Custom publishing proves the ‘soft sell’ hits home with consumers
People tend to be skeptical by nature. They don’t want to be “sold.” So how can marketers reach them without making it sound like a sales pitch? One answer: Send them a magazine that’s so visually appealing, so personal, so tailored to their interests – that their intrigue outweighs their uncertainty.
“A custom magazine allows you to form a connection with a customer that is totally unique compared to any other form of marketing communication,” explains Jeremy Morris, senior vice president at Campbell-Ewald Publishing, in Michigan. “Once that connection is established, a relationship ensues between the brand and its constituent audience. With that relationship comes familiarity and, eventually, trust.”
For more than 16 years, ACDelco, a global aftermarket parts supplier, has relied on a custom publication to maintain a solid relationship with distributors and independent service centers.
Its magazine, Intune, serves as the voice of ACDelco to its distribution channel. It provides in-depth coverage of industry trends and technological advancements, while also delving into high-level topics such as ACDelco’s global positioning strategy.
“We needed a mechanism by which we could ‘talk’ to our customers on a regular basis, to keep ACDelco top of mind,” says ACDelco Advertising Manager John Zamzow. “We have so much to say, and Intune is, quite literally, the best way to say it. Just as the name implies, Intune‘s goal is to keep readers ‘in tune’ with ACDelco and the automotive aftermarket.”
Recent survey results of Intune readers indicate ACDelco’s magazine is getting through to its customers:
Two-thirds of all survey respondents read all or more than half of their copy of Intune magazine.
80 percent of readers pass their copy of Intune on to at least one other person.
Nearly 85 percent report the information to be very helpful to their business.
Most replied having a “positive” feeling about ACDelco as a result of the publication.
“Ultimately, ACDelco wants to maintain its top of mind awareness with the key players in the automotive aftermarket, and it looks to Intune to help facilitate that effort,” Zamzow explains. “Intune is a good medium for us to develop the whys and wherefores of what we do.”
