Magazine Operations
Critiqued marketing programs and created in-house report systems for an art magazine
The owners of an art magazine engaged a Quantum Media member to examine and advise them on their circulation/marketing efforts and fulfillment operation. Working with the Circulation Director, the consultant critiqued new and renewal marketing programs and proposed changes to improve response. She also assessed the fulfillment operation and developed in-house reports to monitor both the marketing efforts and the fulfillment processes.
As a result of this project, renewal rates almost doubled (an increase of 77%), improvements to a holiday campaign tripled the expected response, and the overall base was thereby able to grow 30% since the beginning of this project. With the new reports and systems in place, the publication also now has the tools to build on those gains and quantify their successes.
Provided general circulation and consumer marketing advice to a major consumer sports publishing group
Over a period of several years, Quantum Media members have advised the circulation director and staff of this publishing group that includes a 1.5 million circulation paid magazine, a group of trade publications, and a 200,000 controlled circulation special interest publication. After a strategic review of the publishing group's business, Quantum made recommendations that both strengthened the market position and helped circulation profits materially. Several successful initiatives included:
- A new sub-acquisition marketing format that reduced costs by 11% while simultaneously providing much needed demographic/playing data about new subscribers
- A new sub-acquisition program called "endorsed subs" that allows the company to replace previously sold, more costly subs
- Leading a discussion with the editor and encouraging use of new editorial sections/supplements to appeal to a broader spectrum of the target audience. In 1999 the resulting new editorial section ranked in the top 5 "most read" sections of the magazine
- Offering a wide-range of advice on topics such as marketing partners, strategic partners, subscription marketing on the web, subscriber loyalty, subscriber and reader research, pricing tests, customer service programs, premiums, direct response creative, renewal series, reader segmentation, database marketing and acquisitions.
Built a production and manufacturing infrastructure for a consumer magazine
A specialty women's consumer magazine engaged a Quantum Media member to develop its in-house production and manufacturing-purchasing department. The consultant:
- Evaluated the magazine's pre-press, print, and paper needs
- Negotiated new pricing and established new cost-saving systems that resulted in material savings very quickly
- Identified areas in the workflow that needed improvement and implemented the practices that would provide maximum efficiencies
- Identified the appropriate suppliers/partners to accomplish the magazine's long-term goals
As the consultant worked with the company, she was able to build the appropriate infrastructure for the successful production and growth of their magazine.
Served as Interim Circulation Director
For a large consumer title as well as a membership publication, a Quantum member managed all circulation areas for over a year. She managed ratebase, oversaw the staff, ran the circulation models, created and updated projections, managed expenses and revenues to budget, oversaw a conversion already underway to a new fulfillment house, set up new marketing campaigns and tested successfully, refined circulation reporting systems, aided the CEO with hiring of new circulation staff. She also assisted with finding a permanent hire for the circulation director position.
The Quantum member was rehired by the same company after a few years when they again needed interim management for a new transition.