Threatened by the rise in paper, printing and postage costs, online custom magazines rejoice an
increased interest. They are seen as a more efficient, but equivalent alternative to offline custom
magazines. Most digital custom magazines, however, contain an electronic replica of the print version.
Our study explores the question of whether online page-turn custom magazines are an equivalent
alternative to offline custom magazines.
Based on our survey results we conclude that custom magazines have a bright future online. Replicas of
the print version, however, are not the future of the industry since the facsimile copy of the print edition in
a digital page-turn format does not stand up to print. Paper still ‘feels’ good and holds a much stronger
position, compared to online magazines, in terms of reach and average reading time. Another benefit of
offline custom magazines is that customers in general, and women in particular, prefer offline, since it
offers them something tangible and physical they can hold and engage with. In sum, there is still place for
print content in the digital age and before we move to jettison the magazine, let us fully understand what it
is we are possibly throwing away.
Come Together: Defining the Complementary Roles of Print and OnlineHoward Finberg
The report examines strategies for newspapers to improve print subscription acquisition and retention through online media. It finds that while obstacles are significant, some newspapers have found success using techniques like prominently displaying "subscribe" links and tracking results of online promotions. Key challenges include integrating circulation and web systems, defining the value of multi-channel customers, and developing rewarding loyalty programs. The report provides recommendations for newspapers to work together on issues like improving the customer experience across print and digital platforms.
This document is a dissertation presented at Northumbria University for a BA in Journalism in 2014-15. It examines the impact of social media on customer service, using Tesco as a case study. Through a literature review and analysis of Tesco's social media strategies, the dissertation finds that social media deployment can significantly benefit companies by improving customer interaction, engagement, and satisfaction. It discusses how speed of response is important for customer service on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The case study shows Tesco uses a wide range of social media tactics to provide customer service and raise engagement levels.
This document discusses understanding newspaper audiences and measuring newspaper readership in the digital age. It notes that newspaper readership is declining as more people access news digitally. Current readership measurement focuses on print but needs to capture all platforms to reflect changing behaviors. Improvements include measuring total brand reach across devices, integrating survey and online panel data, and reporting metrics like daily readership. The ideal would provide comprehensive and frequent readership metrics for advertisers in a changing media landscape.
This document summarizes a student paper that examines the prevailing assumption that the internet empowers consumers. It identifies three key areas of assumed consumer empowerment - convenience, price/information transparency, and personalization/choice. However, the paper argues that consumers do not report feeling truly empowered. For each area, it discusses research that challenges the assumption of empowerment by highlighting issues like delivery delays, information overload, lack of control over personal data collection, and influence of brands. The conclusion is that while e-commerce may empower consumers in the future, that is not yet the reality for most. Further research over time would be useful to see if empowerment becomes truly realized.
The way in which brands communicate, and how consumers live their lives, is of significant importance to each entity. However, now, more than ever before, the two have become intertwined. This is resulting in one of the biggest developments that the advertising and marketing industry have witnessed in this generation. In a world that is increasingly lacking relevance and individuality, brands and consumers are constantly seeking to be heard amongst the crowd. Over the years brands have stressed the importance of listening to their customers. However, simply listening to customers is now being called into question, and instead the idea of working alongside them is being considered.
The modern consumer relishes having more power than ever before and they are willing to use this new found control. Brands can no longer ignore this development, and indeed, should not try to ignore it. There are significant benefits to brands and consumers working together in order to learn more about each other. One huge benefit of this is the potential for organisations to change and structure the way in which they do business, not just how they market and advertise themselves. This collaboration of brand and consumer is now more commonly referred to as Co-Create, a methodology which embraces the collaboration of both brand and consumer and delivers mutual benefits for both.
This study will research the effects that Co-Creation has had on the advertising and marketing industry. Furthermore, it will establish the key contributing factors that have given rise to Co-Creation, and how its methodology is implemented. An investigative case study and interviews are used as the basis for the research in this study. This provides highly informed data which will be used to conduct a thorough analysis and draw an educated conclusion on the topic of Co-Create.
The document provides instructions for completing an assessment on analyzing consumer behavior for specific markets. It describes an activity where the student must gather information and develop a 10-15 slide presentation that includes a market segment profile, preliminary consumer profile, product/service profile, and explanation of how the product aligns with consumers. The student must choose an existing or proposed product/service to market, identify the target segment and consumers, and develop profiles drawing from multiple sources including a marketing plan.
The document discusses direct mail marketing services provided by Australia Post for business customers. It uses Domino's Pizza franchisees as a case study. Direct mail is presented as an effective way for Domino's to communicate with customers and retain existing ones while gaining new customers. Statistics show that most people still prefer receiving mail to digital communications. Therefore, direct mail aligns well with the needs and preferences of franchisee customers.
The document provides an overview of business-to-business (B2B) marketing. It notes that B2B marketing involves targeting commercial businesses to buy goods and services. Key aspects of B2B marketing include longer decision cycles, the need to sell to multiple senior decision makers, a focus on relationships over one-time transactions, and reliance on channels like trade events and word of mouth. While traditional channels remain important, social media and mobile have also become significant in B2B marketing. Measurement of return on investment in B2B marketing lags consumer marketing.
Come Together: Defining the Complementary Roles of Print and OnlineHoward Finberg
The report examines strategies for newspapers to improve print subscription acquisition and retention through online media. It finds that while obstacles are significant, some newspapers have found success using techniques like prominently displaying "subscribe" links and tracking results of online promotions. Key challenges include integrating circulation and web systems, defining the value of multi-channel customers, and developing rewarding loyalty programs. The report provides recommendations for newspapers to work together on issues like improving the customer experience across print and digital platforms.
This document is a dissertation presented at Northumbria University for a BA in Journalism in 2014-15. It examines the impact of social media on customer service, using Tesco as a case study. Through a literature review and analysis of Tesco's social media strategies, the dissertation finds that social media deployment can significantly benefit companies by improving customer interaction, engagement, and satisfaction. It discusses how speed of response is important for customer service on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The case study shows Tesco uses a wide range of social media tactics to provide customer service and raise engagement levels.
This document discusses understanding newspaper audiences and measuring newspaper readership in the digital age. It notes that newspaper readership is declining as more people access news digitally. Current readership measurement focuses on print but needs to capture all platforms to reflect changing behaviors. Improvements include measuring total brand reach across devices, integrating survey and online panel data, and reporting metrics like daily readership. The ideal would provide comprehensive and frequent readership metrics for advertisers in a changing media landscape.
This document summarizes a student paper that examines the prevailing assumption that the internet empowers consumers. It identifies three key areas of assumed consumer empowerment - convenience, price/information transparency, and personalization/choice. However, the paper argues that consumers do not report feeling truly empowered. For each area, it discusses research that challenges the assumption of empowerment by highlighting issues like delivery delays, information overload, lack of control over personal data collection, and influence of brands. The conclusion is that while e-commerce may empower consumers in the future, that is not yet the reality for most. Further research over time would be useful to see if empowerment becomes truly realized.
The way in which brands communicate, and how consumers live their lives, is of significant importance to each entity. However, now, more than ever before, the two have become intertwined. This is resulting in one of the biggest developments that the advertising and marketing industry have witnessed in this generation. In a world that is increasingly lacking relevance and individuality, brands and consumers are constantly seeking to be heard amongst the crowd. Over the years brands have stressed the importance of listening to their customers. However, simply listening to customers is now being called into question, and instead the idea of working alongside them is being considered.
