• by Erik Sass , April 22, 2008

Taking their cue from newspaper publishers' formation of QuadrantOne, four big business-to-business publishers are joining forces in an online network for display advertising. The network will bring together Cygnus Business Media, Nielsen Business Media, Reed Elsevier, and the McGraw Hill Companies in the new Business-to-Business Network, or BBN.

This strategy aims to create a new revenue stream for B-to-B publishers without cannibalizing their print business, which is already taking hits.

The network will be built by WPP's 24/7 Real Media. At launch, it will include over 200 Web sites owned by the B-to-B publishers, reaching roughly 10 million unique visitors per month. This figure includes 6 million small business owners, according to the publishers. BBN will be its own stand-alone business--and unlike many networks, the publishers will not own stakes in the company.

The four hope the convenience of a single point of sale and reach provided by the network will attract new brand advertisers that might not otherwise consider B-to-B publications. Likely candidates include advertisers in the banking, finance, technology, and insurance categories.

According to American Business Media, B-to-B magazines saw revenues fall 2% in 2007 compared to 2006, as ad pages dipped 3.3%. Digital media revenues increased 20%, and trade show revenues were up 6.6%.