For me there’s a certain deliciousness about the texture and tangibility of a brand-new glossy
Silky pages, stunning photography and an ocean of well-chosen words – for me, it’s hard to beat. A few years ago I wrote a piece about the dangers of forsaking print publications in favour of digital media.
Back then I argued that both print and digital had its respective place and that each could learn something from the other. I even remember bandying the word ‘integrated’ around. How terribly visionary of me!
But joking aside, I have spent the past few years watching technology develop at an incredible rate and insinuate itself into the publishing world… and wondering whether magazines actually do have a long-term future.
I’m a print girl, I’ll admit it. I love magazines. So my heart is well and truly warmed by the Association of Publishing Agencies’ news that the customer publishing industry has bounced back to 2008 levels and is now worth more than £900 million a year.
New print titles are launching all the time and more brands are turning to publishing agencies to create high-quality, bespoke magazines that have a firm focus on editorial and design excellence.
I’m delighted that customer magazines are experiencing this resurgence, but the cynic in me is surprised that brands are returning, or remaining loyal, to customer publishing in the light of the ‘buzz’ around digital.
The plain fact is that many brands have had an epiphany and, despite the recession, the power of print is dawning on them. Magazines remain superior in their ability to showcase imagery and texture – for the time being at least.
Don’t get me wrong, I ‘get’ digital too. These days I’m far more likely to satisfy my daily news fix on the Internet than I am to sit down with a newspaper, and much of my life is planned and conducted through my smartphone. What makes me even happier is that digital brands are also seeing the value of print – in 2011, Google launched its Think Quarterly print title, a weighty, limited-edition magazine created for opinion leaders. Why? Because Google wanted to communicate with its audience via a tangible communication channel.
However, it would be wrong to say that this growth in customer publishing is strictly limited to magazines. Customer ‘publishing’ now comprises anything from print channels to websites, ezines, and social media.
Brands have realised that customer publishing is relatively inexpensive when it comes to raising brand awareness, encouraging loyalty and prompting recommendations.
An entertaining, informative and well-targeted magazine can engage readers in deeper and more meaningful ways than a straightforward ad campaign and is therefore a compelling investment. Customer publishing, in its many guises, gives brands a unique voice and an opportunity to create lasting dialogue with their customers.
Success, of course, lies in the ability to create compelling content, rather than out-and-out company spin. Content that’s relevant, adds value and enhances the customer experience is becoming increasingly desirable to brands because they can see it’s effective.
So here’s to customer publishing and the rise of branded content – in all of its integrated, beautiful and bespoke glory. The customer magazine is dead. Long live the customer magazine!