Custom Publishing and Redwood

                                                                          

For me, spring is about fresh starts, new beginnings, and this year, starting my first internship in the world of magazine publishing.  At the beginning of this internship process, I was trying with all my might to find an internship at a huge, glossy, consumer magazine.  I wanted fashion, glitz, celebrity, and glamour.  After months of sending out resumes which were mainly ignored by my favourite magazines, I gave up and seeked an alternative.  What I found was Redwood Custom Publishing, one of the largest custom publishers in Toronto, and thankfully they offered me a 6-week internship.

As excited as I am to become a temporary “Redwoodie,” I am also a little nervous as I don’t feel completely confident about custom publishing and treading the fine line between advertising and the actual “branded content” of the magazine.  According to a Custom Publishing Council study, “customized content is growing at a faster rate than traditional media” and this is due to “higher spending by corporate America,  a surge in high-revenue businesses, and a consistent move from the newsletter format to the magazine format.”  (http://(http://www.pubexec.com/story/story.bspsid=53715&var=story &publication=Publishing%20Executive&publicationDate=4/27/07&slug=PEINBOX4_042707&category =Managemen t§ion=Unknown&page=1) )  So, corporations then are looking to entice and draw more consumers through the trusted medium of the magazine.  They can deliver information to customers about their products and, without hiding the fact that the magazine is primarily an advertisement for their products/services, they try to create editorial content around it.  The hope then, is to help customers feel closer to the company and create brand loyalty. 

According to the Custom Publishing Council, “custom publishing marries the marketing ambitions of a company with the information needs of its target audience. This occurs through the delivery of editorial content– via print, Internet, and other media – so intrinsically valuable that it moves the recipient’s behavior in a desired direction.”

Are custom publishers duping their readers?  Is it all manipulation?  All a ploy to disguise branding within editorial content?

I will argue not.  Custom publishing makes no bones about the fact that it is advertising a company’s product or service.  Why not offer customers a high quality magazine as an incentive or reward for the purchase or use of a product/service? 

What do you think? Is it manipulation? Or a savvy marketing technique?  A great way to create brand loyalty and inform readers about your products?