CCG - Magazines Editorially Speaking…

excerpted from
StrateScapes – Volume 1, Number 3

Magazines: Editorially Speaking…
Don’t be surprised if the idea of doing a magazine or “magalog” gets bandied about at your next marketing staff meeting. This innovative, customer-friendly vehicle can be a strategic gem given the right objectives and implementation.

A magazine? Where in the world are you going to find a budget for that? Who has numbers to show it would be worth its weight in gold? And besides, you don’t even have the staff to make such an undertaking a reality. Whoa! Slow down. First look at whether a magazine is right for you; then look at the means available so you don’t have to go it alone.

You Can’t Be Everything to Everybody

The same is true of your advertising vehicles. Your weekly circular can’t sell items of the week, increase store traffic, build brand image and be a warm and fuzzy customer communication piece all at the same time. Make your marketing components work for you. Step back and analyze what they are ultimately doing for your bottom line. And we don’t mean simply looking at the numbers. Consider brand awareness, customer lifetime value, new customer acquisition, etc.

“The image we wanted to convey couldn’t be done effectively in the promotional environment of weekly circulars.”
- Ruth Lindley, Mervyn’s California

Do you see a gap anywhere? Could a magazine fill the void? A magazine can provide the format to build brand awareness (or even create a brand identity that you may currently be lacking), increase your customers’ lifetime values, add credibility to your product messages and strategically position you in the marketplace. Here’s a quick review of landmark magazine projects created by top retailers.

VIEW by Mervyn’s California

Overview: Published three times a year since 1995 with an average circulation of 700,000. Produced in collaboration with Sunset Publishing.

“By developing a personality and lifestyle features, VIEW gives Mervyn’s California a platform to differentiate itself from competitors,” explains publication director Ruth Lindley. “The image we wanted to convey couldn’t be done effectively in the promotional environment of weekly circulars. VIEW not only showcases brands — national and private label — it brings reality to the California part of being Mervyn’s California.”

BP Style by Nordstrom

Overview: According to a WWD report, the Seattle-based retailer stormed into the magazine scene in Spring 1999, by mailing 600,000 copies of the premiere issue of BP Style to young women all over the United States and placing another 15,000 in its stores nationwide. The publication, developed by YM magazine and its publisher Gruner+Jahr, includes interviews with celebrities and features plenty of spreads showcasing items carried in Nordstrom’s BP department, geared toward juniors. In-store tie-ins complement the magazine.

Journal by Land Rover

Overview: Even automakers are getting in on the power of a magazine. Take Land Rover’s Journal. It doesn’t try to hide behind the guise of a four-wheel-drive magazine for just anybody. It builds on the very focused mindset of its customer: To its owner, a Land Rover is more than simply a vehicle. It is a story. Where it’s been. Where it could go. What kind of adventures it could encounter. The inaugural issue of Journal provides everything from vehicle specifications for the most popular models to an accessories order form to a travelogue feature on the outer reaches of Mongolia. All of this further builds on the Land Rover experience and cements brand loyalty — leaving readers anticipating the next issue’s arrival like mail from heaven.

A&F Quarterly by Abercrombie & Fitch

Overview: This 132-page “magalog” retails for $5 per copy and is issued four times a year: fall, holiday, spring and summer. Some 400,000 copies were direct-mailed to a list that included prior customers of Abercrombie & Fitch. With editorial that goes from mail-order catalog to music, food and entertainment, A&F Quarterly clearly targets its college-student customer base, delivering more than the store alone can provide — style that goes beyond fashion to attitude and lifestyle.

STRATESCAPES and STRATESCAPES SUPPLEMENTS are published by Customer Communications Group, Inc., a full-service agency specializing in relationship marketing and customer communications. Our comprehensive, turnkey services include data analysis, customer segmentation, strategic consulting, account management, creative execution, print production and multimedia solutions.