The modern consumer relishes having more power than ever before and they are willing to use this new found control. Brands can no longer ignore this development, and indeed, should not try to ignore it. There are significant benefits to brands and consumers working together in order to learn more about each other. One huge benefit of this is the potential for organisations to change and structure the way in which they do business, not just how they market and advertise themselves. This collaboration of brand and consumer is now more commonly referred to as Co-Create, a methodology which embraces the collaboration of both brand and consumer and delivers mutual benefits for both.
This study will research the effects that Co-Creation has had on the advertising and marketing industry. Furthermore, it will establish the key contributing factors that have given rise to Co-Creation, and how its methodology is implemented. An investigative case study and interviews are used as the basis for the research in this study. This provides highly informed data which will be used to conduct a thorough analysis and draw an educated conclusion on the topic of Co-Create.
The document provides instructions for completing an assessment on analyzing consumer behavior for specific markets. It describes an activity where the student must gather information and develop a 10-15 slide presentation that includes a market segment profile, preliminary consumer profile, product/service profile, and explanation of how the product aligns with consumers. The student must choose an existing or proposed product/service to market, identify the target segment and consumers, and develop profiles drawing from multiple sources including a marketing plan.
The document discusses direct mail marketing services provided by Australia Post for business customers. It uses Domino's Pizza franchisees as a case study. Direct mail is presented as an effective way for Domino's to communicate with customers and retain existing ones while gaining new customers. Statistics show that most people still prefer receiving mail to digital communications. Therefore, direct mail aligns well with the needs and preferences of franchisee customers.
The document provides an overview of business-to-business (B2B) marketing. It notes that B2B marketing involves targeting commercial businesses to buy goods and services. Key aspects of B2B marketing include longer decision cycles, the need to sell to multiple senior decision makers, a focus on relationships over one-time transactions, and reliance on channels like trade events and word of mouth. While traditional channels remain important, social media and mobile have also become significant in B2B marketing. Measurement of return on investment in B2B marketing lags consumer marketing.
This document discusses how companies can successfully evolve with new internal customers in the Internet era. It provides examples of how companies like Procter & Gamble, Best Buy, and Intel have engaged employees as internal customers online to gain insights and boost innovation. The key is mutual trust, engagement at all levels, and a culture of sharing. Companies must understand how employee input online can impact their business and develop strategies to benefit from collective intelligence and learning within online communities. Empowering employees to use their skills professionally online provides benefits like new solutions and marketing ideas from customer feedback.
The document discusses 11 key points about changes in the media landscape: 1) Newspaper readership has been declining for decades; 2) Newspaper readership skews older while online readership skews younger; 3) New online media like Google and Yahoo have seen much faster revenue growth than traditional media companies. The document examines how these trends are impacting newspapers and the future of journalism.
The document discusses strategies newspapers use to build readership in both print and digital formats. It describes how newspapers segment their content into sections tailored for specific audiences. It also explains how newspapers distribute content through both physical delivery and digital platforms exhibited on various devices. Additionally, the document outlines challenges newspapers face in achieving total market coverage and maintaining profitability from advertising in the face of increasing competition.
The document discusses market segmentation and analyzing consumer behavior for direct mail marketing services provided by Australia Post to their business customers. Specifically, it examines Australia Post's customer Domino's Pizza franchisees, who use direct mail marketing to promote pizza sales. The target market for direct mail includes businesses across Australia seeking new and repeat customers. Research shows most consumers prefer receiving mail over digital communications, suggesting direct mail is an effective marketing channel.
This document provides an analysis of consumer motivations for participating in crowdsourcing activities in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. It begins by characterizing the "new consumer on the internet" and their role in co-creation. It then examines crowdsourcing as a tool for co-creation, discussing theoretical frameworks like Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the motivation-ability-opportunity model to understand consumer motivations. Finally, it analyzes specific FMCG crowdsourcing examples like Threadless to engage consumers in activities like new product features and innovations.
This document discusses building customer networks for successful word of mouth marketing. It finds that targeting influential customers as part of a word of mouth program can increase its effectiveness by up to 50%. Research also showed that word of mouth programs are most effective at accelerating product adoption among existing customers rather than acquiring new ones. Additionally, companies can achieve over 80% of potential value from word of mouth programs by targeting less than 5% of customers. The document advocates using customer communities and social network analysis to identify influential customers.
The magazine industry has seen a 10% decline in the number of print titles since 2011 due to the rise of digital media like tablets. However, magazines can remain profitable by adapting to digital formats and providing content viewers want across multiple platforms. For example, Empire magazine offers subscriptions that allow both digital and print access. Magazines must also exploit revenue streams like mobile apps, paywalls, and subscriptions. Paywalls have proven effective for some newspapers by generating significant online revenue and boosting other sales. To thrive financially, magazines need an omnichannel approach that links print and digital content while understanding readers' habits across various devices.
In a crowded communication environment, media have to prove their effectiveness and accountability in
reaching their goals. Although marketing analytics are more important than ever in modern marketing
programs, hardly any research is available on the effectiveness of customer magazines. This research
focuses on answering the question: “Are customer magazines accountable in reaching their goals?”
Previous research on the effectiveness of relationship magazines has been commissioned in the UK by
the Association of Publishing Agencies (APA) and Royal Mail, in cooperation with Millward Brown. The
research shows that readers have a sophisticated understanding of the role of customer magazines; they
welcome them, spend time reading them, have a more positive view of the company image and are more
inclined to continue using the company than non-readers.
In order to find out whether the results of the APA study can be extended to the Dutch market, and verify
the likelihood that the customer magazine is accountable for the differences between readers and nonreaders,
we started our own research, consisting of nine magazines from three different sectors.
Our findings confirm the effectiveness of customer magazines as a medium for building and retaining
loyalty. Based on our results the customer magazine has definitely moved away from the public relations
exercise towards the strategic communication device. Customer magazines have an effective role to play
as part of the marketing mix. A role that is even more effective, if the intermediate function of a customer
magazine is taken into account. Customer magazines are the ideal means to mention a company’s
website, to refer to exhibits, stimulate (web)store visits, link to the company’s catalogue, and explore
market research. Customer magazines, therefore, should be integrated into the mainstream marketing
(communication) strategies.
This document summarizes research into the effectiveness of online custom magazines compared to printed custom magazines. The research found that online magazines that simply replicate the printed page-turn format, without utilizing rich media features, are less effective than printed magazines across several key performance indicators. These include reader engagement, relationship metrics, brand image, and reading time. While online magazines have potential, the research suggests that simply transferring printed magazines online without enhancements is not an equivalent alternative. Marketers considering replacing printed magazines online should rethink their approach and leverage the interactive capabilities of digital formats.
The document discusses data quality and its importance for business success. It presents 5 categories of business drivers for investing in data quality: failure preventer, success generator, legislation/regulation, customer focus, and image/positioning. A survey found the most important drivers were failure preventer, success generator, legislation/regulation, and customer focus. Larger companies and certain industries like utilities valued the success generator perspective more. Further research is needed to explore the relationships between different business units/roles and experience levels with different drivers over time and across countries. High quality data is essential for good business decisions and results.
The document discusses a case study where researchers worked with a client contact center to optimize seat forecasting using both structured historical call data and unstructured text data from webcare sources. They developed alternative forecasting models that included the text data and compared accuracy. The best model used text data from the past 24 hours along with historical call volumes, reducing average deviations from actual calls to 6% compared to 7% for the original model. Including unstructured customer text data in this way allowed for more accurate forecasting and planning of contact center resources.
