Message From the Editorial Director and Publisher

When I founded Kitchen & Bath Design News in 1984, the industry was relatively young, more focused on function than fashion-a far cry from the sophisticated, professional industry of today.

As KBDN publisher and editorial director, I'e had the privilege of helping to usher not just a magazine, but an industry, into a new level of growth and sophistication, while working with the industry';s most respected innovators, thought leaders, designers, dealers and manufacturers.

In 2008, I was honored to be inducted into the National Kitchen & Bath Association's (NKBA) Hall of Fame. Today, I continue to provide strategic direction for the foremost kitchen/bath design magazine, as well as lead web initiatives, research, KBDN conferences and educational seminars. Around the country, I speak at industry events and meet our readers and advertisers. I am committed to ensuring that the magazine provides an invaluable resource to the ever-changing kitchen and bath industry.

Eliot Sefrin, Editorial Director and Publisher
Eliot.Sefrin@cygnus.com

Industry Perspective

The fortunes of the kitchen and bath industry are closely linked to a housing market that faces an uphill climb, despite exhibiting signs of recovery. Low inflation, favorable interest rates and stabilizing house prices are fueling optimism. Most analysts predict that recession-weary consumers will once again begin buying homes and undertaking remodeling projects. Millions of aging homes continue to be prime targets for upgrades, maintenance and renovations.

Kitchens and baths remain the heart of the home-stylish, functional spaces that attract the most attention, drive the latest innovation, fuel the most excitement, and contain the highest potential for investment.

Message From the Editor

For nearly 18 years, I've indulged my passion for design as editor of Kitchen & Bath Design News, writing and editing, speaking at trade events, judging design competitions, serving on trend panels and authoring kitchen and bath books. I've shared insights with USA Today, The New York Times, HGTV.com, U.S. News & World Report, CNN and network shows across the country. I've jumped on the multi-media bandwagon to develop webcasts, online forums, website content and online videos.

As much as things change, what never changes is KBDN's commitment to quality and editorial integrity. I hope you will join the discussion on our Twitter accounts - @KBDN and @KBDNSustainable - or on Facebook

Janice Costa, Editor
Janice.Costa@Cygnus.com

Industry Perspective

The fortunes of the kitchen and bath industry are closely linked to a housing market that faces an uphill climb, despite exhibiting signs of recovery. Low inflation, favorable interest rates and stabilizing house prices are fueling optimism. Most analysts predict that recession-weary consumers will once again begin buying homes and undertaking remodeling projects. Millions of aging homes continue to be prime targets for upgrades, maintenance and renovations.

Kitchens and baths remain the heart of the home-stylish, functional spaces that attract the most attention, drive the latest innovation, fuel the most excitement, and contain the highest potential for investment.

Subscriber Profile

When we claim that Kitchen & Bath Design News’ circulationis literally incomparable, it’s a claim that’s hardly an exaggeration – or simply a boast.

As the only monthly magazineserving the kitchen and bath trade, KBDN offers advertisers unrivaled presence – and unmatched potential impressions – among a highly-qualified audience of product decision-makers who account for the vast majority of kitchens and baths that are professionally designed, sold and installed in the U.S.

Once again in 2012, KBDN will reach a powerful audience with a collective buying power that totals in the billions of dollars annually.  (3)

Highlights of this comprehensive market coverage include:

• The kitchen and bath industry’s only BPA-audited trade magazine, with an audited circulation that’s 32% higher than the unaudited reported circulation of KBDN’s direct competitor, K B&B. (4)

• The industry’s largest, audited combined circulation of kitchen and bath dealers, designers, specifiers, specialists, remodelers, “whotailers,” wholesale-only distributors of kitchen and bath products, and decorative hardware and plumbing showrooms  – a key audience of more than 28,000 subscribers and key decision-makers.  (1)
  
• An average of 2.8 total readers (including pass-along readers) per print copy of KBDN, comprising a total potential monthly print readership of 129,094.  (2)
  
• A non-audited bonus digital circulation of 43,407.  (4)
  
• Purchase influence (advising, recommending, specifying or approving a purchase) in one or more key kitchen/bath product categories among 98% of readership.  (2)
  KBDN’s qualified circulation also consists of subscribers who are actively engaged with the magazine.
  For example, 91% of surveyed dealers and designers report that they read KBDN within one week of receiving their copy – nearly 30% the same day.  (2)  90% of respondents say they return to an issue of KBDN after reading it once – with the average reader returning to the magazine 2.6 times.  (2)  At the same time, 94% of readers report the editorial topics covered in KBDN are either moderately or very helpful.  (2)  And 67% report that KBDN’s large, tabloid size makes the magazine easier to read and/or makes editorial material and ads more dramatic and visible.  (2)
  Perhaps most importantly, KBDN’s readers respond to the magazine and its contents. For example, over the past 12 months alone:
  
