Our in-house library is right down the hall:
FM�s editorial staff depends on up-to-date research
Thanks to a full-time Research Team and an in-house library with thousands of books and periodicals, First Marketing always has the best information. Writers and Account Managers use this resource to make sure your editorial content is topical, timely and multisourced.
From industry info to client copy
�We rely heavily on industry-produced publications and journals,� says Research Director Susan Berkman, a 12-year veteran of First Marketing. �These include the Journal of the American Medical Association, Supermarket News, American Banker, Travel Weekly and Telephony. We shy away from consumer-oriented publications such as Prevention or Woman�s Day.�
Each division has one dedicated researcher who is an industry specialist. Combined, the four researchers read 307 magazines, newspapers, newsletters and journals that First Marketing receives every month. Abstracts of relevant articles are then written, categorized and deposited into ArcFind, a proprietary database. Then each publication becomes part of the physical, in-house library � right down the hall.
Each researcher compiles a weekly industry-specific report, e-mails it to the appropriate team and posts it to the company Intranet for future internal reference.
First Marketing subscribes to several databases:
- Business Source� Corporate � 4,000 searchable publications, trade publications, top management journals and 100 Knight-Ridder newspapers.
- OneSource� � in-depth business and industry intelligence.
- InSite 2SM � authoritative business information from current news, trade publications, industry newsletters and analysts� reports.
- Several health databases � with full medical texts, through a special arrangement with the University of Miami Medical School.
�All this is in addition to the Internet,� says Berkman, who has a Masters of Library Science degree. �We are always careful about only using sites of reliable organizations.�
From the ordinary to the extraordinary
In addition to general research, the Research Team fields about 20 article research requests a week from writers and Account Managers. �These can range from �new studies on diabetes� to �pet-friendly campgrounds in the Southwest� and everything in-between,� Berkman says.
A lot of work? You bet. But, as you can see, the Research Team makes heroes out of First Marketing�s writers and Account Managers.
For a weekly report on the latest stats, trends and marketing ideas in your industry, go to:www.first-marketing.com/hottopics.
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