We are promoting the latest issue of Gourmet Traveller at the counter this week. The free Italian cookbook which comes with the magazine earns it a place in this high traffic location. As we are finding more often the case now, we received little in the way of marketing collateral to support the title – so we made our own.
Mark,
What kind of collateral do you want?
As a publisher I would love to supply as much as possible however so little of it will make it to the shop floor it becomes more efficient to just give it to the merchandisers.
When your a smaller publsher, we are so keen to help agents promote our products but the inefficiency of supplying everyone for a few to use the stuff collateral makes it impossible.
So, what can an independent do?
Quentin, I appreciate the challenge. Some publishers run an opt-in program where proactive newsagents promise to push a title and in return they receive specail collateral and, homefully, a financial reward.
Every newsagent will tell you a different set of requirements for collateral. My ideal regular pack would be: 12 cover run ons, 2 x A2 posters and maybe a landscape poster every so often.
The other promotional idea I like is sampling. Not of an old copy of a magazine but an article or two in a small format which we could give away. Have a space on the back for a newsagency stamp – so we can promote our business.
An opt-in program would undoubtedly be best. Let newsagents choose what colateral they want. Each store will be different.
In our circumstance we don’t do POS colateral so there would be no need for publishers to waste money on posters that are never going to be used.
I love the sampling idea. We’d get behind this 100%.
Quentin, As a smaller newsagency we don’t get any merchandisers visiting us so we do appreciate publishers sending POS material which we swap around in different sections of the shop and outside so customers see something different. We try to promote different titles – even if they have low sales to promote that we do have titles that others may not want but unfortunatley, and this is the point you are making is not all of it can be used so we have to pick and choose to what weekly or monthly magazines have the better appeal and/or offer.
How I like engagement by publishers, positive, contribution wise and negative if required, nice one Quentin!
Thanks for the ideas – really appreciate it.
Looks like the sampling would be the goer. I will have a owrd with the guys at NDD about an opt-in for collateral.
Are they doign this for titles with you guys at the moment or will I have to push this through myself?
Mark, we did run a program of back issues with some agents which I beleive had results for us and the newsagents – does it ring a bell with anyone?
Australian Traveller was the mag in case you don’t know.
Cheers
Q
Quentin thanks for engaging here!
Quentin, The latest issue is great, if I had posters, etc I would have promoted it, but it sold itself.
Popular Science/ Gordon and Gotch gave us a higher commission last month. I sold out as a direct result of the incentive and this months sales are looking already like selling out, with half as much effort put into merchandising.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for the feedback Michael.
How about I post the collateral from my office to any agent who wants it?
Send me the details and I will execute – in the meantime I will have a word with NDD.
Higher commission: I have often wonderd what kind of difference this would make – anyone else want to give me a show of hands?
Mark feel free to blog it for me.
Cheers
Q
Apologies for crashing the thread, but something of a little relevance here, in terms of publishers vs suppliers.
Last week, a customer of ours wanted a recent back issue of a title, but the supplier (the other N word) doesn’t do back issues. At all. What’s with that? Isn’t that their job?
Direct contact with the publisher meant that there is one in the mail as we speak!
How hard is it really?
So it’s good to see another publisher willing to work directly, if required.
Higher commission means increased attention from me, a better piece of real estate, more care in placement.
Count me in!
Nice post Y&G- Publisher engagement should be encouraged and it pleases me when I see a post with publisher contributions.
Just like any other high margin item, magazines offering a higher margin get the best position/s and attention in our store. Thanks for asking, Quentin.
Derek, I couldn’t agree more re publishers. Sure can put distributors to shame!
Happily, the mag arrived this morning, and the customer is chuffed as can be.
I love happy cusomers 🙂