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Making Custom Made Magazines
Promotor: Prof. dr. G.Jacobs Bart Baele 2008-2009
Meertalige Bedrijfscommunicatie
Scriptie ingediend tot het behalen van de graad van Master in de Meertalige Bedrijfscommunicatie
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Internship description
bedrijf stagebeleider afdeling taken
Markee Koen Denolf creatie copywriting
Kleindokkaai 17
9000
Gent
O9/266 14 18
talen tijdens de stage stageperiode
Nederlands 21 april tot 6 juni 2008
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INTRODUCTION
Integral to the ‘90s notion of new traditionalism is the sense that the world has overspent
itself, a rejection of advertising is key to this sense. To some extend, ads-and shows about
advertising- have to take an anti-advertising stance. Savan (1995:313)
In The sponsored life, ads, TV and American culture, a collection of critical essays on
marketing strategies, Leslie Savan, points out a change in consumer behaviour towards
advertising. According to Savan, traditional advertising in the late 80’s and early 90’s already
had lost most of its impact.
Today it has become even more difficult for marketing and advertising agencies to cope with
the increase of consumer criticism. In the light of this situation, Markee, the advertising
agency I worked for during my internship, came up with its own answer to this advertising
crisis: advertising 2.0. Advertising 2.0 is Markee’s unique combination of revolutionary
advertising tools, like guerrilla marketing, viral campaigns and custom publishing.
Because Markee offers a wide array of services, in this dissertation the emphasis will be on
custom publishing, more specifically, custom publishing used for internal communication.
In the first chapter I will give a presentation of Markee. In the second chapter I will focus
theoretically on their custom publishing services, more specifically, I will try to find an answer
to the following questions: ‘Where can custom magazines be implemented in internal
corporate communication and how are those custom magazines made?’ In the third chapter I
will report on my work as an intern, and at the same time, try to give a more profound answer
to the second question of the theoretical analyses: How do you make custom made
magazines fit for internal communication? In the final chapter I will discuss the internship and
the MTB program.
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INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 THE COMPANY ............................................................................................... 5
1.1 Markee and Het Salon Brief History .................................................................. 5 1.2 Company Structure ........................................................................................... 6 1.3 Corporate Identity.............................................................................................. 7
1.3.1 Mission Statement ...................................................................................... 7 1.3.2 Vision.......................................................................................................... 7 1.3.3 Strategy ...................................................................................................... 8
1.4 Product Presentation......................................................................................... 9 1.4.1 Through the Line Advertising...................................................................... 9 1.4.2 Custom Publishing.................................................................................... 10 1.4.3 Events ...................................................................................................... 11
1.5 Client Profile.................................................................................................... 11 1.6 The Competitors.............................................................................................. 12 1.7 SWOT Analyses.............................................................................................. 14
CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK................................................................... 17
2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 17 2.2 Where can a custom magazine for internal communication be implemented? 18
2.2.1 Formal channels of communication .......................................................... 18 2.2.2 Informal channels of communication (the grapevine) ............................... 21
2.3 How can you make a custom made magazine for internal communication?... 23 2.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER 3 THE INTERNSHIP ......................................................................................... 26
3.1 The Internship ................................................................................................. 27 3.2 Seizoen ........................................................................................................... 28
3.2.1 Custom made long copy for Seizoen........................................................ 28 3.2.2 External advertising in custom publishing................................................. 31
3.3 Sponsored Magazines .................................................................................... 36 3.3.1 Colora Magazine ...................................................................................... 36
3.4 Custom made b2b magazines ........................................................................ 39 3.4.1 Bruce ........................................................................................................ 39
CHAPTER 4 FINAL CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 42
4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 42 4.2 Professional Skills ........................................................................................... 42
4.2.1 Short copy ................................................................................................ 42 4.2.2 Long copy................................................................................................. 43
4.3 Personal Skills ................................................................................................ 44 4.4 The MTB Program........................................................................................... 46
4.4.1 Practical knowledge.................................................................................. 46 4.4.2 Feedback MTB ......................................................................................... 47
5 SOURCES........................................................................................................................... 48 6 ILLUSTRATIONS USED ................................................................................................... 50 7 EXHIBITS ............................................................................................................................ 51
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CHAPTER 1 THE COMPANY
1.1 Markee and Het Salon Brief History
Markee is a very young marketing and advertising agency specialising in low budget
advertising campaigns. Originally it used to be a market research agency, but in 1999 one of
the owners, Koen Denolf transformed it into the advertising agency it is today. There are few
ties between the market research agency Markee was, and the advertising agency it is
today. Ever since 1999, Markee has always presented itself as a company that offers
untraditional ways of advertising for a low price. In an interview Koen Denolf indicates the
importance of the general climate advertising was in when Markee was founded.
“People don’t want to be bothered by ads anymore. Still, ever since it was founded, Markee
has found its own niche in these harsh times. The introduction of Advertising 2.0 is the best
example of the difference we want to make with Markee.” (Koen Denolf)
Markee is owned by three shareholders During the short period Markee is an operational
agency, it has been affected a lot by them, because all three have a very different
background.
The first owner is Koen Denolf, a marketer who started his career at Bekaert. He also taught
advertising and worked as a market annalist for Markee. His own background in market
analysis has influenced him a lot. During an interview he stressed what this means to him
and how it influences Markee. “We still share one thing with the previous company: the way
we value market research. If we would still follow outdated but generally accepted marketing
principles, we would not be able to cope with the rapidly changing market.” (Koen Denolf)
The second owner of Markee is Frank Geerts, an award-winning copywriter who studied at
the Sint Lucas Art Academy. Before he became the main copywriter of Markee, he worked
as a copywriter for LDV and as senior copywriter for Duval Guillaume.
The third owner is Willem-Jan van Ekert, who worked as a freelance copywriter before he
became one of the owners. He is responsible for the development of Het Salon, a branch of
Markee, specialising in making custom made customer and corporate magazines.
“When this branch was first created, it had nothing to do with advertising 2.0 nor was it ever
meant to evolve into the independent division it is today. But recent evolutions in the market
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of custom made customer and corporate magazines have made this experiment an important
part of Markee and the advertising 2.0 strategy.” (Willem-Jan van Ekert)
Because of these diverging backgrounds, Markee is an agency with a short, but rich history
in low budget advertising.
In this dissertation I will focus especially on the evolution of Het Salon. The development of
that division is a very good angle to get a good look at custom publishing because they apply
a unique method to make corporate magazines.
1.2 Company Structure
Markee is made up out of two divisions, Markee and Het Salon. Markee is an above-
through- and below- the line-advertising agency. This means they work on traditional
advertising assignments as well as low budget and less conventional ones. These last two
activities often imply using a lot of new and online advertising techniques.
Like a regular advertising agency it is divided in separate divisions dealing with creation,
strategy, production, client service and web design. The staff of Markee consists of 10
people who work on a fulltime basis. Because of the size of the company, some people have
multiple functions. Koen Denolf, for example is the C.E.O. of both Markee and Het Salon,
and managing director of the Strategic Planning Department/Customer Service at the same
time.
Het Salon, even though it is an important part of the agency, only employs two people on a
fulltime basis. The main editor, Willem-Jan van Eckert, and a project coordinator, An-Sofie
van Den Noortgate. Both of them maintain client relations, write and edit copy, and organise
editorial meetings. The design of the magazines is done by the people from the department
of production.
These 12 people are all employed on a fulltime basis, but a lot of freelancers are used as
well. These freelancers mostly are photographers and copywriters.
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Illustration 1: Organisational structure of Markee
1.3 Corporate Identity
1.3.1 Mission Statement
Some mission statements are cleverly written texts on the company’s values made by a
freelance copywriter, writing five of them a day. Their role is mostly a formal one. In my
opinion this is not the case for Markee. They have succeeded in summarising the main idea
of their services and products in a very short baseline: Don’t push. This baseline is a perfect
symbol for the new approach they use to get a grip on consumers. It perfectly summarises
the core of their advertising 2.0 strategy. Recently they’ve tried to expand their philosophy by
using this catchphrase as a guideline for marketing seminars they have organised.
1.3.2 Vision
The main idea of Markee’s own advertising 2.0 is re-evoking the interest of bored
consumers. Instead of pushing products towards the consumers, they believe consumers
should be teased into involvement with the product.
To be able to do this, advertisers have to really know the customer, that is why this approach
requires a lot of market research. The ultimate goal of advertising 2.0 (next to selling your
product) is achieving active cooperation of the customer, making him a participant of in
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campaign, making him talk about your product and spread it in his own social framework. A
good example of advertising through involvement is viral marketing. The starting point of a
good online viral campaign is making a humoristic small budget movie. The main idea is to
increase the general likeability of the product. To achieve this the product can play both a
central or peripheral role. A well-known example is the Carlsberg/Mentos spoof
(http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=MAcc8CPhlO4), a low budget remake of the well-known
Coca Cola Light/Mentos movie. (http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM) In the
original movie experimenting teenagers find out Coca Cola Light bursts out of the bottle if a
roll of Mentos mints is thrown into it. This movie, even though it was very successful, was no
viral movie because the makers never were paid for it. In the Carlsberg spoof, made by a
viral advertising agency, an experimenting young man ads Mentos to Carlsberg and gets run
over by a truck while waiting for the explosion. The baseline of this campaign was You don’t
put sweets in Carlsberg. But advertising 2.0, unlike viral movies, is not restricted to online
activities alone. Advertising 2.0 also includes custom publishing and guerrilla marketing.
The evolution of the magazine branch of Markee ( Het Salon) towards the advertising 2.0
proves it’s possible to apply this new strategy on other levels of advertising as well. Online
activities nevertheless are the most important part of the advertising 2.0 strategy simply
because they fit perfectly in most customers’ frame of mind.
A perfect example of the online Markee approach is the campaign for CM (Christelijke
Mutualiteit). To boost the number of members of de Christelijke Mutualiteit Midden-
Vlaanderen, Markee launched an online campaign. This campaign consisted of a direct
mailing, a viral movie on the CM website and an insurance promotion that could be obtained
online. The viral movie on the site www.mijnmotivatie.be emphasises the importance of being
healthy by practising sports. Before bothering the prospects with promotional info on possible
health insurance rates or promotions, he is confronted with an interesting and funny viral
video that stresses the importance of sports in general, but mostly is fun to watch. After you
have seen the movie you can send it to friends, who will be redirected to the website after
they have seen the movie.
1.3.3 Strategy
Next to the active usage of Markee’s company values during projects, the agency also uses
their vision to promote their own services. There are two initiatives they launched recently
that were made using the Don’t push philosophy, a seminar on creative marketing, called
Don’t push and the launch of their own monthly relational magazine Bruce.
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In the beginning of March 2008, Markee launched their first seminar, a cleverly used
marketing tool, and perfect indicator of the current marketing environment. The seminar
elaborated on marketing trends, but at the same time looked back on successful campaigns
Markee and Het Salon worked on. Because of the unique concept and main idea of this
event, it drew a lot of attention of popular media. This only confirmed the efficiency of the
advertising 2.0 method.
Markee recently launched another product to advertise their marketing tools, a magazine
called Bruce. During my internship I was actively involved in the production of the first issue.
This magazine is a custom made, relational magazine, made to look like a store-bought
magazine on marketing. This first issue was sent to clients, prospects, competing agencies
and popular media agencies.
Bruce is both a pamphlet on their advertising 2.0 strategy, and a product of the same
strategy. By presenting their strategy and info on Markee in a very attractive way: a
magazine with a wide array of articles on advertising, the prospect is lured into actively
spreading the content of the articles. As a result the launch of the first issue of Bruce even
made it in the newspaper De Morgen.