This presentation, by big data guru Bernard Marr, outlines in simple terms what Big Data is and how it is used today. It covers the 5 V's of Big Data as well as a number of high value use cases.
Lightning Talk #9: How UX and Data Storytelling Can Shape Policy by Mika Aldabaux singapore
How can we take UX and Data Storytelling out of the tech context and use them to change the way government behaves?
Showcasing the truth is the highest goal of data storytelling. Because the design of a chart can affect the interpretation of data in a major way, one must wield visual tools with care and deliberation. Using quantitative facts to evoke an emotional response is best achieved with the combination of UX and data storytelling.
My recent presentation on building magazine audiences in this data-driven era was showcased in the latest edition of The New Single Copy.
I discuss the concept of collaborative industry data, dynamic third party data, predictive modeling and using data to target hyper-niche audience segments.
____________________________________________
Published with John Harrington's permission, co-founder and editor of The New Single Copy.
Since 1996, The New Single Copy has been the publishing industry's leading source of news, data, and information about publications, the retail marketplace, and the changes brought on by digital delivery technology.
Subscribe to The New Single Copy:
http://www.nscopy.com/pages/nsc.asp
Understanding clients and their needs is important for marketing. Bayern Munich understands fans needs by keeping ticket prices low. Understanding the market allows tailoring products and communication. Everton got fan input on a new badge. SWOT analysis evaluates strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of projects. Audience profiling obtains demographic and preference data to target advertising. The marketing mix consists of product, price, place and promotion elements. Coca-Cola uses various materials like trucks and product placements.
Understanding clients and their needs is important for marketing. Bayern Munich understands their clients needs by keeping ticket prices low. SWOT analysis is a useful tool for market analysis as it identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Audience profiling involves gathering demographic information to understand a target audience. The 4 Ps of marketing are product, price, place and promotion. Coca-Cola uses a wide range of marketing materials from advertisements to product placement.
The editorial discusses the exploding trend of "media coverage packages" during the recent Maharashtra state assembly elections, where many media outlets sold coverage and positive publicity to candidates in exchange for large sums of money. This effectively shut out smaller parties and independent voices who could not afford such packages. It was alleged that over 50% of newly elected MLAs had criminal charges against them, yet some received adulatory coverage without mentioning this. The scale of such paid coverage was large, with some high-end candidates spending over Rs. 1.5 crore for special supplements. This undermined fair coverage of issues and misled readers by passing off paid propaganda as real news stories.
This document discusses different types of print advertisements and how to create effective ones. It describes various print media options like newspapers, magazines, direct mail, and yellow pages. Key aspects of print ads are discussed such as copy, graphics, color, layout, size, paper/ink, and placement. Nine steps for creating effective print ads are outlined, including choosing the right media to reach your target audience, writing an attention-grabbing headline, engaging the reader with the first three sentences, and ensuring visuals support the headline message.
This document discusses how companies can successfully evolve with new internal customers in the Internet era. It provides examples of how companies like Procter & Gamble, Best Buy, and Intel have engaged employees as internal customers online to gain insights and boost innovation. The key is mutual trust, engagement at all levels, and a culture of sharing. Companies must understand how employee input online can impact their business and develop strategies to benefit from collective intelligence and learning within online communities. Empowering employees to use their skills professionally online provides benefits like new solutions and marketing ideas from customer feedback.
The document discusses 11 key points about changes in the media landscape: 1) Newspaper readership has been declining for decades; 2) Newspaper readership skews older while online readership skews younger; 3) New online media like Google and Yahoo have seen much faster revenue growth than traditional media companies. The document examines how these trends are impacting newspapers and the future of journalism.
The document discusses strategies newspapers use to build readership in both print and digital formats. It describes how newspapers segment their content into sections tailored for specific audiences. It also explains how newspapers distribute content through both physical delivery and digital platforms exhibited on various devices. Additionally, the document outlines challenges newspapers face in achieving total market coverage and maintaining profitability from advertising in the face of increasing competition.
The document discusses market segmentation and analyzing consumer behavior for direct mail marketing services provided by Australia Post to their business customers. Specifically, it examines Australia Post's customer Domino's Pizza franchisees, who use direct mail marketing to promote pizza sales. The target market for direct mail includes businesses across Australia seeking new and repeat customers. Research shows most consumers prefer receiving mail over digital communications, suggesting direct mail is an effective marketing channel.
This document provides an analysis of consumer motivations for participating in crowdsourcing activities in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. It begins by characterizing the "new consumer on the internet" and their role in co-creation. It then examines crowdsourcing as a tool for co-creation, discussing theoretical frameworks like Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the motivation-ability-opportunity model to understand consumer motivations. Finally, it analyzes specific FMCG crowdsourcing examples like Threadless to engage consumers in activities like new product features and innovations.
This document discusses building customer networks for successful word of mouth marketing. It finds that targeting influential customers as part of a word of mouth program can increase its effectiveness by up to 50%. Research also showed that word of mouth programs are most effective at accelerating product adoption among existing customers rather than acquiring new ones. Additionally, companies can achieve over 80% of potential value from word of mouth programs by targeting less than 5% of customers. The document advocates using customer communities and social network analysis to identify influential customers.
The magazine industry has seen a 10% decline in the number of print titles since 2011 due to the rise of digital media like tablets. However, magazines can remain profitable by adapting to digital formats and providing content viewers want across multiple platforms. For example, Empire magazine offers subscriptions that allow both digital and print access. Magazines must also exploit revenue streams like mobile apps, paywalls, and subscriptions. Paywalls have proven effective for some newspapers by generating significant online revenue and boosting other sales. To thrive financially, magazines need an omnichannel approach that links print and digital content while understanding readers' habits across various devices.
In a crowded communication environment, media have to prove their effectiveness and accountability in
reaching their goals. Although marketing analytics are more important than ever in modern marketing
programs, hardly any research is available on the effectiveness of customer magazines. This research
focuses on answering the question: “Are customer magazines accountable in reaching their goals?”
Previous research on the effectiveness of relationship magazines has been commissioned in the UK by
the Association of Publishing Agencies (APA) and Royal Mail, in cooperation with Millward Brown. The
research shows that readers have a sophisticated understanding of the role of customer magazines; they
welcome them, spend time reading them, have a more positive view of the company image and are more
inclined to continue using the company than non-readers.
In order to find out whether the results of the APA study can be extended to the Dutch market, and verify
the likelihood that the customer magazine is accountable for the differences between readers and nonreaders,
we started our own research, consisting of nine magazines from three different sectors.
Our findings confirm the effectiveness of customer magazines as a medium for building and retaining
loyalty. Based on our results the customer magazine has definitely moved away from the public relations
exercise towards the strategic communication device. Customer magazines have an effective role to play
as part of the marketing mix. A role that is even more effective, if the intermediate function of a customer
magazine is taken into account. Customer magazines are the ideal means to mention a company’s
website, to refer to exhibits, stimulate (web)store visits, link to the company’s catalogue, and explore
market research. Customer magazines, therefore, should be integrated into the mainstream marketing
(communication) strategies.
This document summarizes research into the effectiveness of online custom magazines compared to printed custom magazines. The research found that online magazines that simply replicate the printed page-turn format, without utilizing rich media features, are less effective than printed magazines across several key performance indicators. These include reader engagement, relationship metrics, brand image, and reading time. While online magazines have potential, the research suggests that simply transferring printed magazines online without enhancements is not an equivalent alternative. Marketers considering replacing printed magazines online should rethink their approach and leverage the interactive capabilities of digital formats.
