An edgy editorial product combined with aggressive distribution has enabled Business Edge to introduce a new level of print advertising value that is helping hundreds of local companies grow their business.

The Edge, privately owned by a group of journalists and business people, is now delivered to at least 35,000 B.C. businesses per edition – and more than 87,000 in Western Canada – far more than any of its competitors.

But the Business Edge story looked anything but a success in its early days.

The Edge launched as a Calgary weekly in October 2000, just as the tech bubble burst, markets collapsed and the Canadian economy soured. It was arguably the worst advertising climate in 50 years.

“We put the business plan together during the late ’90s, when advertisers were spending like crazy and every business magazine looked like an encyclopedia,” recalls Edge publisher Rob Driscoll. “When the bottom fell out of the advertising market, we were in big trouble right off the bat.

“We were bleeding red ink, we hadn’t raised much investment capital, and we couldn’t get a dime out of the banks.”

Once-profitable business publications started going out of business like nobody’s business.

Those who weren’t closing their doors were battening down the hatches and cutting costs in an effort to ride out the storm.

Contrarians by nature, however, Driscoll and co-founder/editor Terry Inigo-Jones saw opportunity in the crisis.

They felt that if all their competitors were scaling back and ultimately reducing value to readers and advertisers, the Edge could gain by going against the grain.

“We brought in a few sophisticated investors who thankfully saw merit in our vision,” says Driscoll.

“So seven months after launch, still losing buckets of money each week, we started expanding aggressively,” explains Driscoll.

Driscoll, Inigo-Jones and fellow director Dr. Sean McFadden saw that the best way to survive was to continuously improve editorial and distribution, thereby giving readers and advertisers exactly what they want.

“Right around our first birthday, we started hearing back from our advertisers that they were getting great results,” says Driscoll. “We’ve continued to improve in every respect and, nowadays, just about anyone who tries an ad campaign with us – be it full-page colour ads or small black and white – experiences a good return on their investment.

“We lose very few customers now, which is why we’re growing and why we’re having so much fun. It’s a great feeling to be helping so many companies achieve their marketing objectives.”

Business Edge launched a B.C. edition in January of this year and have seen steady growth in circulation and advertising all year.

Reaching about 400,000 readers (based on 4.47-readers-per-copy figure established in the independently conducted 2003 Edge Readership Survey) at more than 87,000 Western Canadian businesses gives Edge advertisers a major advantage.

But the biggest reason Edge advertisers are generating millions of dollars in business is the enticing editorial product.

“Western Canada has always had a dynamic business community driven by fascinating personalities, but no one seemed to be reflecting that in their coverage,” says Driscoll.

“We assembled an amazing team of journalists, and their work has clearly struck a chord with business readers.”

That journalistic excellence has people reading cover to cover, week in and week out, so the vast majority of Business Edge’s audience will see every ad.

Advertisers have the benefit of choosing whether they want to target B.C. only or add province-wide exposure in Alberta for another 50 cents on the dollar..

A popular option to kick off a campaign is the Edge advertising feature, which tells a compelling story about your company. Produced by top journalists, the ad feature takes an educational approach to promoting your business and contains a strong call to action.

To find out how you can become a satisfied advertiser, call Rob Driscoll toll free at 1.866.216.3343, ext 25 or e-mail ads@businessedge.ca