Custom publishing ROI test a big success: On September 9th, I made the following post (back then, all the links worked):
Custom publishing ROI test: Ocassionally, I’m asked about return on investment metrics for custom published magazines. Rarely have I had the chance to share real-time, measurable results, but here’s my chance. Editor & Publisher is reporting that the NY Post is spending $3 to produce ten 24-page ad-free magazines on the history of the NY Yankees. The magazine will serve as a circulation-building premium in coming days. The first issue was distributed in Monday’s paper. As newspaper circulation is measured, in theory, we should be able to compare the impact on NY Post sales of one specific variable: the offer of a custom magazine. To be continued…
Well, today the results were released:
The New York Post today reported a major boost in circulation for its daily paper of 10.6 percent, for the six months ended Sept. 30. It was the sixth consecutive six-month period in which daily circulation growth topped 10 percent, continuing The Post’s run of double-digit growth.
And what part did the custom-published magazine play in the success of the newspaper’s circulation push. Well, according to the article in today’s Post, “In the last six months, the New York Post has broadened its brand with new, exciting and innovative content,” said Col Allan, editor-in-chief. “The Yankees Century, our special 10-part glossy magazine series celebrating the team’s 100th anniversary, was a terrific success.”
Red all over: BusinessWeek is reporting that magazines are a hit in China and that Patrick McGovern has lots of frequent flier miles.
Breaking news: CNN.com is reporting (via AP) that lots of websites haven’t been updated in god knows how long. This indepth investigation reveals that Ajay Powell has been especially lax in updating her website about quitting smoking and training for a marathon.
How stupid is this story?
They could have done a story about how magazines that are stored on a shelf no longer have current news in them. Or, perhaps, they could run a story about how that girl you dated when you were 17 now has her hair cut a different way.
Yes. There are dead websites that are still around. And there even exists a search engine for finding even deader ones that no longer are around.
Time to cost-wall more content: Advertising Age is reporting that magazine publishers think Time Inc. is right-on in charging for content. They hope they can, also, one day. The devaluation of content that is walled off from search indexing is not a concept they comprehend, however. (Here’s an explanation from Doc Searls.)
Branding & custom publishing: The news today that Kurt Andersen, the founder of Spy Magazine and magazine editor extraordinaire, is taking a job as editorial director and “chairman” (whatever that means) of a customer magazine, Colors, published by Benetton (NY Times, reg. required), is one more indication of the importance of custom publishing in the building of brands. I’ll blog more extensively on this topic in a future post, but one need only look at the dollars being invested in customer publishing by some of the world’s leading fashion brands to realize they know that a customer magazine is a powerful branding tool.
However, some people in that industry seem to still be missing the point, like, for instance, Neil Kraft, president of KraftWorks, an ad agency whose clients include Calvin Klein.
Quote:
(Kraft) said he followed Colors closely in the mid-90’s but did not know it was still being published. “I know Kurt can always do something interesting,” Mr. Kraft said. “But I have a healthy skepticism about any vanity publication published by an advertising company.”, said he followed Colors closely in the mid-90’s but did not know it was still being published. “I know Kurt can always do something interesting,” Mr. Kraft said. “But I have a healthy skepticism about any vanity publication published by an advertising company.”
A vanity publication? Is that a dismissive comment about the multibillion dollar customer publishing industry? Coming from Neil Kraft, a leading purveyor of what can only be described as vanity advertising, I guess he knows what he’s talking about.
I have to agree with him also, I didn’t know that Benetton was still publishing Colors. I’m relieved to learn, also, that Andersen will continue hosting the public radio program, Studio 360.
Oh, great: Primedia and the website BestStuff.com have announced the launch of a shopping magazine called Best Stuff. It will be sold on the newsstand for $3.99 and has Mark Cuban on its first cover. (A side note: Recently, my colleague at Hammock Publishing, Jackie Ross, wrote an article related to web brands extending into print.)
In news totally unrelated except that it has to do with a magazine about shopping, it was also announced that Gannett has purchased Clipper Magazine, a publication that is filled with coupons and very little editorial content (which, come to think of it, describes a lot of Gannett’s business).
In other unrelated, related news, that Best Stuff Magazine venture needs to be successful, as Primedia’s performance of late is not.
