Rich Products Corporation

Foodservice Sampler Magazine - Custom Publishing

Research/Planning

Rich Products Corporation, a leading supplier of frozen foods, was looking to build its business in the noncommercial foodservice industry - specifically among the school, college, healthcare and corporate foodservice segments.

Focus-group research revealed that more than traditional advertising was needed to communicate effectively with this segment of the foodservice industry. These foodservice directors are under enormous budgetary pressures and time constraints and are looking for information on trends and tips for enhancing their menu offerings and improving their business practices. At the same time, they are inundated with publications that tend to lump editorial about all of the noncommercial segments together, despite the fact that each segment faces distinct challenges and issues. That makes many of these magazines cumbersome - and only partially relevant to the respective segment operators, who have little time to pour through them.

To answer Rich's need for a communication device that would build relationships within the noncommercial foodservice industry, Travers Collins & Company created Rich's Foodservice Sampler magazine. Tailored for each of the four noncommercial segments, the magazine presents an effective way for Rich's to increase brand awareness with decision-makers, to communicate that Rich's understands their unique challenges, and to demonstrate that, as a business partner, it can provide menu solutions to help build business. In order to be a credible and useful source of information, heavy emphasis is placed on the editorial integrity of the Sampler.

Objectives

• Provide information that foodservice directors truly value.
• Maintain a high degree of editorial integrity and credibility.
• Influence foodservice directors' decisions to buy from Rich Products.

Audiences

Foodservice directors and other decision makers in four major non-commercial categories: colleges/universities, schools, healthcare and business/industry. 

Execution

An experienced journalist manages the project and assures editorial integrity, while an art director contracts with established artists to give the magazine a distinctive look. The editorial is customized to fit each of the four segments, as are the graphics.

In 2005, two issues of the Sampler (four versions each) were custom-published by Travers Collins & Company. Each issue was distributed to approximately 40,000 foodservice operators.
Features in the magazine include a Who's Who profile piece - to salute operators who are leaders in each of the segments; a facts & figures page to keep operators up to date on the statistics relevant to their segments; Big Ideas, an in-depth article on the issue's theme; a guest column; recipe spread; and The Source, which is Rich's opportunity to present new products and programs. To establish a dialogue with readers, a regular feature surveys operators about challenges they face, products that would make their jobs easier and allows them to share their best ideas with peers. This interactive feature, called TableTalk, provides Rich's with insight into what's on the minds of its customers, and Rich's gains added exposure by offering - as an incentive - a free case of product to the first 25 respondents.

At Rich Product's request, a special issue was created in 2005 to help the company celebrate is 60th anniversary and mark its substantial contributions to the frozen food industry.


Results/Evaluation

Approximately 22,000 readers have returned Business Reply Cards to request free subscriptions. The balance of the circulation is culled from membership lists of professional associations. While it's difficult to attribute sales gains to the magazine's popularity, there have been numerous instances of foodservice directors mentioning that they learned about a new product by reading it in the Sampler. Rich's sales force credits the Sampler as an excellent sales-tool and leave-behind for customers when making calls.

A professionally conducted readership study of opinion leaders among Foodservice Directors (tab 2) shows that the Sampler is a must-read and that it has prompted them to purchase Rich's products. Specific scores on a scale of 1 to 7 (best) showed readers think the Sampler is:

• credible: 6.3
• better than other publications in terms of value: 6.3
• quality is exceptional: 6.1
• a valuable addition to other publications received: 6.4
• has influenced buying decisions: 6.8
• a way to learn about great new products and ideas: 6.6

Feedback from readers of the TableTalk survey has remained steady, drawing between 75-100 response cards after each issue.

In addition to the readership survey and response cards, unsolicited feedback is consistently received from readers via letters, fax and e-mail.  Many readers cite how much they value the Sampler as a source of ideas and trends (tab 3).