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Customer & Contract Publishing

Customer publishing is the part of the industry most readers never think of as publishing. Membership magazines, airline and supermarket titles and the content agencies behind them reach millions of people, often with circulations that consumer titles would envy.

The purpose is different too. A membership magazine is usually there to keep members renewing, and a brand title has to show a return for the client paying for it. That creates a running question about independence, and the strongest titles tend to have an editorial identity of their own rather than sounding like the organisation behind them.

If there’s something customers don’t need more of today, it’s content.

Jackie Scully Customer media

The agencies have changed shape around this. They produce fewer print editions and more digital content, and put far more effort into distribution and income generation, while publishers' own branded content studios compete for the same budgets. Print still matters, though. Members continue to rank the magazine among the benefits they value most.

Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on customer and contract publishing, from membership magazines and in-flight titles to content agencies and branded content studios, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.


Essential Resources

Customer media
Best Practice in Publishing

Customer media

We asked Jackie Scully, managing director at Think, what does best practice publishing look like in customer media? This is what she said…

People, passions and places
INTERVIEW

People, passions and places

The National Trust is a treasure trove of historic and beautiful places, and, unsurprisingly, it has a huge membership. One of the benefits of membership is its highly regarded magazine…

The River Group
PUBLISHER PROFILE

The River Group

Content marketing is all the rage, and companies like River, that have been doing it for over twenty years, are highly expert at it. River CEO Nicola Murphy tells Jo Bowman that while quality content is the bedrock of the company, it’s the marketing

Membership publishers wrestle with content conundrum
RESEARCH

Membership publishers wrestle with content conundrum

Content has become mission-critical for many membership organisations. But, Mike Sewell asks, should this valuable asset be regarded as an exclusive member benefit, or used as a marketing tool?

Join the club
FEATURE

Join the club

Lots of publishers are now offering club style membership schemes, looking to generate extra revenue and deeper engagement. Dickon Ross looks at the membership model.

Customer media
The Digital Transformation Journey

Customer media

Ann Hartland, group business and strategy director, Cedar Communications, tells Ciar Byrne about how the customer media sector is managing the digital transformation journey.

Opportunities & Threats: Customer Media
FEATURE

Opportunities & Threats: Customer Media

What does the future hold for customer media? CPL One’s Sarah Simpson, looks ahead.

AOP CRUNCH: Driving growth through branded content
REVIEW

AOP CRUNCH: Driving growth through branded content

Spring hasn’t sprung until CRUNCH takes place, writes Richard Reeves, MD of the Association of Online Publishers, which recently held its first CRUNCH event of the year. The mood was suitably optimistic for a change of season.


All Articles

Cavai and MediaMath announce partnership
News

Cavai and MediaMath announce partnership

Cavai and MediaMath announce a global partnership to deliver conversational advertising programmatically, the integration will enable conversational programmatic buys at scale.

02/08/2022

multilocal announces multiple appointments
News

multilocal announces multiple appointments

Programmatic specialist multilocal has made a number of new appointments to keep up with demand for its services.

02/08/2022

Publishers and the Next Prime Minister
COMMENT

Publishers and the Next Prime Minister

The new prime minister will have their hands full, but, says Owen Meredith, CEO of the News Media Association, there are a number of media-related issues which need urgent attention.

By Owen Meredith  |  02/08/2022

IAB releases statement on Google announcement
News

IAB releases statement on Google announcement

IAB UK issues a statement in response to Google's announcement of the delay in the phasing out of third-party cookies in Chrome.

28/07/2022

How to master curation in programmatic advertising
FEATURE

How to master curation in programmatic advertising

Curation has emerged as a critical weapon in the arsenal of publishers looking to boost control, transparency and efficiency in the programmatic supply chain, says Dan Owens, CCO of curation platform Multilocal.

By Dan Owens  |  27/07/2022

Launch: Magazzn
News

Launch: Magazzn

Magazzn, a new platform for publishing digital editions to mobile phones, has just been launched.

27/07/2022

VeraViews announces inclusion on IAB GVL
News

VeraViews announces inclusion on IAB GVL

Verasity, an adtech company that prevents invalid traffic across digital video advertising, has announced inclusion of its VeraViews ad stack in the IAB’s Global Vendor List (GVL).

22/07/2022

IPA releases latest Bellwether Report
News

IPA releases latest Bellwether Report

Although total UK marketing budgets grew at a solid pace in Q2 2022, with strengthening economic headwinds, UK companies’ financial prospects deteriorated sharply, contributing to cuts in adspend forecasts.

22/07/2022

Native advertising: 5 minutes with…Sean Adams
Q&A

Native advertising: 5 minutes with…Sean Adams

Native advertising, or sponsored content, is becoming a key part of modern marketing and as with any ad campaign, it is important to measure its performance accurately.

By Sean Adams  |  22/07/2022

Free Distribution and the art of keeping costs low and efficiencies high
FEATURE

Free Distribution and the art of keeping costs low and efficiencies high

Cost-effective and tightly targeted distribution is the cornerstone of a profitable free magazine. Magazine Heroes' Dan Collins has five tips for how publishers can achieve success with free distribution.

By Dan Collins  |  21/07/2022

Acorn announces equipment investment
News

Acorn announces equipment investment

Acorn Web have invested in two additional stitching lines to be installed this summer.

14/07/2022

2022 Rising Stars announced
News

2022 Rising Stars announced

Winners of The Printing Charity’s Rising Star Awards have been announced.

12/07/2022

Teads partners with Lumen Research to offer attention metrics
News

Teads partners with Lumen Research to offer attention metrics

Lumen Research has signed a deal with media platform, Teads, to provide measurement and native creative metrics to clients.

24/06/2022

The pace of change in modern CMSs often leaves editorial users behind. Why?
FEATURE

The pace of change in modern CMSs often leaves editorial users behind. Why?

The system your editorial teams use to create content is full of rich potential, which many editors are completely unaware of. Rethinking your approach to your CMS opens the door to a new world of publishing possibilities.

By Rob Corbidge  |  23/06/2022

PPA Awards 2022 – winners announced
News

PPA Awards 2022 – winners announced

The publishing industry gathered at The Grosvenor House Hotel for the annual Professional Publishers Association (PPA) Awards.

23/06/2022

814 articles