How Branded Print is Thriving in the Digital World

Brand journalism is not only viable; when done right it’s a way to truly dominate your niche.

Want to know the secret to brand journalism? Find a way to provide accurate, unbiased information that’s of real importance to your target audience.

JohnDeere1Deere & Company’s been doing it for 121 years, and their flagship publication The Furrow “is now the most circulated farming magazine in the world,” writes Juliet Stott in Content Magazine.

“It was launched by John Deere’s son Charles, who recognized the need for farmers to have an accurate, unbiased source of information—its primary aim to educate farmers on new technology and enable them to become more successful business owners,” Stott continues.

To be sure, it doesn’t have to take a century or more for your own brand to find its purpose in print, as evidenced by several examples in Stott’s article.

“Sainsbury’s Magazine, the flagship print title of the UK’s second largest supermarket chain, is Britain’s best-selling newsstand food title,” she notes. “It is a fantastic example of how a branded magazine can not only make money from copy sales and ad revenue, but also do an effective job of showcasing its foodie credentials.”

Here in the U.S., it’s a subscription-only travel magazine that tops its category in overall circulation.

Endless Vacation® magazine, now in its third decade, with a circulation of 1.7 million, is the largest national travel magazine in the United States, reaching more than 4.2 million readers,” Stott explains.  “Endless Vacation® magazine, with its subscription-only status, delivers more than twice the circulation of other travel titles. This members-only title, produced on behalf of Wyndham Worldwide Company, rivals newsstand competitors such as Time Inc’s Travel + Leisure magazine or Conde Nast’s Traveler and attracts high net worth readers with an average household income of $115,847.”

Think a brand can’t compete with the big publishers? Clearly, they can if they find their audience’s need and provide quality content to fill it. Brand journalism continues to raise the bar, especially in the lifestyle publishing niche. Is there space there for your brand message?