Customer Publishing

An introduction to Customer Publishing – what it is and how it works best.

WHAT IS CUSTOMER PUBLISHING?

The aspect of Customer Publishing which most people are familiar with is the classic customer magazine – the ones which are sent to you by estate agents, banks or hairdressers, and the ones you can pick up in the supermarket.

In fact the brands which use Customer Publishing are very much more varied – including car marques, recruitment companies, financial institutions, entertainment providers, and charities – and these days they are going well beyond the traditional customer magazine and using new digital formats such as e-zines.

But whatever the format, the basic concept remains the same: brands use editorial content to engage their target audiences (which will include suppliers and staff as well as different kinds of customers), in order to consolidate relationships, create dialogue and initiate sales.

(If you are wondering what “contract publishing” is, that is how this sector was described when it first got started in the 1980s).

Why “Editorialising Brands?”

Customer Publishing offers the most direct route for brands which want to use content to engage customers. The old model was that brands advertised around the media owner’s editorial: Customer Publishing allows the brand to own that editorial and therefore the whole engagement experience.

WHY IS CUSTOMER PUBLISHING POWERFUL?

People will read about a subject which interests them, even if it is a brand’s paid-for communication, as long as the content is of high quality. This means that brands can weave their own messages carefully into editorial content, highlighting aspects of their business or products, or simply positioning themselves as experts or specialists.

As a very simple example: Let’s say you are keen on cooking and you are sent a magazine by Greens the local delicatessen which mentions interesting-sounding recipes. Now the chances of you buying those ingredients have increased, as have the chances that you will buy them from Greens. You will also have a changed perception of Greens as a business, and this will affect your future behaviour. This is potentially far more powerful than Greens running local advertising which says “Come and buy this stuff from us”.

Millward Brown’s Advantage research shows that people spend an average of 25 minutes with their customer magazine – in our time-poor society this is a great opportunity for a brand to engage their attention and interest.

The same study shows that people who read customer magazines have brand loyalty scores over 30% higher for the brand in question.

THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF CUSTOMER PUBLISHING

Here are six questions to get you thinking:

Does your brand brief require building loyalty, promoting messages and call to action?
Which target audiences – which kinds of customers, as well as staff and suppliers?
Will it be a conventional magazine or a digital publication?
Will it be sent out or is it an in-store publication?
What kind of database of recipients do you have (the more sophisticated the better)?
Have you considered selling advertising in the publication?

An APA agency can help, or why not use the ASK service? It’s free, confidential advice available from the APA.

THE CUSTOMER PUBLISHING MARKET

The customer publishing market is estimated to be worth £904m in 2008 and is projected to reach £1bn in 2011 (source: Mintel). This makes it a far bigger medium than many would guess – bigger than radio, bigger than cinema.

It is also the second fastest-growing medium (behind internet advertising): between 2007 and 2008 customer publishing grew by 16%.

Most distribution is by post, but pickup is the second most popular form (16%).

Most customer publishing is carried out by specialist customer publishing agencies who are retained by clients direct, although in many cases the strategic communications agencies are also involved.

As brands continue to discover the value of customer magazines, the role of third-party advertising within the magazines is in decline (some clients used to see them mainly as profit centres).

The two sectors which account for the biggest share in customer publishing are retailers and financial services (with almost 30% of the market combined), although there has been strong growth amongst motor brands and charities, and amongst brands with an international distribution footprint.

Importantly, whatever the sector, the key characteristic of successful customer publishing brands is the longer-term customer relationship – continued membership, repeat purchase, additional/top-up purchase etc. These days a longer-term customer relationship is vital to the vast majority of brands.

The APA represents 90% of the key customer publishing agencies. Their specialisms vary – for example regarding consumer vs business-to-business publishing. For more details see the Publisher Directory, or contact the APA’s free ASK service. .

CHOOSING AN AGENCY

If you know your way round the business, it makes sense to go straight to the APA Publisher Directory.

If you are looking at using customer publishing for the first time, or need some more advice about the agency which would suit you best, why not use the APA’s free ASK service. There really is no pressure, and no charge.

We can help you choose an agency because we have an understanding of each agency’s specialism and track record, and we know what different kinds of client need from customer publishing solutions. This means that when you put together a shortlist, you have a good grasp on what you are looking for and how to spot it.

Contact details:
If you are interested in finding out more information on APA ASK a free consultancy offered by the APA for planners, please contact Julia Hutchison; 020 7400 7516