The document discusses data quality and its importance for business success. It presents 5 categories of business drivers for investing in data quality: failure preventer, success generator, legislation/regulation, customer focus, and image/positioning. A survey found the most important drivers were failure preventer, success generator, legislation/regulation, and customer focus. Larger companies and certain industries like utilities valued the success generator perspective more. Further research is needed to explore the relationships between different business units/roles and experience levels with different drivers over time and across countries. High quality data is essential for good business decisions and results.
The document discusses a case study where researchers worked with a client contact center to optimize seat forecasting using both structured historical call data and unstructured text data from webcare sources. They developed alternative forecasting models that included the text data and compared accuracy. The best model used text data from the past 24 hours along with historical call volumes, reducing average deviations from actual calls to 6% compared to 7% for the original model. Including unstructured customer text data in this way allowed for more accurate forecasting and planning of contact center resources.
This presentation, by big data guru Bernard Marr, outlines in simple terms what Big Data is and how it is used today. It covers the 5 V's of Big Data as well as a number of high value use cases.
Lightning Talk #9: How UX and Data Storytelling Can Shape Policy by Mika Aldabaux singapore
How can we take UX and Data Storytelling out of the tech context and use them to change the way government behaves?
Showcasing the truth is the highest goal of data storytelling. Because the design of a chart can affect the interpretation of data in a major way, one must wield visual tools with care and deliberation. Using quantitative facts to evoke an emotional response is best achieved with the combination of UX and data storytelling.
My recent presentation on building magazine audiences in this data-driven era was showcased in the latest edition of The New Single Copy.
I discuss the concept of collaborative industry data, dynamic third party data, predictive modeling and using data to target hyper-niche audience segments.
____________________________________________
Published with John Harrington's permission, co-founder and editor of The New Single Copy.
Since 1996, The New Single Copy has been the publishing industry's leading source of news, data, and information about publications, the retail marketplace, and the changes brought on by digital delivery technology.
Subscribe to The New Single Copy:
http://www.nscopy.com/pages/nsc.asp
Understanding clients and their needs is important for marketing. Bayern Munich understands fans needs by keeping ticket prices low. Understanding the market allows tailoring products and communication. Everton got fan input on a new badge. SWOT analysis evaluates strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of projects. Audience profiling obtains demographic and preference data to target advertising. The marketing mix consists of product, price, place and promotion elements. Coca-Cola uses various materials like trucks and product placements.
Understanding clients and their needs is important for marketing. Bayern Munich understands their clients needs by keeping ticket prices low. SWOT analysis is a useful tool for market analysis as it identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Audience profiling involves gathering demographic information to understand a target audience. The 4 Ps of marketing are product, price, place and promotion. Coca-Cola uses a wide range of marketing materials from advertisements to product placement.
The editorial discusses the exploding trend of "media coverage packages" during the recent Maharashtra state assembly elections, where many media outlets sold coverage and positive publicity to candidates in exchange for large sums of money. This effectively shut out smaller parties and independent voices who could not afford such packages. It was alleged that over 50% of newly elected MLAs had criminal charges against them, yet some received adulatory coverage without mentioning this. The scale of such paid coverage was large, with some high-end candidates spending over Rs. 1.5 crore for special supplements. This undermined fair coverage of issues and misled readers by passing off paid propaganda as real news stories.
This document discusses different types of print advertisements and how to create effective ones. It describes various print media options like newspapers, magazines, direct mail, and yellow pages. Key aspects of print ads are discussed such as copy, graphics, color, layout, size, paper/ink, and placement. Nine steps for creating effective print ads are outlined, including choosing the right media to reach your target audience, writing an attention-grabbing headline, engaging the reader with the first three sentences, and ensuring visuals support the headline message.
The financial health of magazines depends on editorial quality and expanding beyond just advertisements. Editorial teams consist of journalists, designers, photographers and more across both commercial and production departments. However, the lines between editorial and commercial interests are blurred as advertisers seek more control over content through advertorials. To adapt, magazines must provide quality online content to engage readers and sell online advertisements, while also considering global readers and adapting to seasonal consumer interests through their coverage.
The document discusses the magazine industry, outlining its evolution from print to incorporating digital platforms. It describes the different departments in a magazine, from editorial to design to production. The impact of digital convergence and new technologies is explored, such as magazines struggling between print and online models or balancing the two. Consumption patterns and trends are also examined, like how magazines target audiences based on interests. The industry itself relies mainly on advertising revenues and subscriber fees. Various advertising formats are effective for magazines given their ability to target niche audiences who are engaged with the material.
Do Magazine Printing Still Have an Edge Over Digitalization?Doran Printing .
With the trend of digitalization taking a grip on the world, consumers often believe that digital advertising is the only way to go. However, magazine printing is not dead and will never be. It’s been years since the explosive growth of print newspaper and the emergence of tablets and e-readers such as Apple Ipad and Amazon Kindle; however, print media continues to hold ground.
This document discusses the challenges facing the newspaper industry as readers increasingly get their news online rather than from print publications. It notes that newspaper circulation and advertising revenue have sharply declined as people get news digitally. While newspapers have tried strategies like consolidation, spinoffs of print divisions, and paywalls online, these have not reversed the downward trends. The document suggests that further consolidation may be needed to help newspapers gain scale and resources to successfully transition to digital-first business models.
The Information Services industry is in the eye of the digital storm. Two major contenders within this industry - traditional and new age media companies must adopt strategies for the significant mass of millennials and demanding consumers.
This document discusses the importance of attention in today's media landscape. It notes that while there are more opportunities to reach consumers, attention to advertising is declining. This is because attention is a finite resource, and bombarding consumers with interruptive advertising causes them to develop defenses like adblocking. The document argues that magazines provide high quality attention that is immersive and focused, with advertising seen as a positive part of the experience rather than being rejected. It presents evidence that magazines are effective at both long-term brand building and short-term activation objectives, and deliver strong results cost-effectively.
This document provides an abstract for a dissertation on brand journalism and reputation management through online corporate publishing. It outlines the research questions, significance of the topic, and research methodology. The abstract also provides a brief literature review on related topics like public relations, reputation, corporate image, the decline of traditional media, and definitions of brand journalism. It indicates the dissertation will include secondary research on brand journalism case studies, qualitative interviews with industry experts, and a quantitative survey. The goal is to analyze how and why businesses are increasingly using brand journalism in their PR strategies and directly communicating with stakeholders through online content.
A presentation about Printcasting.com, a new Web site for democratized magazine publishing, made possible by The Bakersfield Californian and the Knight News Challenge. Updated as of May 1, 2009.
This document discusses the vision, mission, business areas and segmentation strategy of a Tamil newspaper called The South Sparks. The vision is to become the number one English newspaper in Tamil Nadu by delivering truthful, quality news and business information to customers with full satisfaction. The newspaper's business currently focuses on 12 major cities in Tamil Nadu and it segments customers based on the additional contents provided on different days of the week like politics, education, recipes etc. The newspaper aims to provide updated news to both rural and urban areas at an affordable price point of Rs. 2 along with occasional discount coupons and competitions.
Carousel30: Convergence of disciplines on social mediaCarousel30
Carousel30 white paper on the convergence of marketing, public relations and customer service through the introduction of social media. This convergence is changing the communications industry as we know it, as well as the agencies and professionals within it. This white paper explores what this means to practice marketing, public relations and customer service in this current era.
