Channel planning: Positioning magazines within the total media landscape

In this section

25.  ‘Channel planning’ represents a fresh perspective
26.  Integrated communication: the research needs
         IPA TouchPoints
         BMRB’s ‘Compose’: 26 channels
         Implications for magazine publishers
27.  Attitudes to media: information content & tailoring to users’ needs
28.  Attitudes to the advertising in each medium
29.  Other activities while using media
          Share of attention
30.  Actions taken
31.  Magazines for courtship
32.  Media Experience Study: identifying magazine attributes
          Experiencing the media
          Experiencing the advertising
33.  Magazines and the internet
          The website experience
          Magazines and web cross-referencing each other
          Digital magazines and the internet
          Sources of information about computers and digital products
34.  Customer magazines
          Improving brand equity
          Boosting purchases by 8%
          Influencing brand image
35.  Magazines and promotions
          Promotions work harder accompanied by magazine advertising
          How profitable are promotions?

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Summary

• ‘Channel planning’ is a fresh way of looking at the planning of communication campaigns. ‘Communication’ is wider than ‘advertising’. A greater number of communication channels are being considered than in previous decades. This imposes fresh requirements on the provision of research.
• Publishers need to spell out how magazines fit into the mix of channels, defining the unique contribution of magazines.
• In comparisons between six media – magazines, newspapers, newspaper supplements, TV, radio and websites – magazines lead in terms of providing interesting information and being tailored to users’ needs.
• Advertising in magazines is seen more positively than advertising in other media.
• Magazines, followed by websites, are the most action-oriented of the six media.
• There is growth in multi-tasking – using another medium or doing some other activity while consuming media – but magazine reading has relatively low distraction. When sharing time with television or radio, magazines attract the main attention.
• Magazines and the internet work well together. Information in magazines sometimes leads readers to obtain more details on the internet, and they may then purchase something as a result of exposure to both media.
• Customer magazines improve the brand image of the commissioning companies, and boost consumer spending on the brand by about 8%.
• Sales promotions work better when accompanied by magazine advertising. However promotions are not necessarily profitable at all.