We love Media. SCHICKLER Corporate Consulting is specialized in Media corporations. With approximately 200 clients in this sector, we are one of the leading consulting firms in the European market. Our experience reaches from print to online, from radio to television and from mass media to specialized publishers as well as corporate media. Considerably more than half of the top-100 Media corporations have entrusted us with consulting mandates. But mid-sized enterprises and innovative start-ups are also part of our clientele. We consider ourselves as partners to the media world. The media world is manifold – and so are our projects. Our assignments cover the current questions and topics in the media sector: From generating strategies to benchmarking for publishers, from editorial topics to sales optimization, from project management to interim management. We love media and we embrace the challenges of this sector. More than 500 media projects represent experience on a par with our clients. We believe that a good consultant communicates on a par with his client. In order to do this, you need industry knowledge and project experience. With more than 500 executed projects for media enterprises, with our benchmarking database and experienced consultants, we feel well prepared to accomplish our goals - and those of our clients. Our core topics: Online/Mobile Newspaper publishers Magazine publishers Specialized publishers TV/Radio Corporate Media *** Benchmarking, Strategy, Organization

1. Benchmarking for newspaper and magazine publishers
Improving performance by comparing to industry bests

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3
Targets
Approach
SCHICKLER – Expertise in the publishing industry
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3. When should a publishing house consider benchmarking its business activities?
Reasons for benchmarking your publishing house
You want to understand the cost and quality levels of your publishing
house compared to industry best practice
You want to improve profits and effectiveness in your core
business to finance necessary investments for future growth
You want to accelerate and manage change, achieve breakthroughs and
innovations by seeing “outside the box”
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4. Benchmarking aims at improving publishers’ performance, a search that never ends.
Therefore, benchmarking is not a single action but a perpetual, cyclical process.
Benchmarking cycle for newspaper and magazine publishers
Comparing to
industry best
(Re-)
Benchmarking
Analyzing
performance
gaps
Tracking
progress of
implementation
efforts
Implementing
improvement
initiatives
Identifying
improvement
initiatives
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5. 1
2
3
Targets
Approach
SCHICKLER – Expertise in the publishing industry
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6. SCHICKLER created a four-phase benchmarking methodology for use in the majority of
its benchmarking projects.
SCHICKLER’s benchmarking methodology
A
…
Data
collection
B
Performance
analysis
Optimization
enablers
Tasks
• Collect financial
and operational
data
• Understand the
organization and
its key processes
C
D
Implementation
Scenario
Tasks
• Evaluate
companies key
performance
indicators
• Compare KPIs with
Schickler benchmark database
Tasks
• Identify existing
performance gaps
• Identify
optimization
enablers that lead
to best practice
performance
Tasks
• Define
improvement goals
and an action plan
to achieve them
(timeline,
milestones,
dependencies etc.)
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7. As for the quantitative assessment, we collect information on all relevant business
areas through specific questionnaires.
Phase A - Data collection
Standardized benchmarking sheets
Information includes:
No. of incidents and
departmental tasks
(= quantity of main effort
drivers)
Assignment heads/FTE to
tasks or working areas
Total costs of department
Overhead and personnel
costs
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8. In addition to the quantitative data collection, structured interviews are used to gather
qualitative information and an understanding of structures and core processes.
Phase A - Data collection
Guideline Interview
1 Organisation
1.1 Explanation of the Organisational Chart. (Please, have an Org Chart ready available). Does
your organisation cover the entire geography or selected regions?
