A Successful Magazine Launch? Sort Of

It's no secret that the magazine business has seen better days, but can a magazine that's also a direct marketing vehicle fare better? The co-launch of the customizable "mine" magazine, an experimental project from Lexus and Time Inc., should begin to answer that question. It has been, so far, a print and digital magazine with targeted and expertly written content, but also with promotions dedicated solely to the Lexus brand. Free sign-ups began March 20 and end on June 15. The limited 31,000 complimentary print subscriptions offered in the promotion were nabbed in the first month, said Kris Connell, spokeswoman for Time Inc., New York, while "tens of thousands" of consumers have been signing up to receive the digital version of the magazine by e-mail since the launch, she said. The campaign was kicked off by ads promoting the customized magazine and its signup landing page, www.timeinc.com/mine, appearing in the spring editions of numerous Time Inc. print and online properties. Once at the landing page, visitors could select five titles from eight publications of subsidiaries of Time Warner Inc. and American Express Co., such as Time, Sports Illustrated, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Money, In Style, Golf and Travel + Leisure. When the customized piece arrived in the mailbox or inbox, subscribers would receive one of 56 possible editorial combinations for the magazine. Each 36-page print or digital edition of "mine." featured four full-page ads for the Lexus RX 2010. The articles were presented in five sections, with each editorial brand getting its own dedicated space. The stories weren't fresh news, but evergreen pieces from past issues, as the publishers looked to avoid overlapping content from recent magazine editions. Dave Nordstrom, vp-marketing for Toyota unit Lexus, Torrance, Calif., characterized his brand's positive consumer response- particularly to the customized mail piece-as "overwhelming." Nordstrom suggested that the "mine" initiative may be ahead of the curve when it comes to the direction of print-based communications and direct-response marketing. "Everyone has opinions about how print media should evolve," he said. "But the way people's consumption of media [has changed] - people are able to customize on the Internet. The idea that people are able to customize a print magazine for themselves, I think, has a lot of potential in a lot of different ways." During the campaign, the Lexus ad copy also could appear personalized. With data-targeting, individuals who completed an optional online survey would find that advertisements fit their stated circumstances. For example, a copy line for a Washington, D.C.-area subscriber could read: "We designed the RX with an available side-view camera because parallel parking pretty much anywhere close to the White House can be challenging." Copy on the back of the print book would include the recipient's name: "The All-New 2010 RX. Now With More [First/Last Name]." Lexus' agency of record, Los Angeles-based Team One, played a role in the marketing effort along with the carmaker and Time Inc. Stephanie George, evp and president for advertising and sales for Time Inc., said the magazine has drawn a great deal of interest, so much so that "we [hope] to dial it up and get it to another level. But in order to do that, we wanted to see if there would be a great deal of response. So far, so good." Nordstrom stopped short of saying his brand would use the same kind of effort to push 2011 releases, citing the RX 2010's unusual synergy with the custom print idea. The 2010 SUV can be customized by the purchaser in 22 ways, with eight additional possible options that can be handled by a dealer. "We are happy with the number of people signing up and the feedback we're getting from it," Nordstrom said. "But we'll have to see if it works for other vehicles. The reason the idea has worked so well for the RX 2010 is because it [builds on] the car's overall campaign. My expectation is that we will continue to talk to Time Inc. about things, whether it's specifically 'mine.' magazine or other opportunities in the future." The trial effort has not been without a significant mishap. Five issues were originally scheduled to be mailed or emailed every two weeks for 10 weeks. But during the initial round of send-outs, a computer glitch led to many subscribers receiving a version that looked like it belonged to someone else. So an e-mail letter with the signature of Wayne Powers, president, Time Inc. Media Group, was sent on April 15 to the entire list, apologizing for the error and letting recipients know that a sixth freebie issue was being added. George said the glitch was fixed immediately, didn't repeat itself, and was minimized by the apology letter. "The risk often, in our beliefs, is not taking the risk to begin with," she said. "We really believe in testing ourselves on both the sales and marketing side."

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A Successful Magazine Launch? Sort Of

Christopher Heine

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Christopher Heine