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and you see a company that has been remarkably nimble at growing its business in a challenging
economy. When print advertising got shaken by the double-whammy of the Web explosion and worldwide
recession, Summit Media invested in lead-generation technology and in expanding its Packworld.com
user base, and these gambles are paying off.
The company is now being asked by other publishers to license its lead-gen technology, and
Packworld.com, its main site serving the packaging industry, now has more than 100,000 registered
users, according to Joe Angel, vice president/publisher of Summit Media Group Inc.
Angel started Summit Media with partner Lloyd Ferguson in 1993, and the 1990s were good years for the
monthly Packaging World, as they were for many b2b publications. In 2003 Summit Media
launchedAutomation World, also a monthly, which covers plant operation and related IT software and
processes. The growth continued with the launch of Healthcare Packaging, a bimonthly serving the
pharma and medical device packaging industry, and Contract Packaging, which is published three times a
year and is the official publication of the Contract Packaging Association. Summit also publishes the
PACK EXPO Showcase issue for the annual PACK EXPO show, sponsored by the Packaging Machinery
Manufacturers Institute.
The company’s newest brands are Shelf Impact, a custom e-newsletter that covers brand strategies and
packaging design, and Greener Package, an online-only play that serves as a knowledge exchange for
companies investing in sustainable packaging. On the events side, Summit held its Sustainable
Packaging Symposium in Chicago on March 16-18, and coming up in April is its Packaging Automation
Forum, with the Healthcare Packaging Conference and Workshop following in May.
Just this month, Summit Media announced the formation of a custom media division, which is being
headed by longtime Summit executive Dave Newcorn, who is serving as the unit’s VP of digital and
custom media.
In the following Q&A, Jo Angel shares with minonline some of Summit Media’s monetization strategies
and details about the company’s homegrown lead-gen techology.
minonline: Let’s start with your newest brand, Greener Package. What’s the business model?
Joe Angel: The revenue model for the Greener Package Web site comes from three sources: lead-gen
programs, display advertising and a unique supplier membership program. We offer different levels of
membership sponsorships. So a company can come in, take a top-level sponsorship, which is around
15,000, or they can come in and be a lower-level sponsor. We have an email newsletter component with
that as well that we sell sponsorships for. All companies that want to invest in sponsoring on Greener
Package must be accepted by a third-party review for sustainable claims. The GP database is the official
entry point for Walmart’s packaging scorecard, a deal announced late in 2009.
minonline: You’re using a similar model for Summit Media’s other sites?
Angel: Yes. For Packworld.com, for Automationworld.com—for all of our Web products—we sell
sponsorships, and that is tied in to some of our lead-generation products. We also have pure
branding-only opportunities, but provide metrics via Google.
minonline: Who was the driving force behind Summit Media’s lead-gen technology?