This document provides an overview of print media, including newspapers, magazines, and other forms. It discusses the history and evolution of print media in India, highlighting some of the first newspapers published in various Indian languages. The document then focuses on different types of magazines, their target audiences and advantages, as well as characteristics of newspapers. It also covers topics like circulation figures, readership, costs of advertising, and the future of print media.
This document discusses how to maximize the effectiveness of customer magazines. It suggests focusing on efficiency to control costs, impact to engage the target audience, and revenue to generate income. Specific tips include maintaining accurate mailing lists to reduce duplicate issues, combining print and digital channels, personalizing content, tracking customer behavior across channels, and partnering to share costs and enrich offerings. Analyzing customer data can provide insights to optimize the magazine in these areas.
Similar to CUSTOM MAGAZINES: WHERE DIGITAL PAGE-TURN EDITIONS FAIL (20)
CUSTOM MAGAZINES: WHERE DIGITAL PAGE-TURN EDITIONS FAIL
1. CUSTOM MAGAZINES: WHERE DIGITAL PAGE-TURN EDITIONS FAIL*
Jos M.C. Schijns, Open University, Heerlen, the Netherlands
Edith G. Smit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
ABSTRACT
Threatened by the rise in paper, printing and postage costs, online custom magazines rejoice an
increased interest. They are seen as a more efficient, but equivalent alternative to offline custom
magazines. Most digital custom magazines, however, contain an electronic replica of the print version.
Our study explores the question of whether online page-turn custom magazines are an equivalent
alternative to offline custom magazines.
Based on our survey results we conclude that custom magazines have a bright future online. Replicas of
the print version, however, are not the future of the industry since the facsimile copy of the print edition in
a digital page-turn format does not stand up to print. Paper still ‘feels’ good and holds a much stronger
position, compared to online magazines, in terms of reach and average reading time. Another benefit of
offline custom magazines is that customers in general, and women in particular, prefer offline, since it
offers them something tangible and physical they can hold and engage with. In sum, there is still place for
print content in the digital age and before we move to jettison the magazine, let us fully understand what it
is we are possibly throwing away.
Keywords: Custom Magazine, Customer Loyalty, digital/online/virtual/electronic page-turn replica of the
print magazine
1. INTRODUCTION
Due to rising costs and shrinking marketing budgets, especially during an economic downturn, direct
marketers will continue shifting their budgets from traditional, offline media toward more efficient online
media. Custom magazines have not been isolated from this shift. As a result, online custom magazines
rejoice an increased interest. They are seen as a more efficient, but equivalent alternative to offline
custom magazines.
While the effectiveness of offline custom magazines has been empirically shown (e.g. APA, 2005; Mintel,
2006; Schijns, 2008; Sveriges Uppdragspublicister, 2009), the effectiveness of online custom magazines,
has hardly been supported empirically. In other words: although shifting marketing communication
budgets toward online communication, or even replacing offline custom magazines by a digital alternative,
is seen as more efficient, it certainly bares the risk that marketers reject the good with the bad.
In our research, we compare the performance of offline custom magazines and their online page-turn
replicas. There are several reasons for this focus. First, momentarily most of the online custom
magazines are nothing more than a non-interactive electronic replica of the print magazine. Second, the
few digital custom magazines that contain rich media mostly do not have a printed version, excluding a
comparison between the two. The third reason for this focus is a practical one. The database we used for
selecting respondents contained customers of companies, which sponsored a virtual page-turning format
next to a print edition. Companies sponsoring rich media custom magazines were not included in the
database. In the Netherlands, the country of focus in this study, only two companies were identified as
sponsoring rich media custom magazines, being: KLM (iFly) and Bol.com (Bomvol). Both issued a digital
custom magazine only. And, at the end of 2009, Bol.com ended its magazine Bomvol leaving iFly the only
real interactive custom magazine.
Central question we aim to answer is: “Are online page-turn custom magazines an equivalent alternative
to offline custom magazines?”
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 24
2. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Custom magazines described
Following Mintel (2006), we define custom magazines as “any regularly published title that is produced by
a publishing agency on behalf of a third party and that is offered to customers, employees or members.”
From this definition some characteristics of custom magazines can be distinguished. First, custom
magazines are financed by a specific organization, the sponsor. It is not the publishing agency bearing
the financial risks. Second, custom magazines are made for a specific group of stakeholders. Third,
custom magazines are published regularly.
Bronner (2004) and Smit (2007) mention two additional characteristics of custom magazines: custom
magazines contain both editorial and commercial content, and they have specific marketing or
communication goals, such as building stronger relationships between the sponsor and the stakeholder
group, promoting brand awareness, establishing a desired brand image or positioning, providing
information to their target market(s), and changing behavior.
In the USA custom media are also called: branded media, customer media, member media, content
marketing, and custom publishing. In the UK contract publishing and customer publishing also indicate
custom media. Retailing, automotive and financial services are the most popular sectors using custom
magazines. Other important sectors include: charities, leisure/sport, and utilities. In-flight magazines,
sponsored by airlines, were one of the first custom media and remain typical of the genre.
Custom magazines (in print) proofed to be effective in reaching their main marketing and communication
goals (APA, 2005; Mintel, 2006; Schijns, 2008; Sveriges Uppdragspublicister, 2009). They are, however,
rather costly to develop, print and distribute. Online editions offer a number of distinctive strengths.
Besides being more efficient, compared to print, they offer more options to interact with customers, they
can be more up-to-date and due to video and sound they are expected to generate more attention,
response and awareness. These strengths, however, are not always utilized since rich media are
required. In fact, most online magazines are just a digital page-turn version of the offline magazine.
However, being ineffective in using their potential does certainly not mean that such online magazines are
ineffective in reaching their marketing and communication goals. So, though more cost efficient, the
central issue here is whether online page-turn custom magazines are as effective as their offline
counterparts.
Based on the literature we identified five performance indicators to evaluate whether online custom
magazines are an equivalent alternative to offline custom magazines, namely: relationship commitment
(§2.2), brand image (§2.3), reach (§2.4), average reading time (§2.5), and magazine engagement (§2.6).
2.2 Customer relationship commitment
One of the most cited marketing and communication goals of custom magazines is building stronger
relationships with their stakeholder groups, inside and outside the company. Generally, online custom
magazines aim at the same objectives as offline magazines. It is therefore suggested that online custom
magazines too, aim at strengthening relationship commitment. Relationship commitment is viewed as a
general attitude of attachment (Beatty and Kahle, 1988), here between the sponsor of the magazine and
the customers. Offline custom magazines are found to be effective with respect to strengthening
commitment (APA, 2005; Kleijn, 2008; Schijns 2008). For that, we expect that readers of a custom
magazine feel more committed to the sponsor than non-readers (hypothesis 1a). In addition, we expect
that this is even more the case for offline readers than for online readers (hypothesis 1b).
So, our first hypothesis is as follows.
