impact.com unveils Global State of Affiliate Marketing Report
The 2025 study shows 74% of brands increasing affiliate budgets due to rising costs in other marketing channels.
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.
We asked Jackie Scully, managing director at Think, what does best practice publishing look like in customer media? This is what she said…
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…
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
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?
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.
Ann Hartland, group business and strategy director, Cedar Communications, tells Ciar Byrne about how the customer media sector is managing the digital transformation journey.
What does the future hold for customer media? CPL One’s Sarah Simpson, looks ahead.
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.
The 2025 study shows 74% of brands increasing affiliate budgets due to rising costs in other marketing channels.
Successful publishers have one thing in common – clean data. So, why do so many publishers put up with messy data? We grab 5 minutes with Adept Data Services’ Rob Sherwood to find out why clean data matters and how publishers can achieve it.
The focus of the AOP CRUNCH event in September was on how publishers can develop audio and video content to drive both long-term commercial growth and increased brand trust. The AOP’s Richard Reeves picks out the main talking points.
The British Society of Magazine Editors has unveiled the shortlist for the BSME Awards 2025.
The Q3 2025 IPA Bellwether Report was published earlier this month on the 16th October.
Denmaur has announced it is celebrating Carbon Balanced Paper Week with a dedicated campaign across its digital platforms.
Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index shows a year-on-year increase of 3.43%, with revenues from digital audio rising sharply.
Publisher archives have huge commercial potential. Hutch Hicken, chief technology officer at BlueToad, explains how publishers can go about realising it.
AI is at its most powerful when it operates across the whole business, not in isolated silos. Rob Green, director of product and transformation at ESco, looks at what can be achieved.
Publishers wanting to harness the true potential of AI around workflow efficiency, should approach implementations strategically. Tom Pijsel, VP product management at WoodWing, explains how this can be achieved.
New data from Les Binet and Will Davis comes with a warning for marketers.
The shortlist has been announced for the PPA Independent Publisher Awards 2025.
Impress have confirmed that their new ethical journalism training course will be launched to the public on October 15.
Continuing their campaign of reinvestment into their bindery, Warners Midlands have announced they have added another palletiser to boost efficiencies.
The PPA has been named Best Trade Association at industry awards.