Outsell Announces Top Predictions for 2004: Invisible Industry Forecast to Grow 5.6 Percent

BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 2004--

It's a Go: Plenty of opportunities for growth in the Information Content Industry, where themes of create, re-create, and recreate prevail

“a phrase Outsell coined in 1999 to describe this nearly $200 billion market. Outlook 2004 provides insight into the Invisible Industry, with specific predictions in the areas of Creating (revenue growth), Re-Creating (transforming the industry), and Recreating (have some fun!).”

Outsell, Inc., the only research and advisory firm that focuses exclusively on the Information Content (IC) Industry, released its annual Outlook Briefing to the public today. Outlook 2004 sums up trends and issues in the IC Industry and presents detailed predictions for the coming year. The top themes: Create, Re-Create, Recreate! and healthy growth among the industry's top 100 players. A complimentary report, Outsell Outlook 2004 is available for free download now at www.outsellinc.com/outlook and includes 13 specific and actionable predictions, providing an unparalleled lens on the Invisible Industry.

"The Information Content Industry is much larger, has recovered more quickly, and is growing a whole lot faster than most people realize," said Anthea Stratigos, CEO of Outsell. "We forecast an overall 2004 growth rate of 5.6 percent for the companies in the Outsell 100 Company Monitor(SM) -- which includes companies such as Thomson, Reed Elsevier, Yahoo!, Fair Isaac, and Apollo Group. Our analysis also shows the Outsell 100(SM) is a leading indicator of overall economic trends, preceding other industries by three quarters. Clearly, information content is a dynamic and important component of the global economy, but is largely the "Invisible Industry," a phrase Outsell coined in 1999 to describe this nearly $200 billion market. Outlook 2004 provides insight into the Invisible Industry, with specific predictions in the areas of Creating (revenue growth), Re-Creating (transforming the industry), and Recreating (have some fun!)."

Outlook 2004 contains 13 specific and actionable predictions, including:

-- The Outsell 100, which tracks a representative selection of 100 information content companies, will grow by 5.6 percent in 2004.

-- Consumers will continue to bring content-creation skills to their work, increasing peer-to-peer communications.

-- Records management will boom as a big part of the industry, as regulatory requirements force organizations to steward and maintain content.

-- Blogging will play an increasing role in knowledge sharing.

-- Business process analysis will finally come to the content industry, as information products become more integrated in user tasks.

-- The Open Access movement in scholarly and scientific publications will gain legitimacy.

-- 2004 will be a year of creativity and fun, as creative companies and individuals break out of the patterns of recent tough years with new ideas, products, and business models.

"Last year's Outlook theme was asteroids falling out of the blue -- cataclysmic events and forces that would come from nowhere to disrupt or even wipe out parts of our industry," said Outsell's Chief Analyst, Leigh Watson Healy. "2004 will be all about building anew from the ashes of the asteroids. Paths to expansion and success will be found by people who are creative and innovative, and who follow their hearts and passions while having fun. The cosmic sky is the limit and there are plenty of opportunities for growth, where fun and creativity can be a big part of the work."

Methodology

Outlook 2004 is based on the collective perspective of Outsell's seasoned analysts. Throughout the year, Outsell tracks over 3,000 information content vendors in the corporate, academic and government markets. Outsell also surveys and analyzes key deploying functions and buying patterns within IC markets, including market and competitive intelligence, knowledge management, portal management and more. It also has a unique database of data on over 30,000 information users' habits and preferences. Outsell maintains an ongoing dialogue with the market that augments the company's data assets. With this detailed background information, Outsell has an unparalleled lens on the Information Content Industry, enabling the creation of Outlook 2004.

Availability

Outlook 2004: Issues In The Information Marketplace is distributed as part of Outsell's flagship InfoAboutInfo(SM) service, but it is also available as a freestanding complimentary 22-page report at www.outsellinc.com/outlook. The annual year-end Outlook Briefing sums up the trends and issues in the Information Content (IC) Industry as Outsell sees them, and presents predictions for the coming year.

About Outsell

Founded in 1994, Outsell is the only research and advisory firm that focuses exclusively on the IC Industry. Delivering high-quality, fact-based research, analysis, and advice, Outsell helps world-class content vendors, Global 2000 companies, government agencies, and leading educational institutions increase their understanding of users and end-markets, assess content quality and effectiveness, benchmark operations, hire and retain executives, and develop more successful internal and commercial content products and services.

Outsell is headquartered at 330 Primrose Road, Suite 510, Burlingame, CA 94010. Phone [phone], fax [phone], and on the Web, www.outsellinc.com.