• 100% of KBDN’s surveyed subscribers reported taking specific action as the result of ads and/or articles in the magazine.  (2)
  
• The top five actions taken as a result of seeing an ad or article include: visited an advertiser’s web site (82%); recommended the purchase of a product (63%); discussed the ad/article with someone in the company (59%); requested additional information from a company, sales rep or distributor (57%); and referred the ad/article to someone else in the company (56%).  (2)
  
  All this paints a compelling picture, and reinforces what savvy advertisers have known for years: Kitchen and bath product marketers will derive unparalleled value and results from their 2012 investment in Kitchen & Bath Design News – reaching the industry’s key decision-makers with a single, cost-effective ad buy or integrated media package.

(1)  KBDN BPA Statement, 6/11
(2)  Harvey Research ‘Ad-Q’ Study, 5/11
(3)  KBDN Dealer Business Practices Survey, March 2010
(4)  Publisher’s Own Data, 2011

Editorial Features

Kitchen & Bath Design News' editorial mission is to remain the kitchen and bath industry's most essential business, design and product resource. Aimed at addressing the critical issues affecting readers and assisting those readers in becoming more profitable, KBDN focuses on design solutions, product coverage, business management, sales and marketing strategies, showroom ideas, consumer buying trends, industry news and new technology. Special emphasis is given to profiles of innovative and profitable businesses that are successfully navigating today's economic challenges, and to problem-solving kitchen/bath projects that spotlight creative design ideas and innovative product applications.

FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS
Aside from the major features and departments highlighted in the 2012 Editorial Calendar, each issue of KBDN includes a mix of the following:

• Industry Barometers: A monthly report on key business trends, including product shipments, remodeling statistics, housing starts, home sales, economic forecasts and related subjects.
  
  
• Product Trend Reports: In-depth market information, research and analysis of major kitchen and bath product categories, including sales trends, consumer preferences, new features, materials and applications, as well as, up-to-the-minute, illustrated information on new products and services.
  
  
• Consumer Buying Trends: An examination of the consumer decision-making process, including research and interviews related to homeowner demographics, lifestyles, product needs and buying patterns — as well as the underlying factors impacting current and emerging trends.
  
  
• Project Case Studies: Photos, floor plans and sketches of outstanding kitchen, bath and "other-room" installations — with emphasis on creative product usage and innovative solutions to common sales, design and installation problems, and client requests.
  
  
• Industry Update: A synopsis of noteworthy kitchen and bath industry developments, market information, corporate activities, key events and related coverage.
  
  
• Industry Profiles: In-depth portraits of dealers, designers, distributors and other kitchen/bath retail professionals who serve as models of leadership and success.
  
  
• Design Update: An examination of creative kitchen and bath design ideas, as well as new and emerging product and application trends.
  
  
• Green Update: Eco-friendly design ideas, innovations and products that help promote energy efficiency, water conservation and greener living.
  
  
• Market Pulse: Readers' views on current and future market conditions, as well as industry-related issues that impact the way business is conducted.
  
  
• Openings: Spotlight on the industry's newest and most innovative kitchen and bath showrooms, with insights into what makes them successful.
  
  
• Winners Circle: A look at some of the industry’s award-winning kitchen and bath projects, along with the design challenges they’ve solved, the unique product applications they’ve employed and the creative product placement strategies they’ve incorporated
  
  
• New Products: A look at the latest new products on the market today in a wide range of product categories that run the gamut from cabinetry, countertops and surfacing materials to kitchen and bath hardware, sinks and faucets, bath fixtures, kitchen and bath accessories and more.
  
  
• Manufacturing & Fabricating: A "magazine within a magazine," aimed at cabinet shops, manufacturers and fabricators of laminate, solid surface, engineered stone and other materials.
  
  
• PLUS - Showhouse Spotlight, Book Marks, Appointments, Letters to the Editor, Calendar of Events and More.
  
  

FEATURED WRITERS & COLUMNISTS
Kitchen & Bath Design News' industry-leading lineup of columnists consists of experienced kitchen and bath professionals who are well known and widely respected as the leading voices in the industry. Their monthly columns are among the key elements that help distinguish KBDN from all other magazines in the trade. KBDN's roster of columnists and writers includes the following market authorities:

• Hank Darlington
  On PERSONNEL: Effective, profitable, up-to-date strategies for hiring, training, motivating and retaining employees.
• Jim Heaphy
  On FABRICATING TECHNIQUES: Practical tips on how to fabricate solid surface and other materials for countertops and other applications.
  
