Over the past two weeks, two new editions of mine. magazine arrived in my mailbox. I’m happy to report that the original “computer glitch” has been corrected and I now only have the magazine articles from the five publications I had originally requested: Travel+Leisure, Real Simple, Food & Wine, Time, and Money. I already have a subscription to Money, so none of those articles contained new material.
New Articles Read (8 of 34):
- How to Look Out an Airplane Window by Jeff Wise. Travel+Leisure
- Mustique Magic by Michael Gross. Travel+Leisure
- Solar Power Hits Home by Bryan Walsh. Time
- Viewing Outside the Box by James Poniewozik. Time
- Facebook Is for Old People by Lev Grossman. Time
- A Brief History of: Credit Cards by M.J. Stephey. Time
- Reusable Bags by Kate Parker. Real Simple
- Fitting the Bill by Frances Romero. Real Simple
Although I read less than 25% percent of the articles, I think this could be an interesting way for magazine publishers to grow their subscription base. Imagine being able to go to a publications website to select a cross section of articles from only the magazines that interest you the most. The free, print on demand, personalized publication could be subsidized by targeted, variable data advertising. A special subscription rate could be offered to the customer that could also subsidize the cost of sending the promotional magazine. This was my experience with mine. where I found little interest in Food & Wine but significant interest in Time. The true intention, however, of mine. was as a one-to-one marketing piece for the auto brand Lexus.
Admittedly, I had to look on the back cover of the issue to remember the magazine was advertising the launch of the “all-new 2010 RX” sport utility vehicle from Lexus. So far, each issue of mine. has utilized variable data printing on three advertising pages and the back cover. The marketing pilot, in my opinion, is both a hit and a miss. The overall marketing message is relatively weak when supported by a poor implementation of variable data. Some of the one-to-one copy was simply off the mark with sayings such as, “we know how much you love sports.” There are only two sporting events that I ever follow: the NCAA basketball tournament and one college football team. This hardly qualifies me as a sports aficionado. Other times the ad copy is simply hokey insinuating Lexus thought so much about personalizing the 2010 RX as to call it by the readers name. Give me a break. With all of the missed opportunities, the selling points and “it” factor of the RX are completely lost. This point is highlighted by the fact that seven out of the nine advertisements tout features that are on the interior of the car, but there has been only one picture of the interior thus far. The other pictures, which could support the ad copy, are simple exterior product shots. The ads failed to show me why I should care about a Mark Levinson audio system or why I need a heads-up display, side view camera, and radar cruise control. Honestly, the biggest impression from the ads so far was a reference to Bruce Springsteen. Fortunately, the placements for the 2010 RX are not diluted by other advertisers so repetition does help capture the reader’s attention. Similarly, the novelty of this never-been-tried-before marketing approach does elevate the overall attention to the brand.
Make sure the project needs VDP, not the project manager.
Points to Improve your VDP
- Variable data is only as good as the market research targeting your customer. Know thy customer and their needs!
This could have been accomplished for mine. through a more thorough opt-in survey. - Make sure the project needs VDP, not the project manager.
- Create witty, anecdotal, or hard hitting copy. Make the reader remember the message.
- Let the artwork sell, or at least complement, the copy.
There are three more issues to peruse. For Lexus’ sake, I hope by the end there are more readers who can remember why the 2010 RX might be a car worth considering.