1.2 Which (sub-) departments does your business area consist of?
1.3 How many FTEs / employees work in the respective department?
1.4 Which organisational entities are located centrally, which are based in the regions?
1.5 How are the capacities distributed between organisational entities?
2 Performance Delivery Structure
2.1 Which functions/services are performed internally?
2.2 Which functions/services are performed by external partners?
2.3 Which departments are the users of the functions/services?
2.4 Do you co-operate or collaborate with other publishers/ companies?
2.5 Do you process third party orders?
2.6 How is the delivery of work divided between the Head Office and the regions?
3 Core Processes and Major Tasks
3.1 Which core processes are performed within your Business Area?
3.2 Where exactly are core processes located?
3.3 Which systems are used to support/ enable execution of the core processes?
3.4 Who are the business owners of the respective processes?
4 Steering and Management
4.1 How do you manage your area, especially with respect to remuneration model, planning
approach, goal setting and approval procedures?
4.2 How do you manage your area, especially with respect to capacity and resource planning
and optimisation and quality control?
4.3 Which logic/ considerations support the current management structure within your area?
5 Personnel
5.1 How do you assess current remuneration model within your business area? Does it currently
reflect performance levels of individual employees?
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9. The benchmarking is based upon the SCHICKLER KPI database for publishing
companies which covers the whole value chain of a publisher.
Phase B - Performance analysis
Example for structural KPIs and benchmarking
Quantitative Benchmarking
Analysis of efficiency ratios
Internal Benchmarking
External (International)
Benchmarking
Comparison to ideal process
design
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10. The SCHICKLER KPI database covers all key business areas of a publishing house.
Phase B - Performance analysis
Editorial department
Editorial production
Online Sales
Advertising sales
SCHICKLER
KPI database
for publishing
houses
Cross media production
IT-Services
Advertising processing
Finance
Marketing / Sales
Administration
Customer Services
Free sheets
Printing
Magazines
Logistics and Delivery
(Online) Classifieds
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11. We structured the value chains of a publisher into several KPI levels which are linked to
each other.
Phase B - Performance analysis
First level KPI
Second level KPI
Third level KPI
Cost per
capita
Personel cost
per net page
Net pages
per capita
Cost per
net page
Royality cost
per net page
…
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12. We developed deficit-lever-matrices for each value chain of a publisher – we are able to
quickly and systematically derive proven levers to raise productivity.
Phase C - Optimization enablers
Interfaces
Common process deficits
Process
participants
Process
execution
Proceeding
transparency
Process
management
System break
Media break
Interfaces inside departments
Interfaces between departments
Long approval process
Many process participants
Many control loops
Atomizing of processes
High degree of manual work
High level of documentation
Redundancies
Many alignment steps
Unnecessary process steps
Changing procedures
Unclear procedure / responsibility
Unclear competences
Punctual capacity overload of employees
Delay in delivery of results
Low quality
Low efficiency level
Knowledge "silos"
Individual interpretation of process
Missing understanding of the process
Synchronizing capacity with
Active load balancing
Central assigning of orders /
tasks
Process documentation
Greenfield process
development
Avoidance of unnecessary
documentation
Automization
Clear set of rules
Standardization
Centralization
Concentration of processes
Shallow hierarchy for
decisions
Complete processes at one
workstation
Digitalization
System integration
System expansion
Optimization levers
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13. We will define clear responsibilities for „working packages“ and cluster these packages
by effort and priority.
Phase D - Implementation scenario
Prioritisation of „working packages“
Cluster to plan implementation
Estimation effort per working package
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14. 1
2
3
Targets
Approach
SCHICKLER – Expertise in the publishing industry
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15. SCHICKLER Management Consulting is focused on operational excellence in
publishing companies.
SCHICKLER – Professional expertise in the publishing industry
Founded 30 years ago by former board member of Gruner + Jahr (Bertelsmann, biggest magazine publisher in Europe)
Focus on media and publishing industry, more than 500 projects in the last 10 years
Consultants with media experience, strong integration in media industry
Core expertise: Operational Excellence in Publishing Companies
Process Optimization
Reshaping the Organization
Operational excellence in
publishing processes
Organizational structures in the
cross media age
All areas of a publishing house
covered – from the editorial
department to newspaper home
delivery
High productivity and cost
optimized organizations
Cross media processes and
multi-channel publishing
Centralized functions in a multi
title / channel publisher
Focus on core business functions
Benchmarking
Schickler KPI model for the
complete value chain of a
publisher
Leading database of publishing
KPIs
Own methodology to adapt KPIs
to local structures and markets
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16. SCHICKLER combines a deep knowledge of the media industry with the leading
database for publishing KPIs and a state-of-the-art methodology.