Hypothesis 1a: Customers reading a custom magazine are more committed to the sponsor than
customers not reading the magazine (readers > non-readers)
Hypothesis 1b: Customers reading an offline custom magazine are more committed to the sponsor than
customers reading the online edition (offline readers > online readers)
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 25
3. 2.3 Image
Besides strengthening commitment, establishing a desired brand image or positioning is a second, often
cited marketing and communication goal of custom magazines. Research has supported the
effectiveness of custom magazines in this regard. The Advantage Study, commissioned by the
Association of Publishing Agencies (APA) and Royal Mail, in cooperation with Millward Brown, for
example, summarizes that “Customer magazines contain independent editorial content which significantly
enhances the corporate brand image by on average 9%” (APA, 2005: 1). Also Kleijn (2008) suggests that
custom media contribute positively to the sponsor’s image, based on an extensive, two-stage quantitative
study. Schijns (2008: 75) concludes that “with respect to company image readers and non-readers differ
significantly. Readers of customer magazines have a more positive view of the company image than non-
readers.”
Therefore, we expect that:
Hypothesis 2a: Customers reading a custom magazine have a more positive view of the sponsor’s
image than customers not reading the magazine (readers > non-readers).
And, similar to hypothesis 1b, we expect that:
Hypothesis 2b: Customers reading an offline custom magazine have a more positive view of the
sponsor’s image than customers reading the online edition (offline > online).
2.4 Reach
Although online publications are available all over the world wide web (if not protected by a password or
membership), we are interested in the availability for the specific target group (‘selective reach’ instead of
potential ‘total reach’). Customers are mostly informed about a new online issue of the custom magazine
through an e-mail announcement containing a link inviting customers to visit the online magazine. In
general, sponsors have less e-mail addresses (if any) than postal addresses, resulting in less gross
reach. Also, generally, click-through rates are lower than postal openings, resulting in less net reach. In
addition, TargetCast tcm (2009) found that a majority of the respondents in their study preferred the
experience of reading a printed magazine over reading a magazine on the Internet and that only 15% of
respondents overall agree that they would rather read magazines online. That is to say that, with a printed
custom magazine, readers will be able to read and enjoy custom magazines in a relaxing manner on their
sofa (or the three B’s – Bathroom, Beach, Bus), resulting in less qualitative reach of online magazines. In
accordance with these differences in preferences we expect differences in reach.
Therefore we hypothesize that:
Hypothesis 3: The offline custom magazine will outperform the online audience in terms of quantitative
reach (number of readers) and qualitative reach (preferences).
2.5 Average reading time
Offline custom magazines are found to be effective with respect to engaging readers for an average of 25
minutes (APA, 2005), “which is significantly more than the eight seconds looking at a poster or 20-30
seconds listening to a radio ad. In essence it compares to fifty 30-second TV ads” (APA:
http://www.apa.co.uk/services/apa-insight). Kleijn (2008) also found support for the suggestion that a
custom magazine is a ‘twenty-minutes-medium’. The results of his study indicated that readers of printed
custom magazines in the Netherlands spent twenty minutes, on average.
Geske and Bellur (2008) did a study to see if reading differs between print materials and the same
information delivered via computer screen. They found that print established attention better than a
computer screen. It took more energy to process the same information reading from computer screen
than from print materials. For that, we expect consumers reading from print material will spend more time
reading the magazine than consumers reading from computer screen.
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 26
4. Hypothesis 4: Readers of an offline custom magazine spend more time reading the magazine than
readers of the online version.
2.6 Engagement
Several studies showed that media can provide an effective context for advertising responsiveness when
consumers are highly engaged with a medium vehicle (e.g., DePelsmacker, Geuens, and Anckaert, 2002;
Moorman, Neijens, and Smit, 2002; Bronner and Neijens 2006). While the meaning of engagement is
intuitively clear, namely having a certain connection with a television program or a website, its
measurement is rather unclear (Calder et al., 2009). Calder et al. (2009) conceptualize engagement as a
collection of experiences with the medium and refer to Uses and Gratification studies (e.g., Ruggiero,
2000). In our study, we follow the line of Calder et al. (2009), but include consequences of engagement in
our items, such as ‘When I have received [name magazine], I always take the time reading it’ or ‘If I
wouldn’t receive [name magazine] anymore, I would miss it’. These additions are based on earlier
research on customer media commitment (Smit, 2007). Like relationship commitment, engagement is
viewed as a general attitude. However, where relationship commitment refers to the attachment between
the sponsor of the magazine and the readers, engagement refers to the experiences with the medium
itself (i.e., the custom magazine). As the medium itself differs in comparing an offline and online version of
a custom magazine, we expect that engagement with both versions will differ too, resulting in the
following hypothesis.
Hypothesis 5: Readers will be differently (more/less) engaged with the online version as compared to the
offline version
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Procedure and sample
In order to find out whether online custom magazines are an equivalent alternative to their offline
counterpart, we investigated customers of two retailers of luxurious body care products. These retailers
issued both an offline custom magazine and an online page-turn version. That is, the online and offline
editions of the magazine were identical with respect to content, structure, design and level of interaction.
There was no use of rich media, such as animations, interactive content, hyperlinks, embedded video and
audio, and movie clips.
A sample of 12,225 addresses was randomly drawn from a database, held by Cendris, containing data
from 1.8 million households in the Netherlands, which is 25% of all Dutch households. In the Netherlands,
Cendris is market leader in direct and interactive marketing. From the database it was known that the
selected addresses belong to customers of at least one of the two retailers under study, and that they had
left behind their e-mail address. These customers were surveyed online with respect to one of two
retailers and their readership of the custom magazine. The webbased survey application
(‘CendrisMonitor’) was reached by a link within an e-mail invitation.
We analyzed differences between the offline and online editions of both magazines in terms of five
performance indicators. For that, four subgroups were distinguished: readers of the offline edition, readers
of the online edition, readers of both the online and the offline edition, and non-readers.
3.2 Measures
Relationship Commitment (RC), as stated earlier, is viewed as a general attitude of attachment (e.g.
Beatty and Kahle, 1988). In this study, relationship commitment refers to the attitude of attachment
between the retailer (the sponsor of the magazine) and the retailer’s customers. Relationship commitment
was measured using three balanced seven-point Likert-type scales anchored ‘completely disagree’ (1)
and ‘completely agree’ (7): ‘I feel loyal to [name retailer]’, ‘The relationship I have with [name retailer] is
something I want to sustain’, ‘I feel involved with [name retailer] as a store for my purchases’.
For analytical reasons (e.g. confirmatory factor analysis, analysis of reliability and validity) we also
measure four other relational aspects: satisfaction, trust, willingness to continue the relationship and
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 27
5. willingness to recommend the company. These aspects are considered to be related to, but different from
the core concept of relationship commitment.
Satisfaction is a customer’s overall or global judgment regarding the extent to which product or service
performance matches expectations (Anderson and Sullivan, 1993; Stank et al., 1999).
Trust refers to one party having confidence in an exchange partner’s reliability and integrity (Morgan and
Hunt, 1994). Trust is at stake when a party is willing to rely on an exchange partner in whom one has
confidence (Moorman et al., 1993).
Satisfaction and trust are seen as necessary conditions for customer relationship commitment (Schijns,
2002).
Willingness to continue the relationship is an indicator of anticipation of future interaction. Willingness to
continue the relationship is considered as an outcome of high levels of commitment to a relationship.
Willingness to recommend the company is considered also as an outcome of high levels of relationship
commitment and conceptualized as an indicator of anticipation of reference.
Each of the four additional relational constructs mentioned above, is measured using three balanced
seven-point Likert-type scales anchored ‘completely disagree’ (1) and ‘completely agree’ (7). The items
used are based on those used by Schijns (2008) in his research on the effectiveness of customer
magazines. For the specific items we refer to Table 1.
