This month’s announcement that Worldata would be relinquishing management of CMP Media Inc.’s mailing lists June 30 means the hi-tech business-to-business file is on the open market for the first time.
CMP, Manhasset, NY, had conducted an unpublicized search when it decided to turn over its then 3.8 million name-file to an outside list manager in 1996. The file had been previously managed in-house by CMP Direct Marketing Services, which was headed by senior director Peter Candito, now president of Database Marketing Concepts, Bohemia, NY.
CMP currently publishes eight hi-tech controlled circulation publications and one paid circulation, Windows Magazine, in the United States and has ties to more than 90 titles worldwide. The company affirmed its commitment to the business market by selling off consumer title Home PC to Imagine Media, Brisbane, CA, on April 2.
Hi-tech is a driving force in the growing B-to-B controlled circulation category, which makes the CMP file a highly sought after property.
“It’s part of a group of hi-tech lists that have always performed exceptionally well for a diverse group of IT related marketers,” said Glenn Freedman, president of L.I.S.T. Inc., Great Neck, NY.
“The lists are obviously significant list rental properties,” added David Schwartz, president of 21st Century Marketing, Farmingdale, NY. “They would be an asset to any list management company.”
Worldata made changes to improve customer service when it took over the CMP file, and whoever is awarded the file will be expected to maintain the high quality of customer service for which CMP is renowned.
The new list manager also should be able to widen the market for the file.
“They would look for a manager that could bring them business from secondary, noncomputer markets,” said Ed Bocknik, executive vice president for list management at Acxiom/Direct Media, Greenwich, CT, which manages the file of rival hi-tech publisher Ziff-Davis. “I suspect they are getting most of the computer/mailer usage. They need someone to go beyond the basics, to catalogs, noncomputer publishers and [noncomputer] business to business.”