Characteristics of Positioning
Small Consultancies
Often former managers of
respective sector
Know how based on
management experience
Top Management Consultancies
Extensive knowledge of the
media market and leading
database of publishing KPIs
State-of-the-art methodology
combined with a hands-on
approach
SCHICKLER
Broader media experience
Database of KPIs
Methodological know how to
manage large projects
Experts available for the whole
value chain of a publisher
Consultants highly accepted by
the clients’ employees
Solutions tailored to the
particular needs of media
companies
Concepts made for
implementation - not for the
customers’ filing.
Standardized solutions and
approaches for all sectors
Expertise ends on a strategic
level, not for operational
excellence in details
SCHICKLER
Considerably deeper
knowledge of media sector
Strong implementation focus
Experienced consultants
instead of “graduates trained
on the job”
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17. SCHICKLER has a leading expertise in the publishing industry in Europe.
We are market leader in the German speaking countries.
References
Top 100
Top 100
Top 12
Media Companies*
Newspaper Publishers**
Magazine Publishers***
52%
SCHICKLER Clients
75%
SCHICKLER Clients
67%
SCHICKLER Clients
We have worked for > 250 media companies and > 150 publishing houses.
Approximately 75% of the bigger newspaper publishers in German speaking countries have already trusted Schickler.
Besides publishing houses, we also work for other media companies such as TV, radio and online companies.
Rankings are for Germany, Austria and Switzerland
* Source: Horizont Ranking of the 100 largest German media companies (2009), without public corporate media
** Source: SCHICKLER Market Survey „Zeitungsverlage in Deutschland – Newspaper Publishers in Germany“, 2010
*** Source: Horizont Ranking of the 100 largest German media companies (2009), without public corporate media
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18. Schickler has provided its expertise to publishing houses worldwide – up to the present
day in more than 20 countries.
Overview project experience
Austria
Netherlands
Brazil
Norway
Bulgaria
Portugal
Croatia
Romania
Czech Republic
Russia
Denmark
Serbia
France
Spain
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
UK
Italy
United Arab Emirates
Macedonia
…
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19. SCHICKLER has gained extensive experience in over 500 projects in publishing houses
covering the full range of subjects and value chains of a publisher.
Overview Project Experience
Editorial Office
Advertising
Readership
Marketing
Distribution
Publishing-IT
Print Production
Editorial
Quality
Ad Sales
Acquisition of
Subscriptions
Newspaper
Distribution
IT-Strategy and
-Organization
Digital Workflow/
Prepress
Editorial
Production
Ad Sales
Back-Office
Sales BackOffice
Logistics
IT-Outsourcing
Print Optimization
Newsdesk
Organisation
Ad Production
Customer
Service Centre
Addressed Mail
System Selection
and
Implementation
Cooperation/
Outsourcing
Content
Management
Systems
Ad IT-Systems
Customer
Relations
Publishing
Strategy
Cooperations /
Mergers
Across-the-board
Cost Reduction
Publishing House
Controlling
Overall Analysis
of Publisher
Online Strategy
M&A-Topics
Restructuring
HR & Finance
Overall topics
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20. Contact details
Rolf-Dieter Lafrenz
Partner
Alexander Kahlmann
Partner
Tel.:
+49 40 376650-21
E-Mail: r-d.lafrenz@schickler.de
Tel.:
+49 40 376650-40
E-Mail: a.kahlmann@schickler.de
SCHICKLER Unternehmensberatung GmbH
Große Bäckerstraße 10
20095 Hamburg
Germany
www.schickler.de
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