1.4 Product Presentation
Markee’s two main activities, general advertising and custom publishing, are very different
advertising tools. The first part covers a wide array of services and products, ranging from
traditional to controversial and original ad campaigns. The second part consists of custom
publishing for internal and external marketing and corporate communication. Recently they
added organising promotional events like Don’t Push to their service portfolio.
1.4.1 Through the Line Advertising
Given the nature of the services of an advertising agency, it is not easy to pinpoint its exact
activities. Markee offers services including above the line components as well as below the
line ones depending on the specific budget and needs of their clients. Above the line
strategies mostly include using the more traditional media like radio, television, billboards,
magazines and newspapers. Below the line strategies often imply using low budget tools like
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online promotions, sponsorships, sales promotions, and viral campaigns. Through the line
campaigns, are campaigns for which both below and above the line strategies are used.
During my internship I have noticed their campaigns mostly were below the line campaigns.
They prefer to work for smaller clients on a regional rather than national level because they
are a small agency. These clients only can spend modest marketing budgets. This implies
Markee has to come up with creative and alternative ways to reach their target audience. For
example by relying on online communication a lot. Their preferred marketing tool is the viral
campaign. The best example of such a campaign was the ‘Opel prepare your hair’ viral
(www.Markee.be). This viral movie took the personalisation of advertising to a next level. The
movie shows somebody in a lab coat testing the effect of driving an Opel convertible on a
person’s hair. At the end of the movie, the actor looks at a clipboard with a list of names. If
this movie was sent to the viewer by a friend, the viewers’ name would be on the list. After
reading the viewer’s name, the scientist takes a telephone and calls the viewer (the previous
viewer had to fill in the telephone number of the person he sends the movie to) and at the
same time the viewer is automatically called in real time by the Opel client service.
1.4.2 Custom Publishing
Joe Pulizzi, author of an article on the pitfalls custom publicists have to avoid, called Custom
Publishing The wrong Way, believes one of the most important things of a custom publishing
unit is its structure. Instead of referring to a traditional publicists’ organisational structure,
Pulizzi refers to an advertising agency as ideal model. “A custom unit runs much closer to an
ad agency model than a publishing model. The customer requirements and marketing
expertise levels aren't in the same ballpark.” Pulizzi (2008:63) According to Pulizzi, a
traditional advertising agency is better equipped for making custom made magazines
because they have a lot of experience the commercial nature of custom publishing. Het
Salon is a good example of the efficiency of this structure. Because of the background and
because of the staff’s expertise, Markee’s own custom publishing division has become very
successful.
Custom publishing is a new communication tool, because of that, very few definitions exist,
the following one made by the Custom Publishing Council, gives a general idea: “Custom
publishing offers a new look upon a wide range of traditional corporate printed media. It
marries the marketing ambitions of a company with the information needs of its target
audience. This occurs through the delivery of editorial content- via print, Internet, and other
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media- so intrinsically valuable that it moves the recipient’s behaviour in a desired direction.”
http://www.custompublishingcouncil.com/
In other words, custom publishing offers a new look on advertising. Regular means of
advertising are transformed into an easy to read, generally likeable magazine. The word
‘custom’ refers to the fact that the magazine is made to fit the exact need of the readers, who
are at the same time the target audience of the advertised product or service.
In general this is a business to consumer (b2c) approach that has been effectively applied in
a lot of European countries like the Netherlands (e.g. the Albert Hein magazine), but is
relatively new in Belgium. These magazines can also be used in a different context, for
internal communication or business to business (b2b) means.
Het Salon treats custom publishing in a broader way. Next to the publication of b2c
magazines like Opel Magazine, çava (CM magazine) and Colora Magazine, they also have
opted to include b2b magazines (Bruce) and internal communication magazines like Seizoen
(Toerisme Vlaanderen) in their portfolio. I will use this third kind of magazine to focus on in
the theoretical framework of this dissertation.
1.4.3 Events
Markee doesn’t actively promote itself as an events agency, still they were involved into two
events at the time of my internship. The first one was the Don’t Push seminar described in an
earlier section. The second event was de Saradag. By combining the activities of two
accounts, Stad Gent and VMM, they came up with the first Saradag. This event held in
Ghent was used to draw attention to one of their main projects at the time, the launch of an
improved customer relationship tool: the Gent Verwent action. The Markee campaign was
used to draw attention to the improved loyalty card system, and was used to promote Sara a
popular television show that ran at that time. Given the successful outcome of both events
these activities will continuously be used as a marketing tool.
1.5 Client Profile
Most advertising contracts or assignments are given to an agency through a contest. The
company that would like to advertise, contacts a number of appropriate agencies to present
them an outline of a possible campaign. The best-presented solution wins the competition
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and gets assigned a contract. Because of the nature of this procedure, the client profile of an
agency often depends on the nature of the contests they get invited to or on the contests
they chose to participate in.
In an interview owner Koen Denolf, revealed Markee only uses two criteria to evaluate a
contest or an assignment. The first one is the size of the company, the second one is the
competition during the contest. He further indicated that neither business area nor client
relation matters, they take on b2b as well as b2c projects.
“Although Markee would be able to work on big accounts like Telenet or Belgacom, those
assignments would take half of the staff to complete them. But in some occasions we have
worked on big accounts like Opel, even though they are time and staff consuming.”(Koen
Denolf)
During my internship largest account was VMM, but most clients were indeed smaller ones
like CM Midden Vlaanderen, Stad Gent and Screenvision (a company selling on screen
advertising space in cinemas).
The second criterion is the competition. Markee only enters a contest when the possible
client seems to handle marketing in a professional way. Koen Denolf has indicated during the
interview that you can pretty much see the level of professionalism by the other agencies that
are invited to a contest.
When I match these two criteria with the accounts I worked on during my internship, It is
save to say the client profile consists of medium size Belgian companies that have a
separate marketing division in any business area.
1.6 The Competitors
Their unique advertising 2.0 stance, causes Markee to have very little direct competition. Just
like in previous sections, when I take a look at the competition, I will make a clear distinction
between the activities of Markee, the advertising agency, and Het Salon, the custom
publicist.
When we take a look at the direct competition, we can see Markee has no real competitors,
they are the only agency offering their specific advertising 2.0 services. Still on a more
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general level Koen Denolf believes the competition consists mainly of full scale, full service
agencies, because they offer most of the smaller and budget friendly advertising services as
well.
There are only three important rival agencies with comparable services and clients. These
agencies are McCann Erickson, Duval Guillaume and Famous. All of them offer a wide array
of advertising services including a growing online branch. Just like Markee, those full service
agencies offer a combination of through the line advertising means and online components.
McCann Erickson is a worldwide advertising agency with a branch in Belgium. Only recently
they added a digital department to their office, McCann Digital. The projects they work on are
similar to those of Markee, but their accounts include large international companies like
Harley Davidson, Coca Cola and Dole. http://www.mccann.be/
Duvall Guillaume is a large Belgian advertising agency employing over 200 people
worldwide, with an agency in New York. They specialise in through the line campaigns, and
given the size of the agency, they have a large online department. On the Belgian market
they operate on the largest accounts like Unilever, Radio 1 and Dexia.
http://www.duvalguillaume.com/news/
Famous, previously known as LG&F, is a full-scale advertising agency that partly specialises
in online advertising. They have a full service interactive department handling online
advertising campaigns, corporate websites and mobile campaigns. http://www.famous.be/
Custom Publishing still has to be discovered by other publicists and advertising agencies,
that’s why only Sanoma can be considered a real competitor of Markee. Sanoma is a large
Belgian publicist specialising in making all kinds of different popular consumer magazines
like Humo and Flair. Only recently they have started a custom made magazine branch as
well. This branch is called sQills. The Portfolio of sQills is considerably larger than that of Het
Salon. At the moment Het Salon has five magazines in its portfolio ( Colora Magazine,
Seizoen, Informeel Oost-Vlaanderen, cava? and Bruce), sQills has fifteen magazines in its
portfolio, including its own magazine. This difference is mainly due to the size of the
company. Adopting a larger portfolio would demand most of the staff.
http://www.sQills.be/index.php?id=85
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1.7 SWOT Analyses
The unique position of Markee and Het Salon makes it hard to draw up a consistent SWOT
analyses. Nevertheless it sheds an interesting light on the pro’s and cons of their special
approach.
Strengths
Advertising 2.0
Their main strength is their own unique approach. Their own advertising 2.0 strategy makes
Markee’s products and services stand out. They fully realise the strength of their unique
advertising program, using it to promote their strategies and tools through promotional efforts
like Bruce and the Don’t Push seminar.
Flexibility
They handle the assignments and contests in a non-discriminatory way. Because of their
loose criteria about the assignments they accept, they are not constricted to any specific
sector nor any special type of client. This approach is rather unique, it allows them for
example to work for very diverging companies and organisations like VMM, Stad Gent and
CD&V. Although they are inclined to participate in contests for smaller projects, they also
accept larger ones, which once again can be an interesting point of difference.
Market research background
Markee addresses a lot of importance to market research while working on their campaigns.
Even if they are working on a viral campaign with a very small budget, they try to incorporate
market research data to reach their target audience effectively. This is for example why they
have three different kinds of custom made magazines.
Own promotional efforts
Markee puts a lot of effort in publicity. By using the 2.0 strategy to advertise their products in
a creative and budget friendly way, they draw attention. This often results in national press
coverage from large newspapers like De Standaard and De Morgen. Bruce, for example, has
its own list of subscribers that are now informed monthly on the achievements of Markee.
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Steady client portfolio
The clients of Het Salon are mostly long-term clients for whom they make periodicals.
Because of the regularity of these periodicals, they have a steady income from Het Salon.
When these clients have a need for through the line advertising campaigns they sometimes
used the services of Markee, without issuing a public contest.
Weaknesses
Size
Markee is a relatively small advertising agency, that’s why Het Salon and Markee share the
same production department. The limited staff prevents them from making more magazines
or taking on a lot of campaigns. They also can’t afford to work on large projects for a long
time, even though those projects often are very lucrative. The limited staff makes them
vulnerable for absenteeism and other HR issues as well.
Low Budget Image
Their advertising 2.0 stance does not give them the image of a company that can take on
traditional through the line advertising campaigns. Even though they have proven to be
capable of taking on large assignments as well, they still are mostly seen as a low budget
agency. The low budget campaigns, unlike general logic, often are very time and effort
consuming.
Opportunities
General evolution of market towards advertising 2.0
The current economical crisis has hit Marketing departments, advertising agencies and
media agencies very hard. Marketers no longer dispose of large advertising budgets, but and
often have to cope with decreasing sales figures. Because they can no longer afford full-
scale campaigns, they have to look for alternative options, Markee is well equipped to offer
them.
The rise of online advertising
The Belgian advertising market is a very traditional one, only recently worldwide tools like
online viral campaigns and custom magazines have become popular in Belgium. Because
they fit perfectly in the low cost strategy applied by Markee since 1999, they already have a
lot of experience working with new online media. Their experience gives them a competitive
advantage they can benefit from in the future.
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Threats
Belgian advertising market
Some companies have yet to discover the importance of approaching the customer in
alternative ways. A good example is the limited number of sponsored magazines on the
Belgian Market. Offering those innovating products requires a lot of research and experience,
at the moment Markee is still reaping the benefits of those efforts, but because they are very
successful it is not unlikely that other agencies will copy their formulas without having to pay
for development costs.
Full Service agencies
Full Service agencies can basically offer the same services if they chose to do so. The fact
that they can work on a bigger scale, get bigger contracts and have more staff could imply
that they can go below the price of low budget agencies.
