- Mark Dolliver

NEW YORK Amid print media's highly visible struggles, consumers remain open to printed custom publications, according to a survey commissioned by the Custom Publishing Council and released this week.

In polling conducted for the report by Roper Public Affairs during February and March, 59 percent of respondents said they at least occasionally pick up and look through printed custom publications they receive. Ninety-three percent were familiar with at least one sort of custom publication.

People generally understand that such publications are marketing vehicles, and not disinterested efforts to expand the fund of human knowledge. But they don't object to the trade-off entailed in this: 78 percent said they "don't mind the fact that sponsors are clearly selling their products and services, as long as the publications are filled with interesting information." Indeed, 66 percent said they're "likely to buy from the same company that provided them with a custom publication," and 63 percent said they've "bought something they saw mentioned or advertised in a custom publication."

In part, custom publications benefit from the contrast with ordinary advertising. Seventy-four percent of those polled said "getting information from a company through an interesting collection of articles, rather than an ad, is more appealing."

While custom publishing, like uncustom publishing, has been migrating online, its print incarnation has a loyal constituency, particularly among people who get publications related to their work. When the survey asked these respondents whether they'd prefer to get such publications in print or online, 56 percent opted for the former, vs. 37 percent for the latter.