UNIVERSAL MAGAZINES GIVES AWAY 1 MILLION MAGAZINES
27 Nov 2012
Universal Magazines giving away 1,000,000 digital magazine editions in a clever promotion designed to identify and attract new customers to its brands.
Universal Magazines giving away 1,000,000 digital magazine editions in a clever promotion designed to identify and attract new customers to its brands.
The company is marketing a number of online destinations from which consumers can apply to download single, free digital issues. Sites such as ourfreegifttoyou.com.au and freehomemagazine.com.au are used to capture new customers who are then processed through a sequence of communications, which further engage them with the brands they have selected. “This campaign is now on a very significant scale and is bringing new customers in to our brand communities,” said Emma Perera, Associate Publisher.
Digital Pathway to Print?
“Early trials showed that digital can be used to promote brands and then lead the customer to subsequent purchase of editions via direct mail or retail,” commented Ms. Perera “When we present offers to digitally-acquired customers they are just as likely to order print, as they are digital, if they like the product. We have run digital promotions that have given us a sales spike at retail – it’s just a question of uncovering the customer and making them aware of your product, or rewarding their retail purchase with digital incentives,” said Ms. Perera.
“It would seem that since digital, we are winning new customers and that more material is being read — just not exclusively in the digital environment,” said Ms. Perera.
Niche Magazines are the Winner
“The smorgasbord of magazine offerings available to us has made us picky,” said Ms. Perera. “We can indulge our interests and we can demand the world’s best because it is right there on our screens. This is the perfect situation for publishers of niche or targeted magazine products. Niche magazines tend to retain their fans for a longer life-cycle once they win them. Once a customer becomes a fan, they want to know about what you do — special editions, diaries and merchandise are all part of the desired brand experience.”
Universal Magazines is Australia’s largest niche publisher. Universal’s 50 magazine titles include leaders in home, craft, bike and lifestyle categories, plus 12 niche websites. The company owns Australian Publishing Company, Universal Online Media and Westwick-Farrow Media. Universal Magazines is an independently owned private company.