Study: Retention, Recognition, Engagement Are Hallmarks of Custom Publishing

Most recipients of custom publications read them - and consequently have more familiarity with and more favorable impressions of the sponsoring organizations - according to a new study on readership and effectiveness conducted by Readex Research for the Custom Publishing Council (CPC), reports MarketingCharts.

Highlighted survey results:

• Overall, respondents prove to have a high degree of engagement with custom publications:
  • 79 percent recall receiving the publications.
  • 77 percent of recipients read at least one-fourth or more of a typical issue, including 33 percent reading all or almost all of it.

  

  • On average, recipients spend 43 minutes reading or looking through a custom publication issue.

  

  • The average rate of pass-along among all recipients is to 0.9 others, nearly doubling the reach of these publications
• Custom publications tend to inspire action:
  • 74 percent of recipients said they have taken at least one action in the last 12 months as a result of reading or looking through the publications
  • This includes 23 percent who made a purchase from or donation to the sponsoring organization, and 18 percent who recommended the sponsoring organization to others.

(MarketingCharts offers a few more tidbits of data from the study.)

“The results of this survey confirm the findings of recent CPC-sponsored Roper surveys of consumers and chief marketing officers - that custom publishing is an effective way for companies to increase their profile and recognition with the public while providing clients with useful information that they value,” said Lori Rosen, Executive Director of the CPC.