Image is measured using six items describing the sponsor of the customer magazine as being: an expert,
a reliable partner, an attractive supplier, a professional, incorruptible and a sympathetic organization.
These items are based on research by Poiesz (1989) and Smit, Van den Berge and Franzen (2003), and
measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale anchored ‘completely disagree’ (1) and ‘completely agree’ (7).
Engagement, the last multi-item construct we mention here, was based on Bronner and Neijens (2006),
Calder et al. (2009), and Smit (2007). The included items are: ‘I feel attached to [name of the magazine]’,
‘[name magazine] is a magazine I’m familiar with’, ‘When I have received [name magazine], I always take
the time reading it’, ‘I’m a loyal reader of [name magazine]’, ‘For [name magazine] I’m willing to pay a
small amount of money’ and ‘If I wouldn’t receive [name magazine] anymore, I would miss it’. These
items, too, are measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale anchored ‘completely disagree’ (1) and
‘completely agree’ (7).
4. RESULTS
4.1 Response rate
12,225 addresses were mailed to participate in the survey. 1,530 e-mail addresses appeared wrong or
non-existing (any more). So, a total number of 10,695 addresses received the invitation. 1,576 addresses
reacted to the invitation, resulting in a gross response rate of 14.7% (of the 10,695 addresses actually
reached). However, 33 respondents were not available at the time of the survey (‘out of office’-reply).
Four respondents indicated that they did not want to participate in the survey. So, the resulting net
response rate was 14.4 %. From the resulting 1,539 respondents 639 indicated that the investigated
retailers were their main supplier for body care products and were used in our analysis.
From these 639 respondents, 564 could be allocated to one of the following four groups: readers of the
offline edition (n = 254; 45%), readers of the online edition (n = 30; 5%), readers of both the online and
the offline edition (n = 106; 19%), and non-readers (n = 174; 31%).
No significant differences were found between these four groups with respect to age (F(3,554) = 1.317; p =
2
.268) or education ( (6) = 5.725; p = .455). There is, however, a significant difference with respect to
2
gender ( (3) = 16.106; p = .001), suggesting that women are more likely to read the custom magazine
and that women are more likely than men to read the printed edition of the magazine. This aspect will be
explored in more detail in §4.3.3 (qualitative and quantitative reach).
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 28
6. 4.2 General analysis
Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was applied to the five relational factors: satisfaction, trust,
relationship commitment, willingness to recommend, and willingness to continue the relationship. The
calculations were performed using AMOS, version 16. Since our variables are not distributed joint
multivariate normal, our sample size (n = 564) is large (200-500 are required for simple models), and CFA
is a relatively simple model, we applied the Asymptotic Distribution Free (ADF) estimation procedure. All
loadings were significant and ranged from .64 to .90, well above Nunnally and Bernstein’s (1994)
suggested cutoff of .40.
2
The model was significant ( (73) = 96.043; p = .037), which is not surprising given this test’s known
sensitivity to large sample sizes (Bollen, 1989). However, alternative fit indices suggest that the CFA-
model fits the data reasonably well: the GFI statistic is .928, the CFI statistic is .953 and RMSEA = .024
(Bagozzi and Yi, 1988).
Cronbach’s alpha values are well above Malhotra’s (1996, p. 305) minimum value of .60 for satisfactory
internal consistency reliability.
Table 1 summarizes the results of the CFA and Cronbach’s alpha tests.
TABLE 1: RELIABILITY ESTIMATES AND FACTOR LOADINGS OF THE MEASUREMENT SCALES
Variable Item Factor loadings Cronbach’s
alpha
Satisfaction .86
Generally, I’m satisfied with [name retailer] 1 .72
Overall, [name retailer] is a good store 2 .65
I think I made the right decision to buy my 3 .75
products at [name retailer]
Trust .78
When I have a problem, I’m confident that [name 1 .73
retailer] does everything to help me solve the
problem
I trust [name retailer], their products and services 2 .74
I have confidence in [name retailer] as a store for 3 .64
my product needs
Relationship Commitment .85
I feel loyal to [name retailer] 1 .76
The relationship I have with [name retailer] is 2 .82
something I want to sustain
I feel involved with [name retailer] as a store for 3 .76
my purchases
Willingness to recommend .88
I talk positively about [name retailer] with my 1 .74
friends and family
I recommend [name retailer] when I’m asked for 2 .90
my opinion
When a friend asks me for advice, it’s very likely 3 .79
that I mention [name retailer]
Willingness to continue relationship .86
In the future, I certainly keep buying at [name 1 .76
retailer]
It’s very likely that I stay with [name retailer] for 2 .78
the next two years
I give preference to [name retailer] 3 .84
Additionally, using principal component analysis (PCA), each of the five constructs formed a reliable and
one dimensional scale.
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 29
7. These results suggest satisfactory levels for internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity. So,
though related to relationship commitment, the variables satisfaction, trust, willingness to recommend the
company and willingness to continue the relationship are different from this core concept.
The results of the Cronbach’s alpha tests for magazine engagement are .89 and .86 for the print version
and the digital version respectively. For brand image the Cronbach’s alpha value is .93. Cronbach’s alpha
values are well above Malhotra’s (1996, p. 305) minimum value of .60 for satisfactory internal consistency
reliability.
Using principal component analysis (PCA), both magazine engagement and brand image formed reliable
and one dimensional scales.
4.3 Key findings
4.3.1 Relationship commitment
Exhibit 1 shows the results with respect to the five relational aspects, including the performance indicator
relationship commitment, for the four readership groups. Analysis of variance revealed significant
differences between the four groups for the core concept of relationship commitment (F(3,560) = 19.717; p =
.000) as well as for satisfaction (F(3,560) = 5.543; p = .001), trust (F(3,560) = 12.940; p = .000), willingness to
continue the relationship (F(3,560) = 27.049; p = .000) and willingness to recommend (F(3,560) = 18.560; p =
.000). Based on post-hoc analysis (Scheffe-tests), we found, however, no significant differences between
readers of the offline magazine and readers of the online magazine with respect to perceived relationship
commitment, satisfaction, trust, willingness to recommend and willingness to continue the relationship.
However, on average, both groups perceived a much stronger relationship than non-readers. In addition,
readers of both magazine formats felt significantly more committed than readers of either the offline or the
online edition, even though the online edition did not offer any additional content.
EXHIBIT 1: RELATIONAL ASPECTS
6
5,5
5
4,5
4
Non-readers Online readers Offline readers Offline and
(n=174) (n=30) (n=254) online (n=106)
Commitment Satisfaction Trust
W. to continue W. to recommend
Though satisfaction and trust are suggested to be necessary conditions to achieve relationship
commitment, the results also show that high levels of satisfaction and trust do not guarantee a high level
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 30
8. of relationship commitment. As can be seen in Exhibit 1, despite relatively high levels of satisfaction and
trust relationship commitment is relatively low.
4.3.2 Image
Exhibit 2 shows the results of image perceptions by the four readership groups. Analysis of variance
revealed that the four groups differ significantly for each of the six aspects measured: expert (F(3,560) =
6.975; p = .000), reliable (F(3,560) = 12.770; p = .000), attractive (F(3,560) = 16.830; p = .000), professional
(F(3,560) = 5,800; p = .001), incorruptible (F(3,560) = 7.301; p = .000) and sympathetic (F(3,560) = 12.496; p =
.000). Post-hoc analysis shows that the small group of online readers does not differ from the other three
groups with respect to each of the image aspects, with the exception of attractiveness. In general, all
groups perceive their supplier positively, and readers of both the offline and online edition are the most
positive. Non-readers are the least positive about the sponsor’s image.