  
• Bruce Kelleran, CKD, CPA
  On BUSINESS MANAGEMENT: Professional advice for operating a kitchen and bath retail operation more effectively and profitably.
  
  
• Stephen Nicholls
  On BUILDING THE JOB: Solid advice for seamlessly advancing a project from conception to completion, with a focus on collaboration to get the job built right.
  
  
• Mary Jo Peterson, CKD, CBD
  On PLANNING AND DESIGN: Innovative ideas, problem-solving approaches, and creative product applications for kitchen and bath designers.
  
  
• Ken Peterson, CKD
  On BETTERING YOUR BOTTOM LINE: Insightful, nuts-and-bolts strategies for increasing profitability and enhancing the business operations of kitchen and bath retail/design firms.
  
  
• Sarah Reep, CKD, ASID, CMG
  On INSIDE TODAY’S SHOWROOM: Insights into designing, accessorizing and maintaining an attractive sales-generating kitchen and bath showroom.
  
  
• Bryan Reiss, CMKBD
  On SUCCESSFUL SELLING: Useful and profitable suggestions for improving sales techniques, qualifying prospects, honing competitive skills and dealing with clients.
  
  
• Kitchen & Bath Design News also boasts a pair of special contributors who will once again write exclusively for the magazine in 2012. These leading industry voices include:
  
  
• Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID
  Widely considered to be the nation's leading authority on kitchen/bath design and product application, Cheever continues her exclusive association with KBDN through her special series of quarterly feature articles, entitled "Designer's Notebook."
  
  
• Leslie Hart
  The former editor and publisher of K+BB, this widely recognized and well-respected contributor focuses on providing perspectives on today's kitchen and bath consumers through her "Consumer Insights" column.
  
  

Competitive Position

The proof is in the ad pages – and in the opinions of both leading product specifiers and the decision-makers at companies that market to the kitchen and bath trade.

Kitchen & Bath Design News, all evidence clearly suggests, is tops in the trade. Tops in ad-page market share. Tops in delivering advertising value. Tops in reader preference.

That’s more, of course, than simply an idle boast.It’s something that’s been measurable for years … and which remains the case more so than ever in 2012.

As proof, when asked by an independent third-party research firm which kitchen/bath publication best delivers value for their advertising expenditure, an overwhelming 84% of surveyed marketing decision-makers said their magazine of choice is KBDN.  (1)<

Perhaps that’s a key reason why KBDN retains its indisputable market-share dominance over its major competitor.  (2)

But there are plenty of other reasons.

For example, according to the latest in a series of independent, third-party surveys, KBDN emerged as the preferred magazine brand among key kitchen/bath dealers and designers.  (3)

In fact, when asked to rate KBDN and Kitchen & Bath Business (K+BB) head-to-head in credibility, quality, usefulness and preference, NKBA-member dealers and designers who receive both magazines overwhelmingly made a definitive choice – with nearly three-quarters (71%) selecting KBDN as the one trade magazine they’d choose to receive, if they could receive ONLY ONE.  (3)

Other compelling survey results further underline KBDN’s leadership in preference. For example:

• 68% of NKBA-member dealers and designers surveyed cited KBDN as the magazine they consider more vital for keeping them abreast of information that helps them run their business.  (3)
• 73% pointed to KBDN as the magazine they rely on more for industry news, columnists’ advice, product information and business insights.  (3)
• 68% tabbed KBDN as the magazine they tend to tear out/file articles from, pass along to colleagues, and/or keep copies of for future reference.  (3)
• 62% selected KBDN as the publication they believe delivers its advertising in a more visible, reader-friendly environment.  (3)
• 66% reported that KBDN is the most credible and respected magazine serving the industry.  (3)
• 60% chose KBDN as the magazine containing articles that are more objective and of higher quality.  (3)

 

This kind of clear-cut competitive edge among readers and advertisers is more than simply a source of bragging rights. It’s one of many reasons why KBDN continues to fulfill its role as the kitchen/bath industry’s most essential business resource. And it’s the primary reason why the lion’s share of the industry’s advertisers make KBDN the preferred choice for their marketing message.

(1)  KBDN BPA Statement, 6/11
(2)  Harvey Research ‘Ad-Q’ Study, 5/11
(3)  KBDN Dealer Business Practices Survey, March 2010
(4)  Publisher’s Own Data, 2011