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CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Introduction
"There's no question, if you create a custom publication, it's a reflection of your brand, but it's
also about extending and enhancing your relationship with your customer. You're showing
them what the brand is all about, in a highly value-added way. It's a fabulous way to do more
than just ring the cash register." Raugust (2008:23)
The main goal of this part of the dissertation is to pinpoint theoretically a new corporate
communication- and marketing approach called Custom Publishing. In this dissertation the
emphasis will be on the most important product of custom publishing, the custom made
magazine. More specifically, I will look at the way custom magazines can be implemented in
internal corporate communication.
There are very few theoretical definitions or frameworks for custom publishing, but the one
suggested by the custom publishing council seems to offer an interesting point of departure.
“Custom publishing offers a new look upon a wide range of traditional corporate printed
media. It marries the marketing ambitions of a company with the information needs of its
target audience. This occurs through the delivery of editorial content- via print, Internet, and
other media- so intrinsically valuable that it moves the recipient’s behaviour in a desired
direction.” http://www.custompublishingcouncil.com/
Basically the custom made magazine is a magazine looking like a store-bought consumer
magazine, but actually is a direct marketing and corporate communication tool used for a
wide array of purposes. The most remarkable aspect of this magazine is the large intended
audience. Depending on the specific needs of the publisher, a custom made magazine can
be used for internal as well as external corporate communication.
Because the custom media used for corporate goals on an internal level has obvious
counterparts: the traditional company magazine and intranet, it would be very interesting to
find the differences between them.
The main questions and also the point of departure of this theoretical analysis are: ‘Where
can custom publishing be implemented in internal corporate communication and how are
those magazines made?’
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2.2 Where can a custom magazine for internal commun ication be implemented?
2.2.1 Formal channels of communication
To be able to know where a custom made magazine can be implemented in internal
communication, a short investigation of the structure of internal communication is needed.
Considering internal communication, L. Eschauzier (2008:79) discerns a clear evolution
throughout the 20th century towards participative communication. The first internal
communication strategy, the Machine Theory, apud Grunig and Hunt (1984:240), narrowed
internal communication down to top-down communication. Internal communication solely
was used to increase efficiency of labour. Throughout the 20th century this approach has
evolved towards the Systems Theory of organic internal communication, apud Grunig and
Hunt (1984:240). This model allows a combination of top-down and bottom-up
communication. ‘Bottom-up communicatie is nodig om als gevolg van de steeds
doorgevoerde decentralisatie adequate terugkoppeling van de resultaten plaats te laten
vinden, top-down communicatie (maar dan wel tot stand gekomen door
samenwerkingskracht) voor het verspreiden van een gemeenschappelijk denkkader, de
gemeenschappelijke denkpunten voor de visie van de organisatie op de toekomst.’
Eschauzier (2008:79) This approach does not only allow two directional professional
communication, it also allows more informal ways of communicating. Examples are, the
internal corporate magazine and the internal newsletter.
According to Eschauzier (2008:81), this is reflected in the structure of communication, one of
the four basic elements of internal communication of Van Riel and Van Aalsburg. They try to
divide the structure of internal communication into formal and informal channels:
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Illustrator 2: Communication Model Van Riel and Van Aalsburg
For this model they use a strict division between formal and informal channels of internal
communication. The written tools of communication covering the same functions as a custom
made magazine, can be found in the formal branch of the communication structure. Van Riel
and Van Aalsburg divide this branch into two parts, the parallel media and the formal line that
covers hierarchical orders given by upper management to middle and lower management.
These parallel media are used to enhance the efficiency of other formal communication.
Examples of such media are traditional internal magazines, intranet and internal newsletters.
“Van Riel and Van Aalsburg, believe parallel media are quintessential for the communication
of goals, values and principles in an organisation. Both authors assume multiple and
inevitable exposure to a message results in a better understanding of that message.”
Eschauzier (2008:82)
Because a lot of information is send through these channels in both directions, employees
use strict criteria to evaluate them. “There are three main criteria that employees use to
discern if parallel media is relevant to them. ‘(1) Does the medium give relevant feedback on
TOP MANAGEMENT
FORMAL CHANNELS INFORMAL CHANNELS
PARALLEL
MEDIA
FORMAL LINE GRAPEVINE
INTRANET CEO SPEECH
INTERNAL MAGAZINES
MIDDLE MANAGER
MIDDLE MANAGER
MIDDLE MANAGER
EMPLOYEES
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the way I function in an organisation? (2) Is this a useful medium? (3) Is this a reliable
medium? The involvement of the reader/employee will increase if the reader intends to
absorb the message.” (Eshcauzier 2008:82)
All those questions underline the formality of the parallel media. In order to be relevant as
well as successful, parallel media like corporate magazines and intranet posts have to be
very strict, formal and to the point. Although more and more corporate magazines include
articles on human interest-related subjects, the emphasis mainly is on offering relevant work-
related and practical info.
This emphasis is an interesting point of difference between regular corporate magazines and
a custom made magazine. To discern how much the custom made magazine diverges from
regular corporate magazines, Eschauzier’s four ways to analyse a formal corporate
magazine can be used. According to Eschauzier, a traditional magazine can be analysed
and recognised using four techniques: the common ground technique, the technique of
identification by antithesis, the assumed we-technique and the unifying symbols technique.
apud Cheney (1983:145)
The common ground technique is the technique most often used to identify magazines. This
technique uses nine different criteria to pinpoint the nature of a magazine (Exhibit1). All these
criteria try to indicate how the magazine is used to reinforce internal cohesion, a common
ground shared by all employees.
The technique of identification by antithesis refers to magazines that are used to form
internal cohesion by demonising the competition. “Identification with the collective
membership of the organisation is suggested not only as desirable (i.e. as the natural
product of sharing values and goals) but also as necessary to oppose threats from
outsiders.’” apud Cheney (1983:154)
The assumed we–technique, is used to measure how much the word we is used in corporate
publications. Every time we is used to create collective ties between employees and
management, the efficiency of the magazine is said to increase.
The unifying symbols technique is used to refer to the usage of symbols that unites
management with employees. Magazines can contain a large number of symbols used to
identify with a complete organisation like the company name or logo.
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When the reoccurrence of these techniques is measured in a custom made magazine of the
Het Salon portfolio for internal use (Seizoen, the custom made magazine of Toerisme
Vlaanderen), the reoccurrence of these techniques is relatively low. Only the common
ground technique and the unifying symbols technique which both have a vague definition,
could be found: The magazine, Seizoen contains very specific articles on the tourism
industry that are not directly related to the activities of the employees, but do share a same
field of expertise, thus creating a common ground. The magazine also puts the emphasis on
the successful outcome of their own projects, products and brands, and by doing so the
unifying symbols technique is applied.
The theory of identification by antithesis is completely absent in this publication just like the
assumed we-technique. The structural point of departure of a custom made magazine can
explain this: ”to marry the marketing ambitions of a company with the information needs of its
target audience”, (preferably without using existing forms of corporate communication.)
(http://www.custompublishingcouncil.com/)
Because the custom made magazine doesn’t seem to fit any of these frameworks
completely, the second main branch of the structure of communication has to be investigated
as well.
2.2.2 Informal channels of communication (the grape vine )
Next to formal channels of communication, there is an important second group of channels,
the informal channels. These channels, Eschauzier (2008:82) refers to as the grapevine
structure. The grapevine is a combination of channels that include informal communication at
work that is not necessarily work-related.
This does not imply the grapevine is unimportant for management purposes, Davis indicated
at an early stage in the mapping of internal communication that the grapevine is: “fast, highly
accurate and heavily used. Its main function is to translate important and emotional
messages and changes into more comprehensible information. Because of its accuracy this
structure can improve internal co-operation. “apud Davis (1972)
Thatcher also recognised the possibilities of the grapevine structure as an alternative
communication tool in her article The grapevine: communication tool or thorn in your side?
According to Thatcher, the grapevine can be both interesting for selling a new initiative as
well as cascading new information. Thatcher (2003:31) But she also warns about the
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dangers of using the grapevine. “The grapevine may not always be accessible as an internal
communication tool, but it’s still an accurate reflection of climate and culture and a good
barometer of how employees feel about what’s going on inside the organization. As Andy
Szpekman, president of AHS Communications points out: The reason grapevines are
effective is because they convey information people care about. There is always an eager
audience to hear about a pending layoff, organizational restructuring, benefit takeaway or
other news that’s either of human interest or related to one’s job security, career
opportunities, salary and so forth.” (2003:33)
Because the grapevine is mostly informal, it is very hard for management to influence it or
even recognise its possibilities. A survey developed to examine managers' perceptions of the
factors associated with grapevine activity has shown that 92.4% of companies surveyed
have no policy to deal with the grapevine, and that managers and organizations usually don't
take an active role in managing/controlling informal communication networks.” S. Crampton,
J. Hodge, J. Mishra (1998:2)
Yet the need for comprehensible information and increased co-operation on an informal level
fits perfectly in the framework of a custom made magazine. The ultimate goal is to transfer
the corporate message in such a way that the reader is interested and involved in an active
and informal way. A custom made magazine can accomplish this. According to the publicists
at Het Salon, a custom made magazine, unlike a traditional corporate magazine, is read over
25 minutes, spends two weeks in the house of the reader and is passed on after it has been
read. The informal nature and the efficiency of this medium are diverted from its origin, the
grapevine structure. Because the formal message is made to look like informal information,
the readers adopt it easily.
I believe the answer to the first important question of this theoretical framework: Where can a
custom made magazine for internal communication be implemented?, is the communication
structure that is most appealing to the employees, the grapevine structure. Using a
dangerous but useful communication channel, instead of a traditional formal one, can reach
the employees very efficiently.
I believe this answer is not restricted to this specific type of custom magazine, every possible
target audience, has its own, informal grapevine structure. In my opinion, reaching a specific
audience can be achieved by analysing the grapevine or structure of communication in which
the audience gets its informal information (e.g. popular magazines) and mimicking it with a
custom publication.
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2.3 How can you make a custom made magazine for int ernal communication?
In order to make the readers accept the formal message passed on through informal media,
traditional approaches have to be put aside. A custom made magazine can only be
successful if authors and publicists move away from the traditional formal framework of
communication and existing business strategies. A possible approach to custom publishing
can be found in the theoretical analysis made by Pulizzi (2008). In Custom Publishing The
Wrong Way. Custom Publicist Pulizzi tries to make a list of five important pitfalls a publicist
should avoid. These mistakes are: (1) Using the Same Business Model, (2) Considering
Account Management as a Side Job, (3) Lack of Sales Ownership, (4) Editorial on Magazine
Staff and (5) Combining Production. Pulizzi (2008:63). This list is very important because, not
only does it indicate basic rules for making and defining a custom magazine, it also indirectly
advocates using an external Publicist like Het Salon. I will analyse these guidelines, to be
able to learn more about how to make custom made magazines.
“The majority of publishers that run their custom publishing department like a magazine are
usually the ones scratching their heads wondering where the growth is. Successful custom
media units, like Hanley Wood Marketing and Penton Custom Media, recognized long ago
the need for a separate entity with a different business model. A custom unit runs much
closer to an ad agency model than a publishing model. The customer requirements and
marketing expertise levels aren't in the same ballpark.” Pulizzi (2008:64) This need for a
different business model indicates that the custom magazine differs not only from traditional
corporate magazines, but also from store-bought varieties. Publishers should opt for an
organisational structure that combines editorial knowledge with marketing objectives.
