Marketing Survey

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Marketing Directors' Survey

MARKETING DIRECTORS SAY CUSTOM PUBLISHING PROVIDE WIDE RANGE OF BENEFITS

New York, NY — A new survey of marketing directors showed that over 90% of respondents successfully integrate custom publishing with other marketing initiatives — indicating a widespread belief that custom publications are a favored tool when it comes to tying together disparate efforts in the marketing mix.

“You might view custom publications as the glue that bonds a company’s messaging system,” said Duncan Milne, Publishing Director, John Brown Publishing Inc. “The ability to target and possess a robust editorial environment allows a custom publication to convey anything from simple to complex messaging to the varied audiences touched through other marketing channels.”

The survey queried an equal balance of marketing directors who currently use and do not use custom publishing. When given a series of common marketing goals, marketing directors said custom publishing outranked print, television, and radio advertising, Internet marketing, and telemarketing when the intent was building longer-term relationships, promoting loyalty and retaining existing customers.

Of those marketing directors who had firsthand experience using a custom publication:
• 92% said it is very or fairly effective at relationship building,
• 88% said it is very or fairly effective at generating loyalty, and
• 83% said it is very or fairly effective at client retention.

Of those who do not custom publish, 71% said they would outsource a custom publishing project if they were to undertake one, supporting anecdotal evidence of a growing trend to turn to organizations like custom publishers rather than publishing in-house.

The leading reasons to custom publish, according to non-users are retaining customers and building awareness, while users said providing information, building loyalty and selling more to existing customers where the chief rationale.

Additionally, the study found that 87% of custom publications are distributed free to recipients, with an additional 11% distributed free to those who are cardholders or paying members of a club or membership organization.

This study was conducted in conjunction with the Association of Publishing Agencies, the trade organization representing the interests of the United Kingdom’s custom publishing industry, and is the first in a series of five research projects that will be released by the Custom Publishing Council (CPC) in 2003. The CPC is the leading organization for custom publishers in North America.
January 28, 2003