“In a media environment increasingly characterized by interruption, magazines remain an oasis of engagement.”

Three years ago I read this quote in Advertising Age and it has stuck in my head ever since. This meaningful statement nails the importance of reaching consumers on a personal level, providing them with the ability to practically shake hands with your brand while they spend valuable time on your message, and your message alone.  This is what custom publishing does for sports and entertainment sponsorships, whether the delivery device is a direct-mail quarterly magazine, targeted newspaper insert (a medium that according to Vertis Communication research has surpassed television as influencing consumer purchasing decisions) or an event specific mini-mag.

 Bottom line: the marriage of customized content, strategic use of built-in advertising inventory, a strong distribution plan, and a quality visual experience (that reaches like-minded consumers) helps to move the needle towards achieving your sponsorship goals. When custom publishing is properly utilized within, for instance, a NASCAR activation strategy, (whether consumer driven to the masses or a B2B vehicle to a select database), results will follow.

In 2006 the No. 9 Nationwide team of Evernham Motorsports had a rebirth in name, number, drivers and an increased partnership with Unilever. The result was the creation of the No. 9 Ultimate Chargers team, at the time driven by the trio of Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs. With eight Unilever brands rotating between the primary and associate sponsorship positions (Wisk, Ragu, County Crock, Lipton, Klondike, Wish-Bone, Hellmans’s, Slim Fast) there was ample opportunity to reach consumers across the country. One of the biggest was the Food Lion Speed Street Festival over Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte, culminating with the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The Wisk brand team took advantage of being that weekends primary sponsor for the No. 9 Dodge through many different outlets, including a customized mini-magazine that distributed 150,000 pieces strong via street team at the festival, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and in-store at one of Wisk’s very important customers – Food Lion. The piece, titled Ultimate Chargers 2006 Racing Guide featured fresh interviews with all three drivers, a visual breakdown of the No. 9 Dodge Charger, the EMS/Ultimate Chargers Story, flag education, LMS track map, Nationwide series schedule, and a $6.00 rebate on a new Wisk product redeemable exclusively at participating Food Lion locations.

The results per the brand:

• 5.5% redemption level which exceeded expectations
• Successfully leveraged the NASCAR investment via incremental displays in many Food Lion stores
• Created a unique and valuable program with a top distributor as Food Lion was represented within the pub with ad pages and on the cover via the Food Lion Speed Street logo, while simultaneously having traffic driven to their stores with the rebate offer that brought value to their customers.

Straight from the clients’ mouth: “This program was a real win because it delivered a positive ROI and it strengthened our relationship with one of our top customers.”

We were able to derive some valuable information from the success of this program. First off, customized branded content is king. By creating interesting storylines and asking unique questions to the drivers, we were able to truly learn a thing or two about these guys, as opposed to some of the traditional lines of questioning regurgitated on fan sites. The thirst for information is rabid among NASCAR fans, so if the editorial product can stand up on its own, it’ll be consumed and appreciated, allowing more valuable minutes for the brands message to resonate.

It’s also worth noting how well received the program was when introduced to other Unilever brands that participate in the Ultimate Chargers program. While there is certainly value in branded recipe guides and online promotions, the ability to speak one-on-one with consumers showcased creative usage of team assets that hadn’t been truly tapped previously. Wisk delivered a tangible piece of media to NASCAR fans that spoke to them in a familiar voice. Who knew going from Zero to Dirty (as their ad campaign stated) with the “Clean Team” of Kasey, Jeremy and Scott could be so informative?

Custom publishing, as a sponsorship vehicle alone, won’t make for a successful marketing strategy, but as a piece of an overall activation plan it can provide a ton of value on multiple levels. With gas prices through the roof, transporting huge at-track displays has gotten to be very difficult. Remember, a custom pub still allows you to hold that one-on-one conversation with your customers. Start that conversation and see where it takes you. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Jon Neschis, Managing Director, Jigsaw Media
jneschis@jigsawmedia.net                     www.jigsawmedia.net