Het Salon, is a perfect example of such a structural framework. Making custom media initially
was a commercial side project of the advertising agency Markee. Even today the commercial
structure of Markee is reflected in the way Het Salon works. The magazine proposals are
sold like ads during advertising sales presentations. The external advertising in the
magazines placed by other companies are strategically placed and never pose a threat to the
magazines’ and the owners’ image, and the magazine is made by the same people who work
on regular b2b and b2c ads. These differences with the staff of store-bought magazines
allow the custom product to be more in tune with the marketing goals of the company.
Including Account Management is the second advice Pulizzi gives. “At Penton, we used the
account manager position as a competitive advantage over other publishers who assigned
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editors, production staff and even sales people to head up the custom project. The account
manager IS the publisher for that particular project, and is responsible for knowing
everything, including if the project is meeting or exceeding expectations, the ongoing project
budget, and where new opportunities exist to grow the business.” Pulizzi (2008: 63) Giving a
central role to account management when the company is making the magazine itself, is an
important step towards saving time. If they do not have an experienced communication
department, a lot of time could be lost involving people from different functions throughout
the organisation. The account manager often has a lot of communicative skills and a
thorough overall knowledge of the company and the product. The underlying idea of this
piece of advice is, use the right people to save time. Making a good custom made magazine
takes a lot of time, that’s why an external agency like Het Salon is that successful.
The third piece of advice Pulizzi gives, is on how to avoid conflict and organize custom
magazine staff on an internal level. This can be achieved by involving all sales reps in the
production process. He puts the emphasis on this issue, because of the nature of sales units.
“When publishers launch a custom unit, they usually bring in a sales savior. Most times, this
person is seen as competition to the traditional sales reps, who often work against each
other. Since the custom rep has no authority over other brand reps in the company, the
business stalls.” Pulizzi (2008: 63)
The fourth pitfall is the active involvement of the chief editor in the content of the magazine,
by writing editorials. “Outside of the editorial church/state issues that arise from this,
overseeing editorial for a customer project is a full-time job in and of itself. We used to sell
against this big time with statements like, "at the end of the day, your editorial is not the
magazine editor's primary responsibility, it's the magazine." This is a true statement. The
customer's objectives need to come first.” Pulizzi (2008: 63) The underlying ideas of this
paragraph are the preservation of the quality of the magazine and the importance of time
management. Once again Pulizzi indicates how time consuming and delicate making custom
media is.
The last advice is on how to plan and manage production timelines. “For traditional print
production to work, timelines needs to be maintained. This is exactly the reason why the
custom process won't work within a traditional magazine production environment. Customer
approvals and changes require constant movement in the production schedule.” (2008:64)
The main comment of Pulizzi is that once again you cannot apply the rules of planning of a
regular publicist, because of constant changes in customer approval, and the commercial
nature of the custom magazine.
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By analysing the comments of Pulizzi, a lot can be learned for making custom made
magazines. He indicates and solves two main problems: the internal structure of a regular
company (solved by putting the account manager in charge and consulting all sales
representatives) and the problem of using the organisation of a traditional print staff.
As already was indicated earlier on, Pulizzi does not seem to consider the possibility of hiring
an outsider to make a custom magazine, even though this would immediately solve most of
the issues he stresses.
Pulizzi is thus indirectly advocating hiring an external publisher, as the solution for a custom
problem. Bill Mickey (2008:44) also commented on the professional and commercial
approach that is required for custom publishing. "The answer to every question, if you're a
custom publisher, is no longer custom publishing. It's now about understanding the client's
business objectives, their target consumer and then looking at how customized content
expressed in a variety of formats and across a variety of platforms can really deliver on those
objectives." Mickey (2008: 44) It is interesting to look at how Het Salon, as an external
agency copes with these theoretical problems.
Het Salon uses an innovative marketing tool to promote its activities, called De Salontest
(Exhibit 2). Any company or organisation can send a copy of their magazine to Het Salon to
have it reviewed. For these reviews the editors use a fixed set of guidelines. These criteria
are also used as a guideline for their own magazines. De Salontest is divided into three main
criteria: content, form, and commercial strength and segmentation.
The point of departure for every magazine is an editorial meeting with the client who decides
on the rough outlines of the content and the approach, when those items are decided on, the
staff of Het Salon takes over completely. Professional copywriters who also have experience
with working on commercial b2b and b2c copy write every text. A team of graphic designers
with a commercial background creates the design of the magazine, and professional
photographers provide the images. The marketing and commercial perspective of the
magazine is emphasised by the third basic criteria of Het Salon: commercial strength and
segmentation.
The baseline of Pulizzi’s advice on how to make custom magazines is to move away from
traditional frameworks. Because of the impact a magazine can have and also because it
demands a lot of time and effort. Basically the answer to how to make a custom made
magazine for internal communication is use a professional, advertising minded, staff. I
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believe only companies with a large communication budget can follow these guidelines. This
might explain the success of agencies as Het Salon and sQills. Because this answer is rather
theoretical and vague, I will further study the approach of Het Salon while working on three
types of custom magazines on the level of copy and structure in the next chapter.
2.4 Conclusion
Custom made magazines can be used for a wide array of purposes. To be able to study this
subject, I have divided them according to the intended audience into magazines for an
internal audience, a b2b and a b2c audience.
By analysing the implementation and construction of custom made magazines used for
internal communication, I have tried to create a structural framework for the case study of my
assignments during my internship. I have discovered that the magazines are implemented by
using the informal channel of communication called the grapevine channel. I believe this
approach is not exclusively used for custom magazines for internal communication, but is
applied for the other types as well.
In my opinion every one of the three types of magazines tries to mimic another type of
traditional magazine with a different audience, and thus uses a different grapevine structure
as a point of reference. As I will try to prove in the following chapter, this results in a different
kind of copy and magazine structure as well.
CHAPTER 3 THE INTERNSHIP
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3.1 The Internship
In this chapter I would like to report on my work as an intern, and at the same time, try to give
a more profound answer to the second question of the theoretical analyses: How do you
make custom made magazines fit for internal communication?
Because of its unique structure and range of activities, Markee is a very interesting company
to work for as an intern. The size and organisational structure of the company, allowed me to
work on very diverging products, ranging from above, below and through the line advertising
to custom made magazines. Basically I commercial copywriter has to write two different
kinds of commercial texts: short and long copy, I had to write both of them intensively.
Markee assignments
My assignments for the through the line division mostly involved writing short copy. The
assignments varied from writing for a direct mail campaign and writing online texts, to coming
up with product baselines. Markee works for a lot of different companies, that’s why I wrote
copy for a lot of different situations. The companies I worked for where: Bell Company,
Broederlijk Delen, Gent Verwent, CM midden Vlaanderen, Toerisme Vlaanderen,
Screenvision, ‘t Casteelken and Nieuws.be.
Het Salon Assignments
Het Salon has a portfolio of four external magazines. I did research and wrote content for all
of them, the magazines were: çava Magazine (CM), Informeel (Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen),
Colora Magazine (Boss Paints.) and Seizoen (Toerisme Vlaanderen). I also was actively
involved in the first issue of Markee’s own magazine Bruce.
By looking at that process of writing copy, and analysing how it fit the overall structure of the
magazine, I will further explore how those magazines are made and how they work. The first
example I will use is the magazine made for Toerisme Vlaanderen, a Flemish governmental
organisation promoting Flanders as a commercial product on a b2b and b2c level. This
project is a perfect example of custom publishing used for internal communication purposes.
Because I also worked on a custom made magazine for external b2b purposes (Bruce) and
two magazines for b2c readers, I will treat them shortly as well, mostly to point out the
difference in copy and structure between internal, external, b2b and b2c custom magazines.
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3.2 Seizoen
3.2.1 Custom made long copy for Seizoen
Because of the nature of its services, the activities as well as the staff of Toerisme
Vlaanderen are spread all over the world. Especially since the rise of the BRIC strategy that
focuses on the expanding markets Brazil, Russia, India and China, agents of Toerisme
Vlaanderen have to promote Flanders to travelling agencies and corporate organisations in
nearly any country. This means the staff is spread geographically, which makes it very hard
to create internal cohesion. That’s why Toerisme Vlaanderen has asked Het Salon to make a
magazine for internal communication purposes. The solution they came up with is Seizoen, a
seasonal custom made periodical.
Seizoen is a perfect example of a magazine that tries to use the informational grapevine
structure to accomplish corporate goals. It is a magazine made to look like a regular
magazine on tourism like the popular magazine Grande.
Every new issue focuses on a new country or region in which Toerisme Vlaanderen is
operating successfully. Generally, the magazine offers an update on successful projects,
ongoing internal and political developments on tourism and a lot of human interests stories.
On the level of content, the articles can be divided into articles on achievements of Toerisme
Vlaanderen and updates, human-interest stories and articles on ongoing projects.
If a publicist would like to mimic the informal communication structure, and create his own
informal channel, he has to communicate in a very appealing way. In Seizoen this is reflected
in the relatively high number of human-interest articles. There are nine equal main
subdivisions in the magazine and four of them are on the daily life and opinions of people
involved in tourism. But, management has to get his own message across as well. That’s
why the other parts of the magazine are devoted to achievements, updates and ongoing
projects.
Because this is a special type of magazine, it requires a special kind of writing. Pulizzi
already indicated custom magazines should have the organisational structure of advertising
agencies. (2008:63) I experienced they also require a different kind of copy. The copy I had
to provide had to be a combination of commercial copy, bearing a commercial message and
journalistic copy.
29
During my internship I had to work on two assignments for Seizoen. I had to write four short
articles on important changes and achievements within the organisation and I had to come
up with two ads directed to the business partners of Toerisme Vlaanderen.
Both the articles and the ads had to be written in a special style fit for Toerisme Vlaanderen’s
custom purposes. Because the second assignment is on advertising in custom made
magazines, which requires a different approach, I will deal with it separately later on.
The first set of short articles I had to write were part of a series called Kort Verblijf. Kort
Verblijf is a regular part of Seizoen used to keep the reader up to date on the latest
developments and achievements of Toerisme Vlaanderen.
I was given four topics to write about: a new map for campers in Flanders, the efforts of
Toerisme Vlaanderen towards India as part of the BRIC strategy, new cyclist routes in
Flanders, and a new website to promote Flanders in France (Exhibit 3).
I already indicated this type of custom magazine requires a special textual approach.
Because it is difficult to formulate a consistent theory on writing, I had to learn to develop my
own style through a process of trial and error. During my first attempt for the article, I tried to
take the tourist’s point of view as a point of departure of my text. That way, I believed, I
respected the magazine Seizoen is using as an example, the traditional traveller’s magazine.
In the excerpt, you can see the main point of the this first edition of the text is to turn info on a
project of Toerisme Vlaanderen into a list of advantages for campers:
“Ontdek campingvriendelijk Vlaanderen!
Wie in Vlaanderen wil kamperen hoeft niet langer druk op zoek naar een geschikte
kampeerplaats. De dienst Toerisme Vlaanderen geeft deze zomer de kampeerkaart 2008
uit, een viertalige kaart met informatie over kamperen in Vlaanderen. Op deze kaart staan
kampeerterreinen, kampeer verblijfparken (vanaf 30 toeristische kampeerplaatsen) &
kampeerautoterreinen verspreid over heel Vlaanderen. De kaart geeft duidelijk per
kampeerplaats het aantal plaatsen voor tent, trekkershut en caravan weer. In elke situatie
staat de kampeerkaart de kampeerder bij.” (excerpt first draft Kort Verblijf Seizoen Zomer
2008)
In this first draft I tried to keep in mind the theory of the grapevine, and kept the text as close
to a store-bought magazine’s text as possible. In order to achieve this, I transformed the
content of the message completely. The original message was: Toerisme Vlaanderen, our
30
company, offers a new product, de kampeerkaart. I transformed it into: If you are a camper,
you should use de kampeerkaart.
