt – wir haben verschiedene Kanäle, die wir bedienen – unsere Internetseite, in der die Nutzer gezielt Nachrichten lesen können, alle notwendigen Informationen abrufen können, ihre Bestellungen für Abonnements oder Bücher aufgeben und auch die Online-Fortbildungen nutzen können. Das wird gut angenommen. Die Facebook-Seite bietet uns die Möglichkeit, über den eigenen „Tellerrand“ noch weitere Verbreitung zu erlangen und Verbindungen zu Ärzten und Institutionen auf diesem direkten Weg zu schaffen. Zudem hat dieses Medium den Charme, dass wir direkte Reaktionen von den Lesern erhalten, direkt sehen, wer wie auf welchen Beitrag reagiert, ihn „liked“ oder teilt. Die App bietet uns jetzt die Möglichkeit, neben den Inhalten, die auch die Leser der gedruckten Ausgabe erhalten, weitere Ergänzungen aufzunehmen – Links, Videos etc. Das ist ein zusätzlicher Service, der aus unserer Sicht immer wichtiger wird und uns die Möglichkeit gibt, unseren Lesern noch mehr Informationen und Service bieten zu können.

PMX: Vielen Dank für das Interview!

In unserer PressMatrix-Interviewreihe sprechen Verleger, Unternehmer und Experten über das Digital Publishing. Lesen Sie hier mehr über das digitale Publizieren von Fach-, Special-Interest-, Mitarbeiter- und Kundenmagazinen.

The ABC of employee magazines is not circulation, but commitment. Such magazines not only serve to inform employees, but also to give them a voice and a platform to exchange ideas with one another. That’s why it is also important to include employees in the production and let them have their say in the magazine, especially if they are spatially separated in individual branches.

With “meine bankpost [my bankpost]” magazine, Felix Winnands, Project Manager of Internal Communication and Events, sets out to strengthen the sense of community within the company, skillfully presenting the different branch locations in individual features – and preferably with videos.

PressMatrix: To start off can you briefly introduce us to the magazine “meine bankpost”?

Felix Winnands: “meine bankpost” is Postbank’s classic employee magazine. In principle we reach all Postbank employees via the print medium: from the head office through the administrative and back office units – e.g. account management – to IT. Above all – and this is essential – we reach each of the approximately 1000 branches in Germany and the approximately 600 consulting centres. The magazine is sent directly to each one.

PMX: That’s a pretty broad audience. What concept and strategy do you follow in order to appeal to everyone?

FW: The concept that we have defined can be summed up with a catchphrase, mittendrin – in the middle of it all. In other words, the employee is center stage and we try to tell stories concerning everyday business at the company. We closely follow the corporate strategy as well as the employees’ experiences. The magazine does not tell stories about how the banking industry is doing overall. Instead, we tell you what is happening at Postbank and what the next strategical steps for Postbank are.

In this, the diverse target audience is in fact somewhat problematic, since we don’t have a separate magazine for the management level. In each issue there must therefore be topics for everyone – from the board to the employee at the counter.

PMX: That sounds like quite a balancing act. Does it work in practice?

FW: Of course! (laughs) Since the relaunch of the magazine in 2016, we have been focusing more on the concept of being mittendrin and on employee stories. This has led to a greater acceptance of the magazine on all levels and also to a greater awareness of it. I think we manage to hit the right balance.

As an employee magazine, we are also competing with the many offers that the employee uses privately. So it’s important to stay on a par with other media and technical developments.

PMX: Was there a concrete reason for the relaunch of the magazine? And what changes came with this relaunch?

FW: In 2016 the “bankpost” became “meine bankpost” in order to emphasize our own brand. This was mainly due to internal developments. But the magazine itself has been around for 27 years now, in which time it has undergone an incredible transformation.
It has evolved from the first issues in newspaper format through various layout levels to the present-day magazine format, which I think is very much in keeping with the times.

PMX: How is the content of the magazine put together? Is there an independent editor or do the employees themselves write for the magazine?

FW: We have an editorial staff who write high quality journalistic articles and we work with photographers who provide authentic and professional photos.
At the same time, employees also have their say in the magazine. For example, if a topic has been suggested by a senior manager, we ask them or a member of their staff to make a comment for the article. Of course, we also make use of the entire journalistic pallet from employee and departmental portraits through interviews with members of the managing board and executives to project reports and best practice solutions – basically any theme that is relevant to Postbank is relevant to us.

Occasionally we also try out something off the beaten track and present a topic as a photo story, like a kind of “Bravo photo story”. We’ve observed from the reactions that people are sometimes briefly irritated, but ultimately there’s an increased awareness of the topic.

