Learn From the Winners
Reach your target audience
Be the go-to site in your market
Use your product to inspire the audience
A multi-platform message that got attention
Cosmo’s search for a Rockstar
Playboy brings reality TV to mobile
Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie gets multi-platform servings
Reinventing the Clairol Herbal Essence woman
Elle's marriage of editorial and advertising
A partnership helps readers reduce carbon footprints
A self-made social network
New methods, new audiences
Double bonus: more advertisers, more readers
Martha's sweet side
Cross-platform engagement
A relaunch springs from controversy
Juggling sponsors for a fashion encore
TechWeb delivers the leads
|
Iris Dorbian
Winner: Marketing Matters – Gear Head Issue 4
Launching a custom publishing project for a client is always a difficult and time-consuming undertaking. It’s even more so when your small PR boutique, not used to churning out this type of project, is basically competing with other firms to nab the coveted account. Such was the dilemma faced by the Hollywood, Fla.-based Marketing Matters in early 2007 when it was told by its largest client, AVAD, the consumer electronics company, that they wanted the agency to create a custom publication for them. The snag: AVAD was asking other agencies as well to come up with myriad ideas and mock-ups for the custom publication. May the best agency win.
Gearing Up
After coming up with the name of Gear Head, the Marketing Matters team homed in on a cover concept with the help of three full-time designers. They also went to work on the other in-book designs and put together a comprehensive budget that covered copywriting, design, proofreading/editing, print and mailing. Putting the final touches to the artwork, the agency dispatched all materials to AVAD and played the waiting game for three months. Finally, they got the eagerly anticipated call: They won the account! Now came the hard part: hunkering down to produce the custom publication.
Reality Sets In
Creating the first issue of Gear Head was a formidable challenge, from inception to completion. Materials needed to finish the first issue weren’t coming in on a timely fashion; plus, extensive rewriting was required for the editorial content. But after AVAD agreed on a cover, the production process flowed more smoothly, even if the agency did have to create from scratch a dozen ads for AVAD vendors to be included in the first issue. Fortunately, everything worked out and the first issue of Gear Head was finished in time for the CEDIA (Custom Electronic Trade Show Training Education) Expo, a key tradeshow for the client. Gear Head generated a lot of positive buzz, pleasing the client to no end.
The Outcome
So successful was Gear Head that AVAD has decided to publish the book three times a year. The agency will be working on its eighth issue by the end of the year. Gear Head has not only been popular in the consumer/customer electronics industry but it has opened doors for the custom publishing arm of Marketing Matters.
The Contingency Factor
For the team at Marketing Matters, the key lesson learned while working on this project is the importance of preparedness. “Troubleshoot for problems before they occur and always have contingency plans in place,” says Michael Plontz, director of marketing. “When you address what-if situations up front, you save time, money and headaches for all parties involved in the project.”
Honorable Mentions:
Hearst Integrated Media – 30 Days of Fashion 2008: For the month of September, Hearst Integrated Media launched 30 Days of Fashion, a multi-tiered program designed to bring readers and consumers into the world of fashion during one of its most important—and celebrated—times of the year. Last fall marked 30 Days of Fashion’s third year, and it proved to be hugely successful thanks to its integrated combination of print and digital media, events, promotions and entertainment.
Midwest Living – Michigan Travel Ideas: Midwest Living’s 16-year partnership with the Michigan tourism office led to the production of Michigan Travel Ideas, a top publication in the destination marketing industry due to its creative and effective marketing messages. Midwest Living and Travel Michigan devoted an incredible amount of planning and editing to ensure that the material they feature is not only compelling and easy for individuals to read, but also successful in reaching out to the client’s best potential customers.
People Magazine – “People Celebrates the Holidays with Kraft": To assist in promoting Kraft’s products as “A-list” ingredients during the holiday season, People and Kraft collaborated in producing a celebrity-filled print and online 360 degree holiday promotion. People and People en Español released a special Home for the Holidays issue, along with a holiday entertaining site and custom e-card site, to bring the attention of pop culture enthusiasts and moms looking to celebrate the holidays with celebrities to Kraft’s A-list ingredients.
Successful Meetings (Nielsen Business Media) – South Africa Meeting & Incentive Planner’s Guide: Nielsen Business produced The South Africa Meeting and Incentive Planners Guide, a creative print/online publication, in late 2008 in support of the South African Tourism office and its corporate partners. The 12-page print supplement, along with the Nxtbook digital version that is e-mailed to 5,000 subscribers, serves as a year-round reference and planning tool for South Africa Tourism’s target audience.
Back to min's IMA and Sweet 16
IMAs/Sweet 16 Archives
|