To be able to do this, I presented the content as a list of arguments to use de kampeerkaart
and adopted a very commercial style of writing. I used short persuasive sentences, used
direct address and always kept it easy to read. Although this approach would work in a real
traveller’s magazine, I discovered it didn’t fit Seizoen.
The feedback I got from the main editor of Het Salon was, that I should change my intended
audience. The text was supposed to give some basic info to the staff of Toerisme
Vlaanderen and its partners who would be confronted with tourists using these maps. This
audience required a completely different approach. I reformulated the text bearing in mind
the advice that the text was for a professional audience. To make this text appropriate for its
intended audience, I simply reversed all the techniques I used in my first draft. The result
was the following text:
“Vlaanderen Campingvriendelijk
Deze zomer geeft Toerisme Vlaanderen de kampeerkaart 2008 uit. Deze viertalige kaart
bundelt informatie over kamperen in Vlaanderen. Het plan toont de locatie van
kampeerterreinen, -verblijfparken (vanaf 30 toeristische kampeerplaatsen) en –
autoterreinen. Per kampeerlocatie geeft de kaart het aantal plaatsen voor tent, trekkershut
en caravan weer. Voor de Nederlandse markt ontwikkelde de marketingafdeling een
bijkomend boekje dat inspiratie geeft voor een kampeervakantie in Vlaanderen.” (excerpt
final version Kort Verblijf Seizoen Zomer 2008)
There are a lot of differences between this version and the first one, for example: The first
sentence no longer gives an introduction fit for tourists, but is written in a neutral style. In
general this article focuses on facts, rather than on creating a framework that makes the
information enjoyable to read, and the main goal is to give the information without having to
persuade the reader.
The final result is a text of which you can say it belongs more in a traditional corporate
magazine, rather than in a custom made magazine. This can also be said of the other three
texts from this subdivision, called Kort Verblijf. In order to explain this, the overall structure of
the magazine has to be taken into account. About 60 percent of the magazine is made to
look like a regular magazine, the other 40 percent does contain, dry factual businesslike
information.
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One of the most important elements of a custom made magazine is adaptability. Every
organisation has specific communication needs that correspond with different kinds of
custom magazines. Unlike other magazines, Seizoen is a good example of a magazine that
addresses a lot of importance to dry business communication, but nevertheless still is a
custom made magazine.
3.2.2 External advertising in custom publishing
One important part of making a corporate magazine looking like a store-bought magazine, is
adding printed ads to your magazine. This might seem like a contradiction, but nearly every
store-bought magazine contains ads from external advertisers. It is as if it is an essential part
of the structure and content. Adding ads to your custom magazine, if done properly, thus can
increase the acceptance by the reader and decrease the costs at the same time.
This does not imply anything is possible. There seems to be one basic rule that is used by
Het Salon while looking for advertisers for their custom magazine: advertisers can never be
competitors of the product or service the magazine is promoting. Apart from this, publicists
and owners of custom made magazines can only benefit from the sponsorship through
advertising.
During my internship I had the opportunity to work independently on two ads for Seizoen.
The first ad was an ad on an environmental travel agency award, the second ad was an ad
on a series of seminars and a brochure on product development. The internal nature of
Seizoen (it is only distributed to employees and a limited number of business partners)
limited the possibilities for external advertising. That’s why those ads I worked on were ads
on side projects of internal divisions.
These ads had to fit the general tone of the articles, that’s why I got the following instructions:
the ads had to be to the point, fit for a B2B magazine and had to be businesslike rather than
entertaining.
The first ad I had to make was on an award issued by Toerisme Vlaanderen for the Flemish
tour operator that contributed the most to sustainable development. The main goal of this ad
was to attract contestants.
There only was a limited budget for this ad, that’s why I had to come up with an idea that
would not ask a lot from the graphic designers of Markee, and could be implemented easily.
32
At that time I had already worked on regular ads for Markee, and had discovered the most
successful concepts always contained a humoristic undertone. Bearing that in mind I made a
first shortlist of concepts that all had a humoristic baseline and image.
All five of them were rejected. The humoristic undertone didn’t seem to be appropriate for
this type of custom magazine. What the magazine needed was an ad that was low on costs,
dry, but respectable at the same time.
Together with the editor, I chose to start from a classical image and then ad the copy.
Because this was a low budget ad, I only had limited resources. For instance, I had to work
with photographs from Shatter Stock, a photo database used by advertising agencies that
contains images they can use for a fixed low price. We chose to use a picture of a panda, the
animal associated with environmental issues.
For the accompanying copy, I used the same guidelines I used for the Kort Verblijf item. I
kept the info factual, short, to the point and kept the intended b2b audience in mind. But
because it was a printed ad, I did include direct address. I also applied the basic rules of
short copy of printed magazine ads that are applied by Markee. I made it as short as possible
and put in two textual references to the image. As a result I created the following ad.
33
Illustration 3: Ad 1 from Seizoen Zomer 2008
The same balance that could be found between serious, factual articles and more popular
human interest articles can be found in the division of external ads: for the second ad, I was
allowed to use the rules of traditional printed ads.
The second ad had to advertise seminars and brochures on commercial product
development. The intended audience of those seminars consisted out of hotel, amusement
park and museum owners. The main point of the ad was to encourage the reader to collect
info on the seminar online or to order a brochure. This time I could use the traditional
34
humoristic references to draw their attention. Because it seemed very effective, I chose to
use grotesque humour in this ad.
Grotesque humour is a humoristic technique that is often preferred in popular culture and
advertising in specific. It is a kind of humour that is constructed by adding two different
counterparts, images or pieces. I’ve discovered most of the humour used in contemporary
ads is constructed in a similar way. A good example is the award winning Eurostar ad made
by Mc Cann Erickson. To promote this ad the agency partly turned a regular bar into a pub,
by combining both in the same building a grotesque humorous effect was created.
For this second I ad, I combined images of the core business of two of the intended readers,
the owners of a hotel and the owners of an amusement park.
Illustration 4: Ad 2 from Seizoen Zomer 2008
35
The reception of this second ad was very positive, after it was published I was even asked if
Toerisme Vlaanderen could use it as promotional tool.
Bearing in mind this first experience with custom made magazines, I would like to look back
on the main question of this dissertation: ‘Where can custom publishing be implemented in
internal corporate communication and how are those magazines made?’
Where can custom publishing be implemented in corporate communication?
I believe this case already proves that the key advantage of custom publishing products is
their adaptability. It proves custom publishing can be used for a wide array of corporate
communication purposes, it can even be used to replace traditional corporate internal
magazines. To support this claim I will also describe the other custom made magazines (b2b
and b2c) of the Het Salon portfolio.
How to implement them in your communication strategy?
As I already said, the key advantage of custom magazines is their adaptability; the main
theoretical idea is to appeal to the reader by using or mimicking the informal grapevine
channel. But the way this is achieved can change according to the intended audience. In this
case the intended audience’s interest provoked by the usage of popular human-interest
articles in combination with factual dry information. According to the intended audience, I
believe the balance between those two types of information can shift. As I will indicate in the
case study of the b2c magazine used to promote Boss Paint products, the balance clearly
shifts towards popular content if the editors try to reach an external audience.
How to make custom made magazines for internal purposes?
I have also learned some practical aspects on how to make custom made magazines as
well. What I’ve learned while working on Seizoen is that there is no such thing as a basic
custom made corporate magazine. This is specifically true for the type of custom made
magazine I described in the theoretical analyses. Every one of those magazines has its own
specific goal, and according to that goal it has its own specific division between dry factual
items and more popular ones. I believe the custom magazine for internal purposes clearly
diverges from external magazine b2b as well as b2c when it comes to the importance of this
delicate balance.
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3.3 Sponsored Magazines
Originally, the first custom made magazines were consumer oriented ones called sponsored
magazines. Some of the most popular examples were magazines that were used by retailers
in the eighties to promote their merchandise. Instead of using the traditional brochure, some
innovating American retailers, like Wall Mart, used a consumer magazine with recipes and
popular stories to draw the attention of their customers toward their products. Raugust
(2008:23)
The overall decrease of marketing budgets has motivated marketing managers in other
business areas to resort to this relatively cheap way of advertising as well. In this case study
I will focus on Het Salon’s own sponsored magazine called Colora Magazine to see in how
the structure and copy differs from that of Seizoen.
3.3.1 Colora Magazine
Colora Magazine is a sponsored magazine made for Boss paints nv. Boss paints is a
Belgian company that produces and develops paint, decorative techniques and related
products. Colora is a franchise owned by Boss paints. The Colora franchise allows shops to
exclusively sell Boss products and offer related services. This licence is given to 31 shops in
Flanders. In addition to their product brochures, they also distribute their own sponsored
magazine, Colora Magazine. http://www.boss.be/wieis/topic.do?topic=bedrijfsProfiel and
http://www.colora.be/about.do
Colora Magazine offers a wide range of custom made articles on several decorative
techniques and painting. It is made according to the principles that are described in De
Salontest (Exhibit 2). On the Colora website the periodical is presented as a free luxurious
magazine in the following attractive way: “Wat dacht je van een luxemagazine met boeiende
interieurreportages, handige weetjes, creatieve verfideeën en nieuws over onze collecties en
hun toepassingen? Colora magazine bedient je op je wenken, drie keer per jaar. Je kunt je
hier abonneren of in je Colora-winkel een gratis exemplaar meenemen. Wedden dat je
inspiratie opdoet?” http://www.colora.be/inspiratie/coloramag.do?taal=nl
According to the principles of b2c sponsored magazines, there is no direct reference to the
action of the reader. Unlike the internal communication custom magazines, this advertising
tool is presented as a real non-sponsored magazine. The main goal is to persuade the
37
potential client to use Colora products. By giving general advice and at the same time
promoting the Colora products, these products are associated with successfully decorating
your house. The magazine is presented as a luxurious magazine. The authors want the
readers to associate Colora products with classy decorating means.
Because the main audience is an external b2c audience, there are al lot of structural
differences between Colora Magazine and Seizoen. The Colora Magazine I worked on had
eight different main items. These items could be divided into four categories.
1. 5 articles on a Colora product using a fictional family as a framework
2. 1 general Interview with a Flemish celebrity on decorating
3. 1 article on product info without a framework
4. A short collection of tips on how to solve problems with Colora products
When you compare the structure of Seizoen with this structure, you can see the balance his
shifted completely towards articles with popular content. It is safe to say the magazine is
completely made out of popular content.
Because I mostly worked on the collection of tips on how to solve do-it-yourself problems, I
will try to explain how this custom text was made, what its main function was in the magazine
and what the main points of difference are with the text I wrote for Seizoen.
The point of departure of such an article is a dry list of product specs passed on by the
product development team of Colora. Because of the consumer oriented nature it was quite a
challenge to come up with a relevant framework. The following text is a first attempt for the
article on the Elastokit. It was the first article I wrote for Het Salon, because of that I made a
lot of common errors.
“Hoe blijvend scheuren wegwerken?