Employee magazines convince with individual layouts

FW: It’s a two-way process. There are the topics that we propose and then on the other hand employees and senior managers also want to present their projects and products. This can be the stimulus for a longer feature, where we accompany such projects across a series of several articles. It’s quite typical actually. For instance we are currently compiling regional portraits of our six sales regions.

PMX: In addition to the print edition, you also offer the magazine “meine bankpost” digitally. What was the reason for taking this step?

FW: As an employee magazine, we are also competing with the many offers that the employee uses privately. So it’s important to stay on a par with other media and technical developments. If we don’t wish to fall by the wayside, our internal communication cannot ignore the digital transformation in modern communication.

The app version of the “bankpost” is a small step along this path. So we offer employees in remote areas or who are on the go a lot the opportunity to read the magazine on their private mobile phone. “My bankpost” is always available earlier in the app version than the printed one. The clear principle behind this is that we always want to appear in digital form first – as is customary with Kiosk magazines.

PMX: What do employees think about the magazine and the app?

FW: The app is perceived as an additional offer because we continue to distribute the magazine in print. We have received very positive feedback on the app and can also see its acceptance in the concrete number of users. At the beginning, in particular, we experienced a very high growth rate in the double-digit range of about 10 to 15 percent. And the inquiries that come in show that there is definitely an interest and a need. We’ve also received good reviews and comments in the Google Play Store.

PMX: Does the app offer further advantages, for example compared to the in-house intranet?

FW: We consciously produce additional material for each issue so that there is an incentive to use the app. An example is the picture galleries, for which we use existing material from our shootings.
In addition, we produce videos for the app – always between two and four per issue – which are then sometimes informative and sometimes simply reflect the personal lives of the employees in their working environment. At the moment, the app is the most convenient way for us to bring videos to our employees. It also means that even if we have reports in the intranet with accompanying videos, we also occasionally refer to a video in the app.

PMX: What’s your experience – do employee magazines have a positive effect on the working atmosphere and strengthen the sense of community in the company?

FW: I believe that employee magazines still have an important role in internal communication – despite all the digitalization. They go some way to creating a community identity. Of course, it depends heavily on the editorial concept.
We tell stories in our magazine and don’t produce news reports. We present employees personally. And that, of course, creates a feeling of togetherness – of belonging to a community. Especially for those organized in a branch structure with in some cases only a few employees in one specific place, it is important that along with providing an information source we convey the feeling of community and show how all the units contribute to the big picture.
An employee newspaper can still help produce and maintain this bond to the company today.

Short Felix Winnand resumé:

For more than six years Felix Winnands has been responsible for the Postbank employee magazine “meine bankpost”. Following positions at Bayer, Deutsche Post DHL, Deutscher Bahn and the agency Medienfabrik (now “Territory”), he is now project manager for internal communication at Postbank. In addition to the printed magazine, he also takes care of the “bankpost” app” and is working on the introduction of a new employee app.
Postbank is a leading bank for private, business and corporate customers with over 20,000 employees and around 1,000 branches throughout Germany. Postbank is part of Deutsche Bank’s private and corporate banking business.

How you can offer your employee magazine as an app, find out here.

For everyone who doesn’t just watch soccer every four years

Are we up to defending the world champion title? We’ll see – and read. Naturally, the Journal of the German Football Association will be reporting on the FIFA World Cup 2018, but it will also keep an eye on current events and the sports policy decisions of all teams of the German Football Association – from district leagues to the national team.

The app offers additional entertainment with pictures of the games, infographics, interview recordings as well as further links, and brings the scent of the turf into the living room.

Category: sports

App published: 08 | 2017

Language: German

The DFB-Journal app for iOS, Android or read it on the web.

Why not also offer the stadium booklet directly in a digital app? In an interview, André Lesching, co-editor of the 1. FC Union Stadium booklet about his experiences and new reading habits of the fans.

Interview with Christopher Strobel, managing director of the publishing house Strobel Verlag

Thanks to various smart home technologies, digitization is increasingly being adopted in everyday life, fitting in as naturally as a lamp into one’s own home. For a specialist publisher in home technology, this provides a multifaceted repertoire of topics, but also the challenge of winning over analogue target groups to the digital realm.

Christopher Strobel, Managing Director of Strobel Verlag, sees in this target group an opportunity to test out new formats and even to make and learn from small mistakes.

PressMatrix: Mr Strobel, can you briefly introduce us to your publishing house?

Christopher Strobel: We call ourselves a specialist publisher for home technology. We publish several titles for the plumbing and heating sector, which are aimed primarily at installers and planners.
In addition, our publications serve the renewable energy market, the kitchen industry, and the market for LP gas.
Our B2C title “inwohnen” is available at newsagents four times a year.

PMX: On your website as well as in your publications, you are an exponent of the unconditional integration of smart technologies into home and building technology. To what extent would you claim to be a driver of digital change not only for home technolgy but also in the specialist publishing business?

CS: In home technology, the smart home theme is more than just a marketing gimmick. So for us it represents a new thematic focus within our publications.

Smart home technologies are being implemented more and more, especially in new buildings. Digital technology can improve comfort and security. The use of smart technologies for example in heating systems means increased comfort and efficiency. Being able to remotely control heating systems decentrally via the app or the possibility of factoring in the usage habits of residents, i.e. resolving the question of which rooms need to be heated at any one moment, also brings cost benefits.
This market and all it comprises is still very new for our target group, which is why we want to acquaint our readers with the relevant topics and of course we want to be trailblazers.

However, our information reaches our target groups through diverse channels. We orient ourselves according to their respective needs and reading habits.

PMX: The trade magazines of the Strobel publishing house are not just available in the classic print versions. Rather, the content is prepared in various formats and for diverse platforms, from websites to social media to YouTube and in an app. How important are the different formats in your eyes?

CS: Correct! In the 146th year of its existence Strobel Verlag brought out an app comprising our magazine assortment.

But our information reaches our target groups through diverse channels. We orient ourselves according to their respective needs and reading habits. This ranges from social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to Xing expert groups moderated by us.

PMX: What strategies do you pursue with the channels and what challenges have been faced?

CS: If advertising business models have not yet emerged in all cases, our general strategy is for these channels to increase our overall reach and be traffic drivers for our websites. Our websites are subject to professional marketing.
The challenge is that the different target groups respond to different approaches and we want to reach them on all possible channels. So, for instance, the technical planners are likely to be found in Xing expert groups, while the processors can be reached via Facebook or found browsing through YouTube.

PMX: What experiences have you already had on the various channels, what has proven itself and what has not? What do users and your readers say?

CS: In our experienceour target groups are slowly getting used to the digital and especially social media channels. In an industry like home technology, focussed on domestic installations with planners and craftsmen, digital natives are still the exception. It doesn’t bother us though, because here print still has great haptic value. And as a publishing house we have time to test digital models, collect experience, and occasionally make small mistakes that we can correct. Sometimes we even get the feeling that on the digital front we are thinking further ahead than our target groups.

PMX: The Strobel trade publications are available in a separate kiosk app. What challenges had to be overcome here? And what experiences have you had with the app?

CS: We had often been asked whether in addition to the print version Strobel publishers also offered an online edition for browsing or whether we even had our own app. People are certainly interested in having the information presented as it is in the magazine, i.e. in the same layout. In the course of our research, we decided to implement the PressMatrix App.

“… if specialist publishers can succed in getting their offers to their known user groups through the various channels, then the future for the specialist information sector doesn’t look bad at all.”

PMX: Finding suitable monetization models to finance free content is still a much discussed topic in the (specialist) publishing industry. What strategies are you pursuing in this regard at Strobel Verlag?

CS: We haven’t yet taken advantage of the advertising and sponsoring opportunities available in the app – but that’s on the agenda. Again, the advertising customers or the agencies must first learn how the sponsorship works in the app. The app offers the option of introducing variable subscription price models. Initially we have arranged it so that our print magazine subscribers receive free reader access via their customer number. Non-subscribers must buy the online edition in the app kiosk at the same price as the print edition.

PMX: At the recent Congress of the German Trade Press in Berlin, there was talk of an increase in turnover in the specialist publishing industry. It doesn’t seem to be going too badly at all. Do you think the new revenue models are over-hyped?

CS: At the congress of the German trade press there was unanimous agreement that if the specialist publishers succeed in bringing their offers to their known user groups via the various channels, the marketing of specialist information won’t be in bad shape in the future either. Ad revenue losses can be offset by new sponsorship forms, digital revenue on websites and in email newsletters, as well as through digital subscription models and e-paper sales.

PMX: Let’s cast a glance into the future: how do you think customer communication is going to change in the future or how much do you think your publishing company itself will need to change to stay successful?

CS: In the more distant future, publishers should certainly put more effort into learning about their users and readers. The next topic is lead generation and sales to top but highly interested target groups. Knowing what the customer wants or is going to buy next will be an interesting asset for publishers – one which our advertising clients of today will be keen to purchase tomorrow.

About Christopher Strobel:

Christopher Strobel has been working for Strobel Verlag since 1990 and since 2003 sole managing partner of Strobel Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. As a graduate in business administration, he is also a sponsor of the Wirtschaftsjunioren Deutschland (WJD) and a member of the Industrie- und Handelsclub (IHC) of the Arnsberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the World Plumbing Council (WPC). In addition, he is involved as an advisory board member of the board of the Verband Druck + Medien Nord-West e.V. and as a board member in North Rhine-Westphalia e.V. (VZV NRW).

The Strobel app is available for iOS, Android and Amazon.

Use smart technologies for your publications, for example an Alexa-Skill.