Dear Electronics Marketer,
The week between Christmas and New Years has always been one of my favorite weeks to work. I don't spend the week catching up on paper work as many do, but find it a great chance to catch up with customers. Those few who are working seem to be in great spirits and have the rare time to engage in long conversations, and I always learn something new. Last week for example, after a lengthy chat with a major passive RF component maker and advertiser, I found out about an exhaustive readership study that they conduct across all the design publications every year. They use the results to determine where to place their advertising dollars. RF Design consistently has one of the highest scores in readership and value. (Please call me if you would like me to share the results of this important study.)
It is harder to determine good editorial in a highly technical book especially for us non-engineering types. With so many good publications to choose from, readership surveys can be an extremely valuable tool in helping marketers make their selection. It is even more important to understand the relationship between good editorial and how your ad works. The obvious answer is that your ad will more likely be seen and read, but something more compelling happens when you surround your ad with great editorial... your audience becomes transformed from "passive" to “active" readers. The editorial in RF Design drives our readers to take action. They compare and contrast. They synthesize and classify. They analyze cause and effect. They are forced to think deeply, which results in making buying decisions. For marketers, this is what b-to-b advertising is all about, and it assures a real return on investment at a time when there is increased pressure to prove contribution to the bottom line.
When you think of the marketing dollars invested into media placement, it makes sense to spend time evaluating if your ad is doing its job. So, what makes a great b-to-b ad?
American Business Media lists seven simple rules.
(booklet available, please call for a copy)
1) Keep it simple
2) Keep it short
3) Be entertaining
4) Sell the brand
5) Sell the product
6) Think big
7) Break the rules
Though many of the same attributes that work for a b-to-b ad are true of consumer advertising (smart thinking, clear objectives and unparalleled creativity), it is actually an easier task with b-to-b. You already have a built in audience looking to learn more about their business.
In February, RF Design is offering advertisers an opportunity to test the effectiveness of their ad for FREE! Readex Research, a division of the highly respected Harvey Research Corp., is an independent firm that tests a selected issue of a magazine on readership of editorial features and advertising. Every half-page or larger advertiser in the February issue of RF Design will have their ad tested and receive a free copy of this report. The Ad Perception Study will help you gauge the effectiveness of your advertising message, and give you crystal clear insight to whether or not your ad is working. This should be invaluable to you in your pursuit of advertising excellence.
Judy Miller
Associate Publisher
212-204-4246
Coming In February
from RF Design
|
Semiconductor Technology
Power Management Alternatives for RF Portable Devices
Several solutions have been found to reduce power consumption for RF products, such as remote controls and RFID systems, at the silicon level. For example, implementing power management features is one way to extend battery life. The data manager and strobe oscillator power management features combined with the systems control, can offer substantial reduction in power consumption. The article describes the power management features and its impact on the RF frame, transmission and reception, and power consumption providing cost-effective results.
TX/RX Technology
Architectures for Mobile RF Convergence
As mobile devices such as cell phones, PDAs and laptops acquire multi-mode, multi-band wireless connectivity there is an ever-increasing need for greater levels of RF integration. Space, cost and power consumption constraints will no longer make it viable to have a separate wireless transceiver for each communication mode.
The article discusses possible system architectures in which parts of the RF transceiver chain are shared between different communication channels. It examines the relative advantages of different partitioning between RF and baseband functionality and between different types of communication pipe taking into account factors such as radio complexity and transmission schemes. The need for standardized digital interfaces between RF and modem functionality is highlighted in order to maximize the flexibility of system partitioning. The article also discusses the impact of RF CMOS in merging RF and baseband functionality into single-chip solutions and the development of advanced vector processors that can be software switched to handle different modem requirements.
Next-Generation Wireless
Solving the WLAN Video Challenge
This article will examine the technical challenges associated with wirelessly connecting consumer electronics products in the home and accommodating the significantly higher bandwidth requirements for video distribution as compared to what has, until now, been available for data applications. It will cover the different types of video formats and compression techniques and how they affect the video stream rate and its quality, and examine the issues surrounding transport of multiple streams, which requires effective throughput of ~ 60 Mbps for up to 3 HDTV streams, not counting overhead. The shortcomings of legacy IEEE 802.11a/g WLANs will be reviewed, and this earlier technology will be compared/contrasted to Real MIMO technology embedded in the latest 802.11n specification, which has the potential to provide the necessary performance, reach and reliability to make wireless home video distribution possible. It also will look at technology overlays to Real MIMO that will enable it to fully support video distribution, and describe several system design scenarios and associated product capabilities.
Time & Frequency
Over-the-Air Performance Testing of Multiple Antenna Systems
The complexity of wireless communications devices continues to increase. The introduction of multiple antennas to these devices poses an interesting challenge to determining the overall performance of such a device. The methods used today for performing over-the-air performance testing of wireless devices are not ideally suited to this task. A concept as simple as diversity switching, which introduces the behavior of a software algorithm into what would normally be a simple RF problem, can result in unexpected and blatantly erroneous results. In this article, the author explores some of the issues involved with measuring these devices and proposes some solutions for the simpler cases. The articles shows that more complicated diversity processing schemes such as Maximal Ratio Combining, as well as the latest multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems will require equally innovative measurement technologies to allow measuring RF performance that represents expected real world performance.
Product Focus: Amplifiers
If you have a new product that you would like considered for inclusion in February's Product Focus, send it to RF Design’s Editorial Director, Ashok Bindra at abindra@prismb2b.com.
Defense Electronics
February supplement |
Microwave/Millimeter Wave Technologies
Test & Measurement
Advanced System Architecture for Voice Collection
UAV/Robotics
Liquid Hydrogen Powers Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
 Using the power of our print content, we've redesigned rfdesign.com to offer designers a quick and easy-to-use resource for the latest information on the topics they need to know about. Our new Web site features a database of searchable articles on VLF to UHF, RFICs, Microwave/Millimeter Wave Technologies, Software Radio, Emerging Wireless Technology and Military/Defense Electronics.
Traffic Stat:
Traffic on RF Design Online has increased 18% since the redesign! |
As an advertiser, rfdesign.com offers you new sponsorship opportunities to increase your company’s exposure, build brand awareness, and drive traffic to your company’s Web site. The new platform offers users and advertisers a superior site experience – greater search capabilities, detailed reporting of site usage and more flexible branding opportunities.
Click here for more online marketing opportunities or call your Sales Representative today for details.
_____________________________________________________________________________
This email newsletter is produced monthly by RF Design. We are providing this information as a service to our advertisers and friends in the industry to keep you informed of developments and marketing opportunities with RF Design and Prism Business Media's franchise properties. Your email address will not be sold, rented or given to any outside party for any purpose whatsoever. If you feel you have received this message in error or would like to be removed from our list, please click here. |