Barsten, ze zijn één van de meest voorkomende problemen bij oudere huizen. Zowel binnen
als buiten kunnen er scheuren ontstaan in het houtwerk, in naden en nagelgaten, ook
glaswerk kan hieronder leiden. Deze barsten kunnen gelukkig behandeld worden, door deze
scheuren op te vullen met elastische en overschilderbare acrylaatmastiek kunnen ze zelf
volledig verdwijnen. “ Colora Magazine first draft
The most important part of feedback I got on this attempt was on the length. I tried to
incorporate every part of the technical specs, making a kind of walkthrough on how to use
the product efficiently. This texts fits perfectly in a step-by-step brochure, but that is not
38
appropriate for a consumer magazine. It contained too much technical information and it was
too long. The average reader needed general info that he could use to decide whether or not
to by the product, not on how to use it. After some editorial changes this was the final result:
Illustration 5: Colora Magazine Elastokit article
The formulation of the basic info is comparable to the one I got for the Kort Verblijf items: a
new product and its specs. The outcome on the other hand is completely different. The first
main difference is the length of the item. The original first draft contained 215 words, this
piece contains only 65. In this text the reader is addressed passively, the subject is omitted,
but nevertheless it is intended for the consumer. The factual value of this article is
considerably low if you look at what is left of the specs, most of the practical info has been
replaced by an explanatory image and a framework of doing chores around the house has
been created.
In Seizoen, there was a considerable amount of non-popular material as well. In Colora
Magazine the content I described was perhaps the most factual, neutral information that
could be found in the magazine. Once again, this difference between consumer oriented and
internal custom made magazines underlines there are a lot of varieties in the custom made
39
market. They both draw heavily on the grapevine structure and are essentially custom made
magazines, but they have a completely different structural approach.
I believe this conclusion further reinforces my claims on where and how to implement custom
publishing in your communication strategy. The kind of custom publishing that is described in
this case is the most traditional one, but if enough changes are made, custom media can be
a very effective tool even for internal communication purposes.
3.4 Custom made b2b magazines
The last magazine I would like to discuss is Markee’s own custom magazine called Bruce.
3.4.1 Bruce
Bruce is a sponsored magazine like Colora, but it is used in a b2b context. Because I actively
worked on Bruce, and this type of magazine is the direct link between regular sponsored
magazines and custom made corporate magazines, I will treat it shortly. I believe this case
will further support my claim of adaptability, because I believe custom media can reach any
audience, as long as the media is adapted to the specific grapevine structure of that
audience.
Bruce plays a special role in the Markee portfolio, it is used as a sample, to promote the
magazine making skills of the agency, but at the same time it can be read as a real custom
made magazine, and is published as such. The structure and content of Bruce lies in
between those of Seizoen and Colora Magazine, because it is made for a professional
audience, that never the less has to be persuaded like a regular b2c audience.
The content of Bruce can’t be divided as the content of its counterparts, because it is very
difficult to draw a line between hard, neutral, factual articles and popular items. All the
articles in the magazine are written in the same tone, a combination of factual info and
attractive consumer oriented writing.
The audience this magazine tries to appeal to, is a business audience. This is an audience
that is hard to reach, because it is unclear whether this type of magazine needs to use the
grapevine structure approach or use a more formal tone. It cannot be too informal, or it would
40
lose its persuasive nature, but neither can it be very factual, because the magazine has to
show off Het Salon’s popular writing skills.
To illustrate the style of the language used in these articles I will shortly treat an article on
Magazine covers (Exhibit 4) I wrote. In the article five editors of Flemish magazines
commented on their worst and best magazine covers.
The most interesting point of difference between working for this magazine and the previous
one was the reader’s point of view. I had to choose between using consumers, editors or
prospects as intended readers. Generally, marketing magazines are read by people involved
in marketing, which would imply choosing them as target audience. On the other hand, the
goal of Bruce is to convince marketers, Het Salon can reach any audience, especially
consumers. Because I had little experience at that time, in my first draft I avoided making the
decision, and chose a neutral reporting tone.
“Eos is een populair wetenschappelijk magazine met zo wel artikels over
natuurwetenschap als over menswetenschap. Luc Verpoort, hoofdredacteur van Eos:
“Door in te spelen op de latente actualiteit was het nummer rond de Da Vinci code
(juni/augustus 2005) een succes. Aangezien het om een zomernummer ging lag het ook
langer in de winkelrekken. Een ander zomernummer dat het bijzonder goed deed, had een
cover over autisme (juni/augustus 2007). Met die cover werd ingespeeld op een probleem
dat een grote groep aanspreekt en dat op dat moment heel wat mediabelangstelling kreeg.”
Bruce the cover story first draft
When you compare this with the final version of the text (Exhibit 4), you can see the same
technique has been applied. Together with the editor I opted to use an impersonal tone to
report strictly what the interviewee said.
Because this magazine has a special function it is hard to draw any further conclusions about
how to write copy for it, still I found it interesting enough to ad it to this case study because it
clearly is separated from magazines like Seizoen as well as Colora.
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3.5 Conclusion
There are no strict rules for making custom made magazines, but I believe there are types of
magazines that share structural elements. The point of departure of this division in types is
based on its intended audience. As I described in the case studies, I believe there are three
different types: custom magazines for corporate internal communication purposes, corporate
custom magazines for b2b purposes and custom magazines for a b2c audience.
The most obvious difference I came across in this case study was the difference in structure.
I believe each type of custom magazine, tries to mimic another different kind of regular
magazine that has a different structure. On a basic level this is reflected in the selection and
internal relation of content. Custom magazines made for internal communication purposes
tend to contain less popular articles than their direct counterparts, the custom magazines for
a b2c audience. This difference is reflected in the overall tone of the copy as well. Copy
written for a magazine like Seizoen has to mimic popular magazines, and transfer corporate
messages at the same time, which makes it more factual and dry. Copy for its counterpart,
on the other hand (e.g. Colora Magazine), has to be as light and generally acceptable as
possible.
I believe this division can be used as a guideline for answering the second question of the
theoretical analyses (How do you make custom made magazines fit for internal
communication?). To be able to do this, first you must know how custom publishing can be
implemented in your communication, in other words, which grapevine structure the magazine
need to mimic. Based on the outcome of that question, you can make your own magazine.
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CHAPTER 4 FINAL CONCLUSION
4.1 Introduction
Before I started the MTB program, I knew next to nothing about corporate communication
and marketing. I knew even less about copywriting. The courses I followed during the year
and the internship I did, have introduced me to those concepts in a very efficient way.
Markee, as a considerably small agency, has proven the perfect learning ground for an
aspiring copywriter. Because of the workload, cooperation and professionalism of this
agency I have picked up the basic concepts of copywriting, both short copy and custom
articles in a very short time.
In this final chapter I will take a look at the experience of the internship at the level of the
practical skills I have learned, the personal values I have been confronted with and how the
MTB program was part of this process.
4.2 Professional Skills
Without taking into consideration my sales experience I got during some student jobs, this
internship was my first introduction to a fulltime job. That is why, on a professional, level I
have obtained a lot of experience, while doing my assignments. I have learned how to write
short copy for direct mailings; brochures and printed ads and I learned how to write articles fit
for a B2C, B2B context and internal communication.
4.2.1 Short copy
In Belgium there is no real program that trains you to become a copywriter. That’s why for
most of my assignments I did not have any real experience. This made this internship very
rewarding but also not quite as easy as I expected it to be. Especially when it comes to
writing short copy I discovered I had no experience at all, and that is why I think I can say I
picked up a lot of things while working on advertising campaigns.
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Direct Mail
One of the first assignments I got, was to write a direct mail for the online CM campaign. I
had only worked on small assignments when all of a sudden I had to fall in for the main
copywriter at that time. Because I was the only person available I could not afford to make
mistakes. Although this was very challenging, this situation thought me very quickly how to
write effective mailings.
Brochures
During my first week, I had to work on the brochure for the Gent Verwent customer
relationship project. Once again I unexpectedly had to replace the main copywriter of
Markee. Through a process of trail and error, I picked up two important rules about
copywriting: keep the copy as short as possible and keep the intended reader in mind during
every step of the writing process.
Printed Ads
I also worked on printed ads. I especially liked working on the printed ads for Seizoen.
Because of the low-budget character of those projects, I could independently decide on the
content and form of the ads. This has allowed me to learn a lot on the making of ads. I’ve
learned I can apply the theory of my previous dissertation on grotesque humour, but I’ve also
learned more technical details about writing copy. Like how to always begin your text with a
direct address (often a question), how to refer to the image twice in your copy and how to
keep it as short as possible. I’ve also learned how to adapt the copy to the context of the ad.
As I have described in the previous chapter, b2b and b2c ads require different approaches.
4.2.2 Long copy
As for the assignments I got from Het Salon the most important thing I learned while writing
for three different kinds of magazines is how to reach three different audiences. I’ve learned
tricks that are helpful when writing in a B2C, B2B and internal context.
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4.3 Personal Skills
This internship was my first real experience with working, it was also the first time I had work
nine to ten hours a day at the same location with the same people. This has thought me a lot
about teamwork. When I compare this experience with group assignments earlier on in the
MTB year, I can say that I really learned how to work in a team. When I take a look at my
personal skills I can say I’ve developed, punctuality, team spirit, a lack of a nine to five
approach, a to the point style of communicating and individuality.
Punctuality
When I compare my contribution to the MTB assignments during the year, I can say that I
contributed on a strategic and general level while working on those assignments. I mainly
focussed on the direction and on the larger content of the task, not bothering with details.
During my internship I’ve learned to go beyond a general level of planning and writing as
well. Instead of just discussing with clients on the content of a magazine, I had to write it, and
it had to be exactly to the clients’ liking as well. For example, for the brochure assignment, I
had to rewrite a very small part of about five sentences, for over four times, because the
client was very punctual and strict. I’ve learned to accept that approach, and because this
was one of my first assignments, made sure I paid more attention to the specific details in my
next assignments.
Teamwork
During assignments I worked on for school before I studied MTB I always worked together
with likeminded people who share my generalist approach on work. In the professional
environment of Markee, team members are chosen for their skill and not their attitude I had
to adapt to this situation. Eventually, I have learned this approach is often more rewarding.
Working together with people who have different views on your assignment makes you
understand it better.
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Work Life Balance I have learned to adopt a new approach towards the work life balance. As part of a creative
staff in an advertising agency, a job is never really done. If an assignment for a specific
account had to be finished by the other day and you normally stop at 6, nobody working on
that account at Markee went home before the job was finished. It was interesting to
experience such an atmosphere and this has motivated me to adopt a same approach.
When I was working on a printed ad and I couldn’t come up with an idea during the day
because I had to write articles for Het Salon, I just kept working even after I got home. When
I look back at the creation of those ads I now realise that most of my ideas, I came up during
my spare time.
Being To The Point
The main advice I got for writing copy was ‘keep it short’. This did not just apply for the copy
it applied to al communication within Markee. Because this is a small agency the workload is
considerably large the staff cannot afford to lose a lot of time communicating. The general
atmosphere is an open one, but the main idea is to keep communication short and to the
point. I’ve noticed that the emails I’ve sent to my colleagues became shorter every week and
that I had adapted the same ideas on communication unintentionally.
Individuality
When I began my internship I expected constant guidance and feedback from my
colleagues, but because of the workload, I had to ask feedback directly if I wanted it. I had
the feeling I had to work myself in into the Markee system. Although this seemed
discouraging at the time, I quickly learned how to cope with it. Instead of relying on team
members I have learned to pick up things on my own as well. A good example is the short list
I made on direct mails. Situations like these have forced me into developing copywriter skills
at a fast pace. If In the beginning the fast pace made me uncertain about the quality of my
work, but once I accepted it and got my first feedback, that was positive, I learned to accept
this kind of individual attitude.
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4.4 The MTB Program
4.4.1 Practical knowledge
Because the MTB program tries to cover most aspects of corporate communication, some of
the aspects are only touched briefly, like copywriting. Still there were two courses that helped
me: for the short copy assignments I had to rely on the guest course by Mark Van Bogaert,
for writing longer articles I could fall back on the experience I got from the English Major
courses.
