The photo shows how the latest issue of InStyle magazine looked in a newsagency I saw earlier this week. The gift with the title makes the offer look trashy when you place the usual volume of stock in a pocket. It’s hard to know the alternative that would drive sales as a good gift does. I think in this instance the gift is too big to stick on or in a magazine for the retailer to easily manage.
I dont think FREE gifts improve the sales of any magazines. I would like to see the figures that show they do. Certainly they make the magazines difficult to display and take more space which means less space for others or reduced space for the particular magazine.
Wally I have seen data from several publishers over the years and good gifts that fit well with a the target audience of a title do work. It’s why they keep doing them.
Why not a box of the free give away at the counter to be handed to customers with their purchase? Bold masthead promoting ” Get your free whatever at the Counter ” That’s how we handle the current DVD Promotion.
Mark I hear you but I am sure there are others they dont tell you about that dont make any difference. My real problem with this stuff is space. If it takes more space another magazines sales must be negatively affected. So whilst their sales may have improved yours may not have. Its horses for courses and we all have to make our own decisions. Thanks Brendan I have taken the FREEbie off sometimes and left the label so that the customer will ask for it. have to say I cant remember anyone asking for it so they may have bought the mag regardless and didnt want the Freebie. That is not quite the same tho and my memory now that I am in the OFC does not allow for remembering which mags have freebies.