Business Edge has launched a new marketing package that gives local companies a high-impact presence at most Edmonton businesses and up to 120,000 businesses in Alberta and B.C.

Marketing Edge 2004 consists of a three-month advertising campaign in Business Edge, which is delivered directly to at least 47,000 Alberta businesses and 25,000 B.C. businesses per edition, and more than 110,000 companies per month.

Advertisers can choose to target one specific market (Edmonton/ Fort McMurray/Grande Prairie, Calgary/Red Deer or Vancouver/Victoria/ Kelowna), two markets at 1.5 times the one-market rate, or all markets for two times the one-market rate.

The program kicks off with a full-page, full-colour advertising feature that tells a compelling story about your company. Written by one of Western Canada’s top print journalists and photographed by a national award-winning photojournalist, the ad feature takes an educational approach to promoting your business.

Business Edge publisher Rob Driscoll and editor Terry Inigo-Jones have seen their high-calibre business journal grow from a circulation of 20,000 in the year 2000 to 73,000.

“We produce advertising features at the same high standard as our editorial coverage, which is why so many people enjoy reading them,” explains Business Edge publisher Rob Driscoll. “We clearly label our advertising features, but people enjoy reading advertising when it’s done at this level.”

In fact, a readership survey conducted independently by Profit Matters Inc. revealed that 75 per cent of Edge readers read the advertising features. Considering Business Edge’s audience has grown to more than 210,000 in Alberta alone (based on a 4.47 readers-per-copy average determined in the 2003 Business Edge Readership Survey), that’s a powerful way to reach a lot of high-spending, influential eyeballs.

The ad feature sets the tone for the campaign and enhances the effectiveness of follow-up advertising. “Those quarter-page ads are going to work a lot better if everyone has already read a detailed story about your business,” says Driscoll.

The momentum continues in the form of a quarter-page, full-colour ad running every second week for three months (six insertions). Such programs have proven successful time and time again for Edge advertisers.

“We’d obviously love to have you sign up for an annual contract, but we realize it’s tough to sign off on big numbers with something you have yet to try,” says Driscoll. “I’m happy to have someone start with a three-month campaign.

“It takes a lot of the pressure off you, the advertiser, and it also works quite well for us. The majority of businesses that invest in a three-month ad program discover a great return on their investment and become long-term advertisers.”

That high retention rate explains why Business Edge is one of the fastest-growing publications in the country despite having a small sales team.

“We tend to let our editorial strength do the selling for us,” adds Driscoll. “A lot of our advertisers are companies where they noticed that everyone in the office was reading the Edge, then they thought about our comprehensive distribution, did the math, and gave us a call.”

Edge editor Terry Inigo-Jones leads a cast of journalists unmatched in Western Canada. Each week they present a terrific mix of news and features that keeps you on top of the fast-paced local business scene.

Star Edmonton journalists frequenting the pages of Business Edge include Catherine Carson, Kenton Friesen, Laura Severs, Maurice Tougas and Jack Dagley.

Other high-profile writers covering the provincial scene include Gyle Konotopetz (20 Questions, Financial Edge, Pro’s 3 Stars), Tom Keyser (The Keyser Report), Mark Lowey (Oilpatch Opinion), and Dr. Tom Keenan.

The costs of the three-month campaigns that comprise Marketing Edge 2004 are:
* Edmonton/North edition only: $7,500
* Alberta-wide: $11,250
* Alberta and B.C.: $15,000

Call Rob Driscoll at 425.3343 or e-mail ads@businessedge.ca to reserve your Marketing Edge 2004 campaign or to discuss other advertising options. Anyone who books a Marketing Edge 2004 campaign prior to January 9, 2004, will receive at no extra charge an elegantly framed copy of the advertising feature to hang at the office.