Short Copy
When I had to write short copy, I could fall back on the Marketing course, using the book
Marketing Management, de essentie as a quick guide for assignments. But the intention of
this course is to give an introduction to marketing and advertising and not to give specific info
on how to deal with copywriting.
The most interesting info I got on how to write good short copy, I got from the lecture given
by the independent copywriter Mark Van Bogaert. During his short lecture he gave very
interesting info on how good copy should be written. Practical tips, like to present options in
threefold, never to use exclamation marks and to keep every text short and simple, might
seem obvious, but they helped me a lot. Because his lecture mostly was on writing direct
mail, his info strongly influenced my personal mail checklist I used during the CM campaign,
but I’ve also kept on using his tips and tricks for every piece of short copy I had to write.
Articles
The English Major courses came in handy when writing articles. The experience I got from
writing and editing a corporate magazine, making a sales presentation and negotiating with a
company on the content of their magazine, has given my a head start during my internship.
Making our own corporate magazine has thought me basic info on time management, on
how the content should be decided and what kind of people are involved in making it. This is
al basic information that can be picked up while working on your first magazine, but I noticed
I saved a lot of time because I was already aware of these concepts.
47
During my internship I had to work on a sales presentation, and I noticed I used a lot of
concepts I derived from my English Major sales presentation. Tips on content, on how to
make a good slideshow structure, how to make headlines, but also on how to boost the
technological aspects of a slide presentation.
4.4.2 Feedback MTB
My main motivation to enrol for the MTB program was to be able to apply for interesting
corporate communication jobs. To be able to do so, I still needed to acquire corporate
communication skills and enlarge my theoretical background on marketing and economics.
Although the skills I have learned during my year as an MTB student didn’t completely
coincide with the skills needed for the assignments during my internship, I consider this sub
sequential year as a successful one. As the main editor of Het Salon told my, “you can only
become a copywriter by writing copy”. That is why I think the MTB program has nevertheless
given me a substantial basic knowledge that is required to fill in an interesting corporate
communication vacancy.
I’ve noticed that I can actively use my knowledge and experience during job interviews, not
only when I applied for an internship six months ago, but even now when I applied for a
fulltime job. When applying for a starter job, I have noticed that I having worked as an intern
in an advertising agency and having worked for companies as Egemin and DP World were
an interesting asset.
Generally I think the MTB is a good program, when I consider the odds I had when applying
for a job before I followed the MTB program with my odds now, I can safely say it was a good
investment.
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5 SOURCES
Booker, E., Customizing the future of publishing., B to B, 2008, Vol. 93, Issue 12
Crampton, S. M. , Hodge, J.W., Mishra, J.; The Informal Communication Network: Factors
Influencing Grapevine Activity. Public Personnel Management, 1998
Eschauzier, L., Toolkit Corporate Communicatie. Alphen aan den Rijn (Kluwer) 2008
Herlé, M., Bladen maken, periodieken in de bedrijfscommunicatie. Den Haag (Bohn Stafleu
Van Longhum) 1996
Mickey, B. The New Custom Publishing Operation. The Magazine for Magazine
Management. 2008, Vol. 37, Issue 3, p43-45
Pulizzi, J. Custom Publishing The Wrong Way. The Magazine for Magazine Management,
2008, Vol. 37, Issue 10
Raugust, K. Word Power: The Value Of Custom Publishing. SN: Supermarket News, Spring
2008 Whole Health Supplement, Vol. 56, p22-29
Thatcher, M. The grapevine: communication tool or thorn in your side? Strategic
Communication Management. 2003, Vol. 7 Issue 5, p30, 4p
Savan, L., The Sponsored Life, Ads, TV, and American Culture. Philidelphia (Temple
University Press) 1995
Apud Cheney, G., ‘The Rhetoric of Identification and the Study of Organisational
Communication. Quarterly Journal of speech (1983), p.143-158.
Apud Davis, K., Human Behavior at Work, New York (Mc Graw-Hill) 1972
Apud Grunig, J.E., Verhallen, T.M.M., ‘Het voorkomen van merkverwarring: adverteert u voor
uw concurrent’. Tijdscrift voor marketing, 22 (1988), p.23-28.
Apud Van der Jagt, R., Corporate reputatiemanagement. Bouwen aan vertrouwen in het
transparantietijdperk. Alphen aan den Rijn (Kluwer) 2004
49
Apud Van Riel, C.B.M., Van Aalsburg, D.S., ‘Guiding Organisational Change by Professional
Internal Communication. Rotterdam 2000
Online Sources:
http://www.Markee.be/
http://www.custompublishingcouncil.com/
http://www.het-salon.be/watenwie.php
www.mijnmotivatie.be
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=MAcc8CPhlO4
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Below_the_line_%28advertising%29
http://www.mccann.be/
http://www.duvalguillaume.com/news/
http://www.famous.be/
http://www.sQills.be/index.php?id=85
http://www.boss.be/wieis/topic.do?topic=bedrijfsProfiel
http://www.colora.be/about.do
http://www.colora.be/inspiratie/coloramag.do?taal=nl
50
6 ILLUSTRATIONS USED
Illustration 1: Organisational structure of Markee p. 4
Illustration 2: Communication Model Van Riel and Van Aalsburg p. 16
Illustration 3: Ad 1 from Seizoen Zomer 2008 p. 30
Illustration 4: Ad 2 from Seizoen Zomer 2008 p. 32
Illustration 5: Colora Magazine Zomer 2008 Elastokit article p. 35
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7 EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1: Criteria of the common ground technique p. 49
Exhibit 2: De Salontest p. 50
Exhibit 3: Seizoen summer 2008 Kort Verblijf p. 59
Exhibit 4: Bruce spring 2008 The Cover Story p. 66
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Exhibit 1:The common ground technique Cheney 1983
1) How often does it appear?
1) How did the editor divide the content? (management info/ human-interest/strategy),
2) In how many ways does the magazine try to communicate on a collective scale?
3) How does the magazine deal with social cohesion in the company?
4) How does the magazine acknowledge the individual employee?
5) Does it use shared values used by the organisation as well as the employees?
6) Does the magazine encourage participating in events sponsored by the organisation?
7) Does it include positive comments given by outsiders?
9) Does it contain testimonials?
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Exhibit 2: De Salontest De Salontest: Het Salon ontwikkelde een manier om magazines op hun kracht te meten: ‘‘De Salontest’’. De vragen die we ons bij deze analyse stellen is: hoe scoort een blad op het vlak van de 3 basisobjectieven, de inhoud, de vorm, segmentatie en de commerciële invulling. Want alleen als alle elementen juist zitten, wint een blad écht aan impact en wordt het aantrekkelijk genoeg om op een salontafel te blijven liggen. Want dat is uiteindelijk de hoogst bereikbare plaats voor een magazine. ‘‘De Salontest’’ legt een aantal wonden bloot, maar biedt ook onmiddellijk een oplossing. We beperken ‘‘De Salontest’’ tot objectieve criteria, we geven dus geen appreciatie over hoe goed of slecht teksten geschreven zijn en of een foto nu mooi is of niet.
Objectief nastreven
Wat verwacht de opdrachtgever van een magazine en welke verwachtingen stelt de lezer, hoe denkt hij over dit medium? Een goed blad voldoet aan de 3 onderstaande objectieven/functies.
1. De instrumentele functie: de ontvanger moet ervan leren. Hij krijgt praktische informatie die hem in staat stelt beter te functioneren binnen het bedrijf BBB. Dit gaat van operationele informatie (werkinstructies of –afspraken, maar ook algemene informatie uit de sector) tot informatie over bedrijfsaspecten (hoe doet het bedrijf het, op alle gebied, wat zijn de objectieven, enzovoort), maar ook over de dienstverlening van BBB. Er wordt in BBB NEWS uitgebreid gecommuniceerd over de werking en activiteiten van BBB.
2. De expressieve functie: het blad moet iets aan een ander laten zien of iets zeggen over het bedrijf en
haar werknemers. Gevolg: een goed gevoel krijgen en behouden. Het is vooral de expressieve functie die bevorderlijk is voor de werksfeer en de bedrijfscultuur en uiteindelijk zal uitmonden in een beter bedrijfsimago. BBB NEWS moet werknemers samenbrengen en daarbij fungeren als bindmiddel. Een rubriek als ‘Het woord aan de medewerkers’ draagt bij tot een verhoogde expressieve functie. Het blad heeft een aantal zeer goede rubrieken die deze functie perfect ondersteunen.
3. De emotionele functie. Het medium moet amuseren, verstrooien, ontspannen. We vragen tijd van de
lezers, daarvoor moeten we iets in ruil geven, iets wat hun enige verstrooiing brengt. De meeste bedrijfs- en personeelsbladen slagen hier niet of nauwelijks in om verschillende redenen. BBB NEWS is hier helaas geen uitzondering op. BBB communiceert in haar blad veel bedrijfsinfo, maar een hogere entertainmentwaarde zou welkom zijn. In sommige edities wordt aan deze functie aandacht besteed op de laatste pagina’s. Een aantal luchtige items in het begin en op het einde zouden het blad al een pak toegankelijker maken.
Opzet
De opzet van het blad is om alle personeelsleden op de hoogte te brengen van wat er binnen het bedrijf gebeurt. Dat gebeurt met een zeer grote openheid, wat vertrouwen wekt en dus perfect strookt met de bedrijfsfilosofie en de missie. In BBB NEWS wordt getracht zoveel mogelijk te spreken over mensen, producten en afdelingen van het bedrijf. Daarbij wordt een duidelijk onderscheid gemaakt tussen realisaties en verwachtingen op het economisch vlak (winstcijfers, kostenbesparingen), op Human Resouces vlak en op het gebied van het productieproces (bedrijven, productengamma). Een bedrijf als BBB heeft natuurlijk heel wat te communiceren. Het grote informatieaanbod komt echter de ideale informatieoverdracht niet ten goede. Zonder daar te rigide in te zijn, zou het niet slecht zijn om iets meer structuur, onder de vorm van terugkomende rubrieken, in te voeren. Met uitzondering van de bijdrage over de medewerker, ontbreekt dat eigenlijk.
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Het menselijke aspect binnen die berichtgeving komt voldoende aan bod: mensen binnen de organisatie krijgen hun podium, maar vooral op structureel en vormgeeflijk vlak is BBB NEWS voor veel verbetering vatbaar. Indien mogelijk, zorg voor synergie met andere media. Alleen zo benut je de kracht van een magazine optimaal en wordt een magazine onderdeel van de communicatie-mix. Door eenvoudigweg je magazine per mail aan te kondigen, krijg je al meer aandacht, eens ze het op hun bureau krijgen.
