The German Press Market. Directions for Use

The German press market offers a great potential, but is at the same time one of the most difficult worldwide. To be successful you need to know exactly how to go about it. Instructions for use in three chapters.

1. Quality
The German press market is highly developed. Magazines and newspapers are of high quality and cover almost all topics. In order to assert itself a publication must offer something. Ideally a product is unique and opens a perspective that is not yet available in Germany. German magazines are normally well-written and elaborate in their design, and this level must be reached if not exceeded. The demands of German readers strongly differ depending on the market segment. Certain products only stand a chance to be successful if they’re in German language and with local editors. Others – such as highly designed titels on architecture and design – are especially attractive in their international editions, because they promise access to worldwide developments. Anyone developing a German edition should give the reader the impression that he’s really holding a German product in his hands. This includes the choice of topics as well as style and orthography: German readers are meticulous. Therefore translations should be made by professional translators and have to be carefully controlled.

2. Knowing the market and the market development
With more than 120.000 retail outlets and a multitude of possible distribution channels the German market is one of the more difficult to understand at a glance worldwide. It is therefore a special challenge to match the product and the reader. Newcomers should acquire extremely detailed information about their market segment: which titles cover similar interests, what is their price level, where are most of their copies sold, which aspects do they cover, where is the niche that can be filled? Also to the market knowledge belongs a clear understanding of the extremely complex structures and regulations:regional monopolies of the wholesalers, strict limitation of discounts, tax regulations and more. Another particularity is the decentralized division of the market. Whereas in France an international title will sell the vast majority of its copies in Paris, or similarly in London for the United Kingdom, in Germany there are many centres. The market in Stuttgart may be as important as the one in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich or Frankfurt. This is why carefully co-ordinated marketing activities are key to success in Germany:they have to be representative for the title and must consider the regional differences. For one title dialogue marketing via e-mail may be ideal, while another finds its readers on the occasion of a specific fair or sport event. Readership surveys provide valuable indications for a good product policy. It is important that the German distribution partners know the market from the inside:if a partner works with many German publishers it means that also international clients benefit from the experience.

3. Dynamic distribution
The German market is in a constant flow, and to be successful one needs to follow its movements. In order to cope with the strong competition – a well furnished station library may offer up to 4000 titles – publishers are always looking for new distribution channels: a title that has only been available at press outlets and petrol stations may be sold already tomorrow in specialized shops or from a fastfood chain. The distribution needs to access all these channels to potential clients and to observe a change in readership on a constant basis in order to follow it closely by adapting the draw accordingly. Flexibility is the main factor: the ability to modify established distribution processes whenever the market shows a demand for it. Very important is also a serious and at the same time pro-active information policy:the distribution partner will only be able to establish a product on the market after once he has studied it carefully and knows its strengths. He then must continuously point out these strengths towards his trading partners, wholesalers as well as retailers. Essentially, the German market offers a much larger sales potential for international titles than usually assumed. However, this potential can only be exploited if the German partner does not approach the international trade in a too much routine way. There is no reason to pay less attention to the distribution of international titles than to German titles. On the contrary: the German partner needs to place a title in the environment of its German competition and to provide all the necessary distribution instruments as the only way to its continuous success within the field.

Author: Luciano G. Stulin, IPS Pressevertrieb GmbH, Germany