We, the trade media, interrupt this publication to announce that we're having an identity crisis. First, the Web's "Content is King" mantra made it kosher for corporations to
compete alongside traditional publishers online as content purveyors. Now many of the same companies that scored points on the Internet trust-o-meter are launching print
publications to tighten their bonds with key stakeholders. And their PR teams are often the ones shaping editorial strategy.
"Custom publishing is arguably the new media," says Eric Schneider, CEO of Redwood Custom Communications, a Toronto-based consulting firm that has developed magazines for J.C.
Penney and Volvo, among others. "You can't compare the cost of a 30-second spot with a 30-minute read. Penetration on paper is significantly higher. If the editorial quality
[of your magazine] is sound, people will let you into their lives," he says. Gaining "couch time" with readers is the ultimate coup.
Indeed, the much ballyhooed "disintermedia-tion" of the media is no longer a trend relegated to the online world. Offline corporate "publishers" who satiate their readers'
content cravings stand a good chance of forming the same kinds of meaningful, ongoing relationships that traditional publishers have enjoyed for years. Not to mention that magic
word in the branding equation, trust.
"A custom publication conveys a value-added service to your customers [or investors, or employees]," says Diana Pohly, president of the Boston-based firm Pohly & Partners
and co-chair of the Custom Publishing Council at Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). "It says, 'We care about you, we understand you and the issues of your life, and we're
interested in your feedback."
On the Brandwagon
As a communications strategy, custom publishing has come of age in virtually every vertical industry. Retail giant J.C. Penney now publishes two fashion titles - Noise, for
teens, and Real You, for adult women. Paint manufacturer Glidden publishes Color, a home-decorating guide sold through Home Depot stores. The Michigan arm of Blue Cross/Blue
Shield touts Living Healthy, a magazine that goes out to 1.8 million members, featuring health advice from medical experts. (Content is even split into two versions - one for
families and one for senior citizens.) And in January, Kinko's launched IMPRESS, a bimonthly bundle of expert advice for small business owners (PRN, March 20). The list goes on.
While custom pubs may have gotten a bad rap in the past - deemed boring fluff, at best, and self-serving dogma at worst - the newest generation of self-consciously branded
magazines are more sophisticated. And so are their readers. "People know [corporate magazines are PR] vehicles," Schneider says. "But they have no objection to that, as long as
the editorial content is credible."
Credible, meaning useful and well-sourced - but not necessarily 100 percent objective. The conventional "thou shalt not tout thy own name" rule has been modified.
Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., for example, bolstered its own page visibility at the prompting of its editorial board members (most of whom are traditional journalists). "At the last
editorial meeting, they all said, 'Why aren't you pitching Ritz-Carlton more [in your content]?'" says Stephanie Platt, corporate director of communications and editor of the
magazine. "We were so afraid of being brochure-like that we were neglecting valuable opportunities [to leverage our brand]."
To wit: The Ritz-Carlton Magazine now limits its coverage to travel destinations where its hotels are located. But its content still puts the readers' interests on par with
the company's. A new department for golfers called "One Perfect Hole" is eerily similar in approach to Condé Nast Traveler's popular "Room with a View" feature, which singles out
exceptional hotel rooms.
"When guests see us recommend a destination, they're confident that it's high-end quality," Platt says. "There's an inherent trust in there that what we pick will be five-
star. It's like a referral."
Balance in the Mix
The most successful custom publications are those that marry readers' interests with the overall business goals of the corporation - including goals set by other departments
such as marketing and sales.
"The magazine has to be integrated into a larger campaign," says Jon Reischel, senior PR consultant with HSR Business to Business, a Cincinnati firm that helps b-to-b clients
develop editorial products. Content should work in sync with company messages in advertising, press releases and the like.
But by the same token, a custom pub has to stay focused on readers' concerns to maintain its integrity as an editorial product. Reischel cites SAGE, a quarterly magazine
published by food equipment manufacturer Hobart for its customers in the restaurant and food service industries. "The magazine content isn't just focused on [Hobart's] own line of
equipment, but also on larger issues that are important to their customer base, like food safety," he says.
Industry Barometer
Although experts guestimate that 90-95 percent of custom titles are published inhouse by corporate PR or marketing teams, the custom pub consulting track - once a cottage
industry - has now grown into a billion dollar business, according to the MPA. Consultant proliferation is always a good sign that a business strategy has "arrived." Not to
mention the fact that traditional publishing giants like Time Inc., Forbes, Meredith, Gruner & Jahr and CMP have set up custom shops on the side, with hopes of capitalizing on
the trend.
Among the tools in the PR arsenal, a customized magazine is a darn good reputation management tool - if you can afford the expense. "If you're serious about doing an honest-
to-god magazine with some level of regularity and longevity, don't even consider it without a minimum $500,000 annual investment," says Pohly. "And that's a dead minimum for a
quarterly magazine."
How do you pitch a seven-figure budget item to your company's senior management team? Pohly paints a vivid picture. "When was the last time a customer rushed to the mailbox
in anticipation of your direct mail piece?" she says. "They'll do that if your magazine gives them something they need."
(Schneider, Redwood, 416/360-7339; Pohly 617/457-3933; Platt, Ritz-Carlton, 404/237-5500; Reischel, HSR B2B, 513/671-3811; MPA, 212/872-3722)
Help for Would-Be Publishers
Thinking of launching a custom magazine but not sure where to start? The Custom Publishing Council, a committee of the Magazine Publishers of America, offers an overview of
custom publishing strategies and benefits, along with tips on how to integrate your magazine into your company's overall business goals. For more information, call Larry Kaufman
at MPA: 212/872-3765.
Is it Marketing or PR?
Diana Pohly, president of Pohly & Partners, says that half of the custom publishing projects she handles for clients are driven by the PR team, while the other half are
initiated by marketing staff. The two camps seldom mix, she says. But in ideal situations, they work together.
Independent Custom Publishing Consultants
Hanley-Wood Custom
Publishing (Minneapolis)
612/338-8300
http://www.hwcp.com
Clients: FedEx, American
Society of Interior Designers, Pillsbury
HSR B2B (Cincinnati)
513/671-3811
http://www.hsrb2b.com
Clients:
Makino, Hobart, Steed Hammond Paul, Cincinnati Bell
Pace Communications
(Greensboro, NC)
336/378-6065
Clients: United, Delta,US Airways, Acura, Holiday Inn
Pohly & Partners (Boston)
617/457-3933
http://www.pohlypartners.com
Clients:
Continental, TWA, UAW Daimler-Chrysler, Western Union
Redwood Custom
Communications (Toronto)
416/360-7339
http://www.redwood-publishing.com
Clients:
J.C. Penney, Glidden, Volvo