Advantage Business Marketing Explained

Advantage Business Marketing
Logo Alt:Advantage Business Marketing logo
Former Name:Advantage Business Media
Type:Private
Industry:Marketing
Fate:Bankruptcy
Predecessors:-->
Successors:-->
Hq Location City:Rockaway, New Jersey
Areas Served:-->
Profit:-->
Profit Year:-->
Owners:-->
Num Employees:>200 (2010)
Parent:Owner Resource Group

Advantage Business Marketing (ABM) was a private American digital marketing and information services company owned by the venture capital firm Owner Resource Group. The company was founded in 2006 and was based in Rockaway, New Jersey, United States. It filed for bankruptcy in June 2019.

Business model

In the period between 2006 and 2014, the company transitioned from print-centric to digital media, increasing digital revenues from 11% to 50% of total revenues.[1] The company's growth during this period came from both "organic" growth and strategic acquisitions.[2] In 2009 the firm was described as a "business to business magazine publisher",[3] which could be interpreted as a publisher of trade magazines.

In 2018, the organization transitioned fully from a digital media organization to a digital marketing organization, following market trends. As such, the company changed its name from Advantage Business Media to Advantage Business Marketing, updated its logo, and began the overhaul of its digital websites and assets.

The organization offered digital marketing services including inbound marketing, branding, automation services, customer relationship management integration, and data management.

History

In 2006, Rich Reiff and George Fox purchased several publications from Reed Business Information's New Product Division, formerly known as Gordon Publications, with the backing of private equity provided by Catalyst Investors.[4] [5]

Also in 2006, the company launched the FindGuru business-to-business-focused search engine as a revised and rebranded ReedLink tool originally available from Reed Business Information.[6]

In 2011, ABM acquired Continuity Insights and Vicon Publishing; this was followed in 2013 by acquisition of eMedia Vitals. Vicon Publishing was renamed by ABM to Vicon Business Media and instantiated as a subsidiary organization. Vicon operates out of New Hampshire, United States.[7]

In 2014, the firm was sold by Catalyst to Owners Resource Group (ORG), a private equity firm based in Austin, Texas, for undisclosed terms.[8] This acquisition makes the first foray for ORG into the media space. In March of 2014, co-founder Richard Reiff left the firm, leaving the CEO position vacant, though there is an indication that Jim Lonergan was brought in as CEO by the new owner.

In 2018, Lonergan was replaced by Bruce Cummings and the company rebranded, changing its name to Advantage Business Marketing.[9]

On June 11, 2019, Cummings held a staff meeting where he told all employees that the company was filing for bankruptcy and closing effective immediately. Staff had until the end of the day to vacate the premises.[10] No severance pay was given to employees, customers lost much of what they'd purchased, and many vendors were never paid.

Titles published by ABM

, ABM published 23 titles. Publication titles and ISO 4 abbreviations are as follows:

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: Advantage Business Media's digital road map . . August 9, 2011 . Callahan, Sean . August 5, 2023 .
  2. News: Advantage Business Media Sold to PE Firm . . February 13, 2014 . Rondon, Michael . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140218100501/http://www.foliomag.com/2014/advantage-business-media-sold-pe-firm#.UwMwWCrP1qY . February 18, 2014 .
  3. News: Bonsera . Paul . July 15, 2009 . Roy Morance is always willing to lend a hand . MTW 2 (104) . . registration . August 5, 2023 .
  4. News: Silverman . Sally . April 27, 2010 . Business grows in challenging times . A9 . . registration .
  5. . September 2008 . Former BPA auditor named circ director at Russell Publishing . Circulation Management . Connecticut, United States . Red 7 Media . 23 . 7 . 42 . 0888-8191 . August 5, 2023 . Gale General OneFile (Wikipedia Library) . registration.
  6. News: . September 8, 2006 . Briefcase: Morris County Company News . E1 (47) . . Morris County, New Jersey . registration . August 5, 2023 .
  7. News: Staff . Telecommunications Weekly . Advantage Business Media Purchases Vicon Publishing, Inc. . . January 18, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160409123156/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-279009059.html . dead . April 9, 2016.
  8. News: Collins, Allison . February 12, 2014 . Owner Resource Buys PE-Backed Advantage Business Media . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140811000702/http://www.themiddlemarket.com/news/owner-resource-buys-pe-backed-advantage-business-media-247703-1.html . August 11, 2014.
  9. National Media Publisher Pivots Business Model to Deliver Greater Customer Value . . August 5, 2023 . Advantage Business Media . June 19, 2018 .
  10. Web site: Dool . Greg . Advantage Business Marketing Ceases Operations After 13 Years . Folio . June 19, 2019 . March 8, 2021 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190621004052/https://www.foliomag.com/advantage-business-marketing-media-shuts-down/ . June 21, 2019 .
  11. News: Falsified Recordings Land Eight Advantage Business Media Titles on BPA Probation . Audience Development . September 24, 2010 . Mickey, Bill . August 4, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140806225814/http://www.audiencedevelopment.com/2010/falsified+recordings+land+eight+advantage+business+media+titles+bpa+probation . August 6, 2014 . dead . dmy-all.
  12. Web site: 2015 Integrated Media Planning Guide . October 2, 2014 . Drug Discovery & Development . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141003004017/http://www.advantagemedia.com/sites/default/files/DDD%202015%20Media%20Kit.pdf . October 3, 2014.
  13. . March 15, 2017 . TESSCO Technologies Names Wireless Week as 2017 TESSCO One Media Partner . Entertainment Close-up . Florida, United States . August 5, 2023 . Gale General OneFile (Wikipedia Library) . registration.

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