Selecciones - Webs

Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
IMC PERSPECTIVE 12-2
404
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
12. Evaluation of Print
Media
Companies Create “Admazines”
to Connect with Customers
Advertising clutter is a problem in most media, and
magazines are no exception. The average consumer
magazine has ads on nearly half of its pages, and in
some publications the percentage is even higher. Some
companies are dealing with the clutter problem by
publishing their own custom magazines. Custom publications
started more than 10 years ago; some of the
latest include No Boundaries, a quarterly publication
from Ford that is sent to owners of the company’s
sport utility vehicles; Everyday Pictures, which is published
by Kodak; Nikegoddess, which is an important
part of Nike’s efforts to reach women; and Mary Beth’s
Beanies & More, a bright bimonthly that quickly sold
out its 100,000-copy premier issue, which cost $5. Marketers
spend nearly $1.5 billion a year producing their
own magazines, according to the Custom Publishing
Council, and more companies are entering the fray.
Custom publications offer marketers a way of dealing
with the clutter problem, but there are also other
reasons why companies with big brand names are publishing
their own “admazines.” Marketers have total
control of the editorial and advertising content of
these publications and view them as a way of provid-
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
ing valuable information to their customers that can
help with retention and loyalty. Kodak’s new custom
magazine, Everyday Pictures, is sized to fit in supermarket
checkout racks and provides the average person
with tips on how to take better pictures. A Kodak
consumer-imaging-product manager notes: “There
was nothing in the photography category that spoke
to the average soccer mom.”
Ford feels that its new publication, No Boundaries,
can play an important role in creating owner loyalty.
The magazine contains seasonal outdoor-adventure
and travel stories and provides owners of Ford SUVs,
such as Explorers, Expeditions, and Excursions, with
the opportunity to purchase gear and clothing brands.
Ford’s advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson, suggested
the customer magazine because “it can take us
to places where advertising would never let us” in
developing owner loyalty. The magazine also complements
Ford’s move into television programming, which
will include a TV program with the same name.
Nike’s new custom publication, Nikegoddess, is sent
to select subscribers of women’s magazines such as
Sports Illustrated for Women, In Style, Self, and Teen
People and is also available at the company’s Nike
Town stores and retailers such as Nordstrom and Finish
Line. The quarterly publication is part of the company’s
effort to communicate better with women and
showcases Nike’s women’s products as well as providing
lifestyle fitness and sports information. In early
2002 Nike launched another custom publication,
Brand Jordan, in partnership with Hearst Custom Publishing.
Nike plans to publish the magazine four times
a year and will use it primarily to promote the company’s
new Jordan brand.
Many in the publishing industry feel that the number
of custom publications will increase in the future.
Publishers are interested in doing deals with major
companies and brands to lessen the financial risk of
launching a new magazine, and marketers see such
publications as another means of communicating with
their customers and connecting them to their brands.
As new technology makes it easier for companies to
build databases and track their customers, many are
looking to custom magazines as a way of communicating
with their most valued customers and building
long-term relationships with them.
Sources: Aileen Jacobson, “Magazines with a Message: Companies
Are Turning to Custom Publications to Build Goodwill—and Sales,”
Newsday, Feb. 13, 2002, p. B6; Theresa Howard, “They Look Like
Magazines, but They’re Really Ads,” USA Today, Aug. 13, 2001, p. B4.