Magazines build “meaningfully different” brands that stand out from the clutter

This article is written by Hafizah Hazahal, analyst at SPH Magazines, and was published previously at sphmagazines.com. You can see the original post here.

 

So what is it about magazines that drive meaningful brand differentiation?

Firstly, the nature of magazine as a lean-forward media that readers turn to during their ‘me-time’ to unwind creates a relaxed mind which is more receptive towards commercial messages. This is a powerful environment for brands in an age of banner-blindness and adblocking. Thus, prior to building differentiation, magazine is able to drive awareness for brands that appear within it.

Secondly, the fact that it is a self-selected media hints at the intimate relationship between the media and reader. Brands that appear in the media stand to benefit from this relationship as the affinity towards editorial content spills onto advertisements too. As a result, advertisements enjoy almost the same level of trust and receptivity as content – as proven in our study of over 3,500 readers across 10 key women’s lifestyle magazines in Singapore.

 

 
GFK magazine study ()
 

The Advertising ROI Report, 2014, SPH Magazines and GfK Singapore

Last but not least, the key drivers of brand differentiation identified in Millward Brown’s study – uniqueness and dynamism – are strong attributes of magazine media. The deep vertical knowledge of its editors and writers who are at the forefront of happenings in their respective industries inevitably command recognition from readers as trend-setters. Strong editorial voice coupled with distinctive creative production values of magazines work together to build a sense of uniqueness and dynamism which rub off on brands that appear in the media.

 

Magazine reading header ()

 

Digital-native brands are recognising the power of magazine

A strong testament to the power of magazine is when digital-native brands with already formidable market share and following in their respective sectors chose to partner with a magazine media for their advertising campaigns.

That is exactly the endorsement that SPH Magazines receive when digital brands such as ZUJI, Ctrip and Qoo10 chose to partner with us.

What made them chose us over their natural environment (i.e. digital-only media) with its promise of massive reach? Let’s look at our campaign with ZUJI.

ZUJI, an online travel agent, wanted to engage and excite new customers with original content and promotions. To deliver these objectives, it turned to SPH Magazines to leverage on these key strengths:

Great understanding of our audiences: As a legacy publisher, we know the types of content and delivery formats that resonate with our audiences.

Scalable premium audience across platforms: Research shows that magazine readers are among the most affluent in their respective markets and are prepared to spend. We enabled ZUJI to reach these premium audiences anytime and anywhere, across SPH Magazines’ network of print, websites and digital editions – aggregating a reach of 4.7 million consumers.

Guaranteed brand safety: With their messages appearing alongside our content, ZUJI was able to grow their brand equity in a safe and conducive environment.

As a result, ZUJI’s campaign delivered a clickthrough rate four times the industry average. Read more about ZUJI’s successful campaign here.

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