Debuting on newsstands Aug. 13, the new Business 2.0 is intended for businesspeople who want insightful journalism addressing the pressures, trends, and opportunities facing them today. The magazine encompasses everything from debates over the big issues in business-such as the impact of the Internet-to detailed articles examining the strategies and tactics of groundbreaking companies-and how to learn from them.
According to Ned Desmond, the editor and president of Business 2.0, the need for speed and flexibility has flattened corporate hierarchies and pushed initiative far down in the ranks. Thanks to the Internet and other technologies, there is more pressure to think and act fast than ever before, and at the same time there is less and less time to prove yourself, said Desmond. As a result, business readers want smart, on-the-money stories that tell them what’s really working today in management, business technology, marketing, and other areas. That’s what Business 2.0 is all about.
The inaugural cover package, The Revolution Lives, showcases three leading executives-Charles Schwab’s David Pottruck, Enron’s Jeff Skilling, and UPS’s Mike Eskew-and looks at the debate over the Internet’s impact on the economy, as well on major business disciplines including marketing, manufacturing, finance, and leadership. Elsewhere in the magazine, the editors look at how MTV’s new cross-platform marketing strategy is making the cable music channel into a more powerful marketing force, how IBM made its R&D program into a very effective contributor to Big Blue’s bottom line, and how new approaches to curing cancer would operate at the level of molecular medicine.
To my mind, this is no less than the birth of a new category of business magazine, said John Huey, Time Inc.’s editorial director. We at Time Inc. believe strongly that there is a dynamic, growing market for a next-generation business magazine. That’s why after just a short time, in a very rough market, we’ve decided to double down our bet.
In creating the new Business 2.0, managing editor Jim Aley and creative director Susan Scandrett sought to combine the most popular aspects of the original Business 2.0 and eCompany Now. We recognize that our readers are pressed for time, said Aley. That’s why the visual design and editorial voice of the magazine were engineered not only to grab readers’ attention, but to lend clarity (and yes, even humor) to the subjects at hand. We also added marketing, management, and R&D to the What Works department, increased our use of graphics, placed the table of contents right off the cover, and provided more perforated Cheat Sheets that can be circulated to employees and colleagues or posted on the wall for easy reference.
Business 2.0 will reach more than 550,000 paid subscribers and has already attracted such national advertisers as Absolut, Banana Republic, Chase, IBM, Mercedes, Sony, and Worldcom. The combined demographics of eCompany Now and the old Business 2.0 are the sweet spot for high-end consumer, business, and technology brands, said Lisa Bentley, publisher of Business 2.0. Since the acquisition last month, the magazine has garnered 97 ad pages, and more than 85 brands have embraced the new publication.
The magazine’s reach is extended through its redesigned website, Business2.com, which saw its traffic more than double since launching July 12. The site features more than 35,000 articles from eCompany Now, the former and new Business 2.0, Fortune, Fortune Small Business, Money, and CNET; the Web Guide, a handpicked directory of more than 11,000 topics and 50,000 sites relevant to stories covered in the magazine; and WebFiles, compilations of research online to help readers seeking deeper information on certain articles in the magazine.
Business 2.0 is a monthly magazine with a guaranteed rate base of 550,000. It carries a cover price of $3.95 and an annual subscription rate of $19.98.