EXHIBIT 2: SPONSOR’S IMAGE
6,5
6
5,5
5
4,5
4
Expert Reliable Attractive Professional Incorruptible Sympathetic
Non-readers (n=174) Offline readers (n=254)
Online readers (n=30) Offline and Online (n=106)
4.3.3 Reach
4.3.3.1 Quantitative reach (number of readers)
As indicated before we distinguished four readership groups. That is, the 564 respondents contained 174
non-readers (31%), 30 readers of the online edition (5%), 254 readers of the offline edition (45%) and 106
readers of both the online and the offline edition (19%). Exhibit 3a summarizes these results and shows
the difference in audience reached directly by the offline (64%) and online (24%) edition of the custom
magazine.
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 31
9. EXHIBIT 3A: MEDIUM’S AUDIENCE (DIRECT)
100
90
80
70
=64
60
Pure
% 50
45 Both
40
30
=24
20 5
19
10 19
0
Offline Online
We also asked respondents to indicate if there are other members in their household (e.g. family
members) reading the magazine. We call this the spin-off to others, being the audience reached
indirectly. The results show that in case of an offline custom magazine other members of the household
read the magazine, relatively more than in case of an online edition of the custom magazine (See Exhibit
3b). So, there is some kind of a ‘double jeopardy’ effect here: the online edition of the magazine not only
is red by less customers (direct reach; Exhibit 3a), there is also less spin-off to other members of
customers’ households (indirect reach; Exhibit 3b), compared to the print edition.
EXHIBIT 3B: MEDIUM’S AUDIENCE (INDIRECT, SPIN-OFF)
Spin-off digital? 20% 66% 14%
Spin-off print? 47% 46% 7%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Yes No ?
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 32
10. 4.3.3.2 Qualitative reach (preferences)
The majority of respondents (58%) prefers reading the offline edition (see Exhibit 4A). So, the printed
magazine reading experience is still preferred. There are no correlations between preferences and socio-
2
demographic characteristics like age (F(2,382) =.175; p = .840) and education ( (4) = 6.583; p = .160).
There is, however, a correlation with gender as already suggested in §4.1. That is, men are more likely
2
than women to replace printed magazines with the digital alternative ( (2) = 10.077; p = .006). See exhibit
4B.
EXHIBIT 4A: READER’S PREFERENCES
58 14 29
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Offline (n=222) Online (n=53) Both (n=110)
EXHIBIT 4B: READER’S PREFERENCES (MALE VERSUS FEMALE)
Female (n=270) 63 11 26
Male (n=115) 46 20 34
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Offline (n=222) Online (n=53) Both (n=110)
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 33
11. 4.3.4 Average reading time
The survey revealed a difference in average reading time. The offline edition took an average reading
time of 23 minutes. That is about double the average reading time for online magazines (12.5 minutes).
4.3.5 Reader-magazine engagement
The willingness to pay for online content is almost absent. There seems to be a mind set that online
content should be available ‘for free’. Online, ‘(for) free’ has become the norm.
However, for print magazines there is some willingness to pay for content.
People don’t find much time for browsing magazines online. However, they are willing to spend time with
a printed one.
EXHIBIT 5: READER-MAGAZINE ENGAGEMENT
Attached to
7
6
5
Miss it 4 Familiar
3
2
1
Willing to pay Take time to read
Loyal
Offline ed. (n=366) Online ed. (n=135)
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 34
12. 5. CONCLUSIONS
Before drawing conclusions, we summarize the results using Table 2.
TABLE 2: SUMMARY OF RESULTS
Focus of research
Performance Indicators Offline Custom Online Custom Magazine
Magazine
Print ‘Page-turn’ ‘Rich Media’
1. Relational aspects ++ +(+) ++(+)
(e.g. commitment)
2. Image of the sponsor + + +(+)
3. Average reading time +++ + ++
4. Medium’s audience:
• Quantitative: ++ + ++
–Direct
–Indirect (spin-off)
++ 0 +
•Qualitative (preferences): +++ + ++
5. Reader-magazine + + +
engagement
Note: Indications are Note: This column contains
Page 8
relative assumptions
Our study explored the question of whether online page-turn custom magazines are an equivalent
alternative to offline custom magazines.
Our results suggest that digital page-turn custom magazines on screen are as effective as offline
magazines in building customer relationships. Offline custom magazines, however, still hold a much
stronger position, compared to online magazines, in terms of medium’s audience and average reading
time. Another benefit of offline publications is that customers in general, and women in particular, prefer
offline. Seemingly, it offers them something tangible and physical they can hold and engage with.
Based on our results demonstrated in §4 and summarized in Table 2 we conclude that the facsimile copy
of the print edition in a digital page-turn format does not stand up to print. Paper still ‘feels’ good and has
a huge amount of strength.
Presenting an existing paper custom magazine in a digital page-turn format on screen, is like thinking of
cars as horseless carriages. The screen is not a page and it’s not looked at in the same usability context
as a page. So, before we move to jettison the magazine, let’s understand what it is we’re throwing away.
Don’t reject the good with the bad.
6. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS
Custom magazines have a bright future online, but replicas of the print version distributed online are not
the future of the industry. It is to be seen as an intermediate technique. Marketers should guard against
investing huge amounts in this interim technology that soon will look out-dated. So, marketers thinking
about replacing their existing paper custom magazine for economical or environmental reasons, and
presenting it in exactly the same format on screen should reconsider their ambitions.
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, Volume 10, Number 4, 2010 35
13. Also, they should be aware that the digital magazine is suggested to compliment, rather than substitute,
the print edition very well, since media channels learn to co-exist. Each medium is good for its own
reasons and might have a different audience. Like stairs didn’t disappear at the introduction of the
elevator and radio still exists after the introduction of television, there still is place for print content in the
digital age. Although many titles will go out of print, as a medium print magazines are just too tangible, too
accessible, and provide too great of an experience for demand to completely disappear.
Moreover, marketers that want to introduce a digital replica next to the print version of their custom
magazine might (better) transplant it into an eBook since the market penetration of e-Book readers and
tablets (like the iPad from Apple) increases rapidly. Besides, the same benefit print magazines have
(offline portability) is a benefit many will see in e-Magazines on e-Readers. With an e-Book or tablet as a
delivery device for content, readers will be able to read and enjoy custom magazines in a relaxing manner
on their sofa (or the three B’s – Bathroom, Beach, Bus), and have a “lean-backward experience” instead
of a “lean-forward experience”. In addition, in case of an e-Magazine marketers have more control over
the design. And, as a benefit, for e-Books there is a willingness to pay.
Otherwise, marketers should use Rich Media when going online with their custom magazine.
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AUTHOR PROFILES:
Dr. Jos M.C. Schijns earned his Ph.D. at the Maastricht University, the Netherlands in 1999. He earned
his MBA at Webster University (“Academic Honors”). Currently he is an assistant professor at the Open
University of the Netherlands, School of Management, and program manager at the Cendris Research
Center.
Prof. Dr. Edith G. Smit (Ph.D 1999, University of Amsterdam) is a professor of Media and Advertising at
the University of Amsterdam, department of Communication Science.
____________________________________
* The empirical part for this article was made possible through the generous support of the Cendris
Research Center (CRC). Cendris is part of TNT Post, the Dutch national postal services.
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