We led with the 40th Anniversary of The Cannata Report in our May 2022 issue. We would like to express our thanks to the many people who were kind and offered their congratulations. It was very gratifying and even included a gift box of chocolates.
While I received the congratulatory messages and chocolates, the person who should have received them was CJ Cannata. We say this because he took an outdated business model with a magazine that reflected the operational values of U.S. News and World Report of the 1990s, contemporized it, and made it far more informative and addressed contemporary issues. CJ built a team of dedicated professionals who knew what publishing was all about.
His most significant addition was Scott Cullen. He hired a staff of writers to cover our industry in greater depth and clarity and communicated what a modern dealership looks like. The list of enhancements is endless, but we know you understand what we are talking about.
CJ then added Cathy O’Brien as executive marketing director. He met her during his publishing career where he worked for companies such as Martha Stewart Living and Time, Inc. Cathy and CJ met while working together at FHM magazine. During her career, Cathy was director of publicity for Wenner Media, publisher of Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal and US magazines.
We are very proud of the report we are turning out in 2022 and have been for some time. From dealer tours, coverage of industry events, profiles of executives, and a focus on women and young executives who are leaders in the dealer channel. Those are facts, and happy to say it is much more than I could have ever hoped for. My contributions are centered in three areas, veterans, the future of our industry, and the leaders who make it all happen. As a writer, I am in a perfect position to address the history of print and all that goes with it. We have witnessed it all for 51 years. That is the value that I believe is my contribution to our current success.
When we announced the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Cannata Report, some longtime subscribers asked, “Didn’t you celebrate your 40th anniversary three years ago?”
What we celebrated in 2019 was the 40th Anniversary of Marketing Research Consultants. The original was a consultancy and did not turn out a report until three years later. In January 1982, we began with a six-page newsletter that spelled out our objectives and the principles we would employ to get there. Our reason for doing this was the need for an additional revenue stream that had to rely on a collection of current industry happenings. We were doing research and learning but were only communicating to clients about our findings.
We went through names that started with Copier Marketing Newsletter, became CMN Office Machine News in 1985, and finally, in September 1988, we changed it to The Cannata Report.
Our first issue attempted to explain the Japanese business culture and help readers understand that in some cases, it was like learning a new language. If you are interested in receiving a copy, please let me know, and I will be happy to send it to you. If you should read it, you will learn where our thinking was correct and where it was wrong.
From the beginning, our belief was that we could become a bridge between the Japanese manufacturer and the American Dealer. I believe to some degree, we have done that. However, you are in a better position to be the judge than I am.
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