Why “Custom” Is So Cool
Finding new and different ways to keep your audience engaged can be a challenge.
Consumers are bombarded with brands through multiple channels: TV, social media
and Web and print advertising. And within these channels, the interaction
between a brand and the audience is lightning fast, so standing out and making
a lasting impression is no easy task.
Custom publishing is one solution to the problem. It’s a broad category that
encompasses more than just print media, and it’s distinguished from other
marketing/advertising tactics because it focuses on the brand while giving
equal (or greater) weight to the overall needs of the audience. This
distinction is probably most evident in the audience’s willingness to
participate in this type of brand interaction. Readers are pleased to receive
valuable information that’s about more than the brand; it’s relevant to their
lifestyle and needs.
Big-Brand Examples
Big-time brands use custom publications to communicate what’s important to
their industry and their customers. Bank of America, who works at the top of
one of America’s most highly scrutinized industries, provides its customers
with financial advice through its publication, Financial Well Being. In this
way, the bank is building brand attachment in a way that’s meaningful to
customers. And if you’ve traveled without a book or iPod recently, you’ve
probably picked up the latest issue of your chosen airline’s custom
publication: Southwest has Spirit, recently merged Continental and United had
Continental and Hemispheres, respectively. These publications provide travel
and destination information for flyers.
Finding the right opportunity for creating a custom publication is as simple as
fulfilling the needs of interested customers. Curves, the women’s fitness
franchise, for example, publishes Diane, an online and printed magazine with
health tips and advice for women in their core demographic. And in many cases,
the information offered up in these kinds of custom publications is doing the
job of advertising without looking or feeling like advertising. It provides
information about services and products, but also helps build trust in your
brand.
A Long-Lasting Impression
Because the content of custom publications is editorial (versus traditional
marketing and advertising rhetoric), these publications promote a lasting
customer-brand experience and have a significantly longer shelf life. When
Carnegie Mellon University wanted to honor a generous group of donors, for
example, Brady Communications helped the university create a
commemorative publication that was also an impactful display piece. The
book is a collection of portraits and descriptions of CMU donors who are part
of the prestigious Highland Circle Society. The group honored in the book was
able to hand select the artists – CMU students, alumni and teachers – to
complete their portrait, and the final product was a highly stylized, editorial
book that any CMU alumnus would be proud to display.
Custom publications are also a great way to interact with an internal audience.
To help reposition its brand to employees and stakeholders, First Data
Corporation partnered with Brady Communications to reach out to and re-energize
their workforce. The centerpiece of the effort was a hardbound book,
Straight Talk: The First Data Story. It was a truly interactive piece,
including note-taking sections and questions aimed directly at employees, that
helped refocus the brand from the ground up.