Over three quarters of trusted brands publish customer magazines

Over three quarters (78%) of the UK’s most trusted brands regularly publish a customer magazine, new research from Royal Mail has revealed.

Organisations including British Airways, Tesco, Virgin, Norwich Union, British Gas and AA were all recently named trusted brands within their respective categories (non-FMCG categories) by Reader’s Digest annual survey. They were also found to publish a customer title as an integrated part of their customer communication strategy.

Some of the brands featuring in the 2008 Trusted list also picked up industry awards for their customer titles such as BA’s High Life, which won Most Effective Travel and Leisure title at this year’s APA Effectiveness Awards.

Emily Fovargue, head of publishing at Royal Mail, said: “The fact that such a large proportion of Most trusted organisations have a customer title cannot be disregarded.

“Customer publishing has long been recognised for its unique ability to engender loyalty and drive direct sales, whilst also acquiring new customers. It seems we can now add encouraging trust amongst its core strengths.”

Last week, research by Mintel commissioned by the Association of Publishing Agencies found that the customer publishing industry has experienced impressive growth in the face of a tough economic climate (see New research reveals customer publishing showing impressive growth).

Royal Mail:: www.royalmail.com