Asda Magazine
A case study
Success story
In 2003, ASDA relaunched ASDA magazine, its four-year-old monthly customer publication, with a new format and increased print run. Customer research had revealed that shoppers were disappointed at not always being able to pick up the instore magazine. It was clear that in order to reach more secondary shoppers – the purpose of the magazine in the first place – the publisher would need to produce more copies.
To do this without incurring greater costs, the publisher made several decisions:
- To reduce production costs by nearly 25% to achieve a 30% bigger print run
- To reduce the magazine’s size and format
- To alter the printing process
- To challenge supplier costs
Editorial content
ASDA’s research revealed that the accepted profile of the typical ASDA shopper – a young mum with kids – had changed to a two person household with no children. To reflect this, the traditional ‘mother and child’ cover shot was abandoned and key areas of interest for secondary shoppers, such as convenience, fashion and home, were incorporated into the title. The magazine retains an overall theme of value for money that mirrors ASDA’s ‘low price’ message. Choice and brand quality are also reflected by the magazine’s high standards of design, photography and editorial content.
How is ASDA Magazine’s success measured?
- It undergoes an ABC audit
- It undergoes independent qualitative research
- It forms part of the National Readership Survey
- Sales uplift is tracked across products featured on an issue-by-issue basis
How effective is the magazine as a marketing tool?
Following ASDA Magazine’s relaunch:
- Its ABC audit rose by 16% period-on-period
- Its NRS figure increased by 10%, period-on-period
- A study revealed that ASDA Magazine readers have a higher opinion of the store than non-readers
- The magazine has directly contributed to sales uplift across all categories: following publication of the May 2003 issue, sales of beers, wines and spirits rose by 1,880%; household items by 130%; grocery goods by 970%; and health and beauty products by 990%
ASDA Magazine won ‘Most Effective Consumer Publication of the Year’ at APA Customer Magazine Awards 2003.
“Independent research and sales figures clearly show that the relaunch of ASDA Magazine has been a huge success. By driving customer loyalty and response and increasing sales, ASDA has been able to demonstrate with clarity a return on investment that fully justifies the initial outlay required for the customer magazine.” Julie Hutchison, APA director
For more case studies, why not visit Royal Mail’s Info Bank? Call 020 7421 2248.
Register
