It is great news that Lastminute.com has decided to publish a
customer magazine (Press Gazette, 17 June) as a direct response to the
need that the company identified, to make “a more emotional connection
with customers”, since this is precisely what customer magazines can
achieve.
It is particularly striking to see an online brand using
an offline marketing channel to develop its relationship with its
customer base.
Many brands would simply assume that customers who
shop online are best targeted online. But through e-mail or banner ads,
for example, the use of customer magazines can be highly effective when
you want to communicate a more complicated message, or simply want
customers to spend more time with your brand.
Recent research by
the Association of Publishing Agencies has shown that consumers spend
25 minutes reading a customer magazine, and that customer titles
provoke customer response, with 44 per cent of readers interacting with
the brand in some way as a direct result of reading the customer
magazine. With well put-together content and sensible targeting,
Lastminute.com magazine will certainly have the potential to achieve
its goal, an emotional connection with customers.
Tom Wasilewski, head of publishing, Royal Mail
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