Ok Ok so I know what you're asking: what does the last post have to do with anything beyond the fact that Ted is an avid tennis player/fan? Here's the point:
Brands get all the breaks.
Federer, by far the world's biggest and most imposing tennis-playing "Brand," is said to win some matches in the locker room - meaning, the opponent concludes before even walking out on the court that they have no chance. Or when faced with the prospect of beating Federer, one chokes. Federer gets the break.
For years, McGraw-Hill got the break. Then Cahners. Then it was Ziff-Davis, IDG and CMP. People defer to brands and icons. Faced with the terrifying choice between an icon like Dr. Dobbs and the merely 7-year old SD Times, some buyers just buy the more well-known entity.
Which means we have to be better - much better - than well-known companies like CMP, Z-D and IDG. Got a long way to go, but each year we get a few more breaks (like how about those Puerto Rico Industrial Relations Board ads.....).
IMS figures just came out. August SD Times ad pages were up 16 over last year. Dobb's was flat.
this was a bit more ramble-y than it started out to be.
