Customer Magazines Create Strong Brand Loyalty

Customer magazines can stimulate a substantial 8% increase in average sales uplift, due to the strong connection and brand loyalty experienced by readers, according to new research from the Association of Publishing Agencies (APA).

The APA Advantage Study, conducted by Millward Brown, found that customer titles engage readers, leading to stronger brand relationships and resulting in enhanced brand image and behavioural change.

The research reveals that consumers spend 25 minutes reading a customer magazine, with 32% more committed to the brand after reading the publication.

Just under half, 44%, of readers were shown to interact with the brand in some way as a direct result of reading the customer magazine, while corporate brand image was enhanced by 9% through engagement with editorial content.

Commenting on the findings, Julia Hutchison, director of APA said: “Accountability has forever been the marketing directors’ bugbear. In order to boost confidence in the medium, we have with this research, demonstrated for the first time that customer magazines can deliver tangible and significant results for a brand.”

She continued: “The research categorically illustrates the contribution that customer magazines clearly make to a marketing programme – with no other marketing channel being as measurably effective at simultaneously building brands, driving sales and generating loyalty.”

Jason Frost, APA chairman elect (from June 2005) said: “The research is an ongoing project. We expect the launch of this first wave of results to motivate more and more clients/customer publishers to put their titles forward for measurement.”

He added: “Currently the three main sectors we have concentrated on have been retail, finance and automotive. However by the end of the year we believe we’ll have comprehensive industry benchmarks for business to business, IT/Telecoms, leisure/travel, property and utilities.”

Turnover for the customer magazine industry topped £385 million during 2004, enjoying an increase of almost 10% since 2003 and a massive 244% over the last decade, according to research published earlier this year from Mintel.

The study, commissioned by the Association of Publishing Agencies (APA), forecasts that customer magazines will become increasingly integrated into the marketing mix, with turnover for the sector expected to exceed £531 million by 2009.

Association of Publishing Agencies: www.apa.co.uk

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