Advanstar Communications is targeting the $4 billion off-road truck market with two magazine titles and a trade show. The franchise will cover the Dirtsports consumer magazine, Off-Road Retailer and the Off-Road Impact trade show.
The Santa Ana, CA, publisher claims the new media properties offer the pertinent marketing tools for manufacturers, dealers and distributors.
Each property has a well-defined franchise. Dirtsports is a consumer title for 50,000 motorsports enthusiasts. It launches in August.
Featuring racers, fabricators, the technology and lifestyle of off-road racing, Dirtsports will be a glossy, four-color title. It will be available on a subscription basis and at top motorsports events across the United States and Mexico.
Off-Road Retailer launches a month later and is aimed at 14,000 off-road manufacturers, dealers, distributors and fabricators. According to the publisher, nearly 30 percent of off-road products are not known because of a lack of channel to get to market.
More specifically, Off-Road Retailer will pitch dealers with annual sales of $1 million or more or those for whom off-road products account for one-quarter of sales yearly.
In January, the franchise will be rounded out with the Off-Road Impact 2005 trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The audience will include retailers, manufacturers, resellers and distributors.
The off-road market is considered one of the fastest growing in the specialty automotive equipment business. New truck sales will cross 9 million units this year. The off-road enthusiast market as identified by Advanstar has 8 million followers.
