HONG KONG: Reader's Digest is looking to launch a "desirable
demographics" edition in the next 12 months to improve targetting for
advertisers and to boost the cost effectiveness of its advertising
reach.
Associate publisher Peter Jeffery said several desirable demograhics are
being considered. He expects the first demographic targetted will be
male business executives, kicking off with the Chinese edition, which is
distributed in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
"The number of business executives Reader's Digest goes to is much
higher than any other business magazine if you look at any of the
syndicated research like ATMS or ABRS," said Jeffery.
"Many advertisers advertise with us because of that, but some are
resistant because we also include many other people. So if we simply
select the most desirable demographics, it becomes a more cost-effective
option."
Jeffery believed the number of business executives it can deliver would
still be larger than most business titles.
With its database of more than 10 million names in Asia, 800,000
customers, and more than 90 per cent of the magazine sold on a
subscription basis, he said Reader's Digest is in a strong position to
take demographic segmentation to a much more specific degree. For
instance, it can determine subscribers who are planning to buy a car or
take a holiday in the next three months, and from this develop a more
targeted audience base for either auto or travel suppliers.
"Our customers are used to interacting with us so the response rate is
very high. We will still end up with a meaningful number to offer
advertisers," said Jeffery. He said the ability to fully mine its
database allowed it to deliver specific readership targets for even
one-off promotions.
In another development, Reader's Digest has restructured its advertising
sales set-up to capitalise on its local market strengths. It has
appointed Jojo Lee to head Chinese language ad sales in Hong Kong,
Margaret Chua for English ad sales in Singapore and Viwat Onsumlee for
Thai ad sales in Bangkok.