Structuur
De terugkerende structuur, is een belangrijk aspect om de lezer houvast te bieden. BBB NEWS is op dit vlak voor verbetering vatbaar. Bij een hoge verschijningsfrequentie wint een blad aan kracht wanneer duidelijk herkenbare, vaste rubrieken worden gebruikt. In drie van de vier nummers die ons werden toegestuurd vinden we op de tweede pagina een voorwoord geschreven door de hoofdredacteur. In nummer 85 is dit voorwoord niet terug te vinden. Een zeer goede rubriek is ‘Het woord aan de medewerkers’. Niet alleen verhoogt deze rubriek het community-gevoel, men vindt ze ook steevast op dezelfde pagina in het blad terug. Jammer genoeg is dit zo de enige vast terugkerende rubriek. Het is niet helemaal duidelijk, maar is ‘Feel good @ work’ ook een rubriek? Door de verschillende manieren waarop rubrieken worden aangeduid, is die niet duidelijk. De inleiding heeft de ene keer ‘Edito’ als titel en de ander keer ‘Woord vooraf’, of ontbreekt gewoonweg. Een blad wordt van voor naar achteren of omgekeerd doorbladerd. Aan beide zijden moet de drempel zo laag mogelijk zijn. Dat doe je best door - na voorwoord en inhoudstafel - het magazine te beginnen (en/of te eindigen) met een aantal lichte korte artikelen, vervolgens over te gaan naar de reportages, die dan wel enkele pagina’s mogen beslaan en op het einde te komen met praktische gegevens. Hier wordt te weinig rekening mee gehouden. Het meest extreme voorbeeld is het januari nummer (n°85): daar vinden we vooraan een groot interview met Freddy Bouckaert. Noot: Ondanks het feit dat deze persoon directeur is van BBB, kan het geen kwaad om toch nog zijn functie te vermelden. Nieuwe mensen of famialie van personeelsleden, die toevallig ook het blad in handen krijgen, weten niet altijd welke functie deze persoon uitoefent. Achteraan staan soms ‘lichtere’ items, maar ook niet consequent. Het is interessant om een langer artikel te eindigen met een korte samenvatting: een blokje waar je de belangrijkste elementen uit het artikel samenvat, waarvan je wilt dat de lezer ze zal onthouden. Het einde van een artikel is tevens een goede plaats om woorden of afkortingen te verklaren, praktische info en contactgegevens te vermelden.
Titel
Zorg voor een originele titel die past bij het bedrijf en de sector, vermijd cliché titels. ‘BBB NEWS’ is niet de meest inspirerende titel, maar dekt wel de lading.
Interactiviteit
Door het blad een zekere interactiviteit te geven kan je gemakkelijker de impact inschatten en een beter beeld krijgen van wat er leeft bij het personeel. Een bedrijfsblad is iets waar iedereen wel een mening over en commentaar op heeft. Vaak worden die bedenkingen niet uitgesproken, maar ze leven wel. Veel kan opgelost worden door de personeelsleden een forum te geven. BBB heeft dit goed begrepen. BBB NEWS geniet dan ook een grote interactieve waarde. De rubrieken ‘Het woord aan de medewerkers’ en ‘Feel good @ work’ zijn hier goede voorbeelden van. ‘En jij, heb jij zin om in dit tijdschrift te staan? Neem contact op met de Interne Communicatie op...’ of ‘Voor bijkomende info, aarzel niet om ... te contacteren op...’ of ‘Om te reageren op dit artikel, kan je contact opnemen met de redactie’ zijn nog enkele voorbeelden van hoe BBB de interactiviteit met haar werknemers verhoogt.
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Ook een regelmatige wedstrijd of suggestiekaart zijn goede manieren om te polsen naar reacties. Bovendien dragen zowel forum als wedstrijd bij tot een verhoogd ‘community’ gevoel. Stel daar interessante prijzen tegenover. Het kan in eerste instantie een hoge kost lijken, maar de return in de vorm van een verhoging van het imago en de motivatie compenseert dat in ruime mate. Bovendien verhoog je de verbondenheid met je blad door meer interactiviteit te creëren.
Opbouw
Kom tot een goede mix van huisstijl en magazinestijl. Indien er teveel huisstijl aanwezig is, gaat het magazine al gauw op een brochure lijken. BBB NEWS is een beetje mossel noch vis. Het is gevarieerd genoeg om niet voor brochure aanzien te worden, maar is dan weer net te rommelig als magazine.
Bladspiegel
De bladspiegel moet de leesbaarheid bevorderen. Zorg dus voor een niet te drukke opmaak. Een hulpmiddel voor een goede leesbaarheid is witruimte. Laat dus voldoende witruimte of open ruimte. Dit bouwt niet alleen meer rust in, maar het geeft ook een overzichtelijke indruk en maakt het blad veel aangenamer om te lezen. Zorg voor een consistente bladspiegel lay-out. Zorg er m.a.w. voor dat elke pagina min of meer op dezelfde manier opgemaakt is. Een zwakte van BBB NEWS is de consistentie. Je merkt dat het blad geen vast stramien heeft. Zoiets doet afbreuk aan de identiteit en het leesgemak van het blad. Een aantal zaken moeten steevast op dezelfde plaats staan, tenzij het niet anders kan: aanduiding van de rubrieken, gebruik en plaatsing van beelden, headlines, kaderstukken. Laat echter wel de nodige bewegingsvrijheid, anders lijkt het blad ineens op een brochure.
Inhoud
Algemeen: De belangrijkste regel voor de inhoud van een bedrijfsmagazine is dat deze moet kloppen met de bedrijfsfilosofie en de missie. Voor BBB NEWS is dit het geval. Vanaf hier Steek voldoende afwisseling in het soort artikels (Interview, column, reportage, column..). Een goede column draagt bij tot een sterk magazine. Zorg dus voor ten minste één column per magazine. Het enige wat in BBB NEWS in de buurt komt van een column is het voorwoord, geschreven door de hoofdredacteur. Jammer genoeg is de entertainmentwaarde - zoals de meeste edito’s trouwens - te laag en is deze niets meer dan een aaneengeschreven inhoudsopgave of een té doorzichtige manier om te vertellen dat er harder moet gewerkt worden. Geef de lezer het idee dat hij serieus genomen wordt. Vermeld ook de /functie titel van de schrijver, vertel wie hij is. Wees selectief in het kiezen van de onderwerpen: artikels moeten interessant genoeg zijn om uitgelezen te
worden, ze moeten recent zijn en uiteraard inhoudelijk correct.
Steek in elke editie een artikel over recente trends of ontwikkelingen in de markt. Elk magazine moet iets
nieuws te vertellen hebben. Mensen leren graag bij en het draagt bij aan een innovatief imago van het bedrijf.
BBB heeft dit goed begrepen, maar beperk deze rubriek niet tot de sector alleen, durf ook eens een algemene
trend in het magazine te steken. Het verlaagt de instapdrempel en het maakt een blad luchtiger.
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Breng nieuws altijd op een boeiende en frisse manier, niet in jaren’80-BRT-niews-stijl. De manier van communiceren mag levendiger. Lezers moeten enthousiast zijn als ze nieuwtjes vernemen via BBB NEWS en ze moeten zin hebben om een artikel volledig uit te lezen. Maak een sterke openingsalinea, de openingsalinea is essentieel voor de sterkte van een artikel. De lezer moet na het lezen ervan zin hebben om verder te lezen. Besteed voldoende aandacht aan cijfermateriaal en gegevens daar waar nodig. De lezer mag niet het gevoel krijgen dat een aantal zaken slecht onderbouwd zijn. Dit is zeker belangrijk bij onderzoeksresultaten of statements van de schrijver. Het Scopeonderzoek, stoot een beetje voor de borst. De resultaten worden meegedeeld per indexscore. Volgens ons is het beter om deze resultaten mee te delen in percentages. Het is duidelijker en veel gemakkelijker om te begrijpen. Gebruik testimonials wanneer de situatie het toelaat. Hou rekening met de doelgroep en met de gevoelens ervan m.a.w. schrijf in functie van de lezer en wat hij met het artikel moet doen. Hou echter ook rekening met secundaire lezers. Heel belangrijk in een personeelsmagazine is wie er aan het woord komt en wat die persoon betekent in de organisatie. Het is soms interessanter om mensen uit het veld aan het woord te laten dan de directeur-generaal. Voor die lezer moet onmiddellijk duidelijk gemaakt worden waarom een bepaald artikel opgenomen is in het blad. Vertaal alle onderwerpen in voordelen voor de lezer: “wat heb ik hier aan?” Liefst al in de titels van de artikelen. Zorg voor aantrekkelijke thema’s en zorg er voor dat de lezer het artikel wil uitlezen na het lezen van de inleiding. Gebruik korte inleidingen die in een notedop vertellen waar het over gaat, zodat de lezer direct weet of het artikel de moeite waard is. Geef binnen het artikel captions en onderschriften een actieve rol in het vertellen van het verhaal. Gebruik “voor meer info” items: vermeld hierbij telefoonnummer, emailadres, antwoordkaart, etc. Dit is ook een handig hulpmiddel om de interactiviteit te verhogen. Stop gemeenschapsinformatie in je magazine: activiteitenkalender, verslagen van vorige bijéénkomsten, culturele agenda, ... Besteed ook de nodige aandacht aan sport: bedrijvencompetitie, bedrijfssportdagen, werknemers die aan sport doen, ... Cover: De cover is het belangrijkste wapen van een magazine. Sommige redacties besteden evenveel tijd aan het ontwerpen van een goede cover dan aan de rest van het magazine. Een cover moet in de eerste plaats herkenbaar zijn. Dit doe je door een consistente stijl aan te houden (via kleur, lettertype, logo, ...). Grote magazines hebben allemaal een herkenbare eigen stijl (Humo, Dag Allemaal, P, Knack, Flair, ...). Daarnaast moet een cover ook werven en aanzetten tot lezen. Zet daarom een duidelijk aanbod op de cover: “what’s in it for me” als ik dit blad open en lees. Vertel waarom HIJ dit magazine moet lezen: vermeld de hoogtepunten uit het magazine op een intrigerende manier. Dat kan gaan over de inhoud tot bvb een wedstrijd. Zorg dus voor krachtige ‘cover-lines’ die duidelijk vermelden waarover een artikel gaat en die de lezer aanzetten tot het lezen van een artikel. De cover is op een aparte manier opgemaakt, dat is het minste wat je kan zeggen. Hij is herkenbaar, maar we twijfelen sterk aan de uitstraling en de aantrekkingskracht van de cover. Van twee zaken zijn we wel zeker. Ten eerste hoort een inhoudstafel niet thuis op een cover. Deze moet naar de tweede of de derde pagina verschuiven. De cover zelf zouden we herleiden naar één goed gekozen beeld, zoals die nu in het linker deel van de cover staat, maar dan over de hele pagina. Ten tweeden moet er véél minder tekst op de cover staan. De drempel wordt door de hoeveelheid tekst zodanig verhoogt dat de zin om het blad te lezen enorm afneemt.
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Volgende zaken zouden de cover al aanzienlijk verbeteren: ten eerste een goed gekozen beeld (wat nu al het geval is), vermeld hierbij de hoofd cover-line; ten tweede 3 à 4 gewone cover-lines (zoals die der nu ook al opstaan, maar korter en zonder pagina verwijzing). Hoewel een paginaverwijzing af en toe kan, mag dit niet systematisch op elke cover terug te vinden zijn. Een quote van een interview is hier vaak gepast, titels als “Alles wat je moet weten over...” of “Wat je altijd al wilde weten over...” trekken de aandacht van lezers en stimuleren hen om het magazine te lezen, mits er op het einde van de zin een onderwep staat dat hen kan boeien. Zorg voor een beeld dat direct ‘in your face’ de lezer aanspreekt, letterlijk. Gebruik daarbij bij voorkeur mensen – mensen kijken immers graag naar mensen - en laat ze iets doen en/of in de lens kijken. Gebruik beelden die passen bij het imago van het bedrijf en het magazine. Probeer altijd mensen centraal te stellen die bij de onderneming of tot de doelgroep horen. Denk aan de leesbaarheid: 3m test. Vermijd zaken op de cover die het ‘so what effect’ veroorzaken: zet geen dingen op de cover die de lezer al weet, verras hem. Beloof geen dingen die niet in het magazine zitten. Als een magazine in de winkel verkocht wordt, moeten de cover-lines aan de linkerkant van de cover staan. Dit is omