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.
CB: It’s almost impossible to give a single, across-the-board answer to that. In the special-interest sector, just as in any market, there is always some fluctuation in the popularity of the subject matter. Some trends come and quickly disappear again, some stay. And then there are some that are more cyclical.
PMX: How do you explain the success of the special-interest segment?
CB: Diversification generally plays a larger role in our lives. These days, everyone’s an expert on something. And we see that reflected in the media, as well.
PMX: Wellhausen & Marquardt is a real all-rounder. As a publisher, you don’t only produce your own special-interest magazines – you also organize events and take on the kind of work that agencies typically do. How did you come to have such a broad portfolio?
CB: That’s largely a result of the fact that, in our markets, we frequently deal with companies that simply don’t have much experience with marketing and advertising. It seemed like an obvious step to provide those services. And, of course, another obvious step is to put on events related to the subject matter of our magazines.
PMX: What opportunities and challenges come with that expansion of your business model?
CB: There is, of course, always the danger of spreading yourself too thin, both financially and in terms of personnel. So every time we expand, we do so judiciously and – initially, at any rate – using our own resources.
PMX: What trends in the publishing industry or in the digital sector are you particularly interested in?
CB: There are some developments I’d like to see. Smarter ways of monetizing content, for one. There still aren’t any really satisfying solutions there. And, to follow on that train of thought, more flexible subscription models, too. Moving from customer relationship management to customer-managed relationships, as Netflix, Spotify, and others have done before us.
PMX: To close, I’d to ask a personal question. Are you a passionate model aircraft flyer yourself or do you have some other hobby that you enjoy?
CB: Model building is a great hobby. Thanks to my job, I’ve tried out a number of things, from model aircraft to RC cars. Before I worked here, though, I’d never been involved in those activities. In the meantime, I’ve learned to maintain a certain professional distance. That helps sometimes in keeping a balanced view of things. And we have enough people here at the company who really delve into it and have an excellent understanding and knowledge of the products and activities. For me personally, I have to keep moving, so I do a lot of sports.
PMX: Thank you for speaking with us!
Christoph Bremer is publishing director of Wellhausen & Marquardt Medien. All the Wellhausen & Marquardt apps, for both iOS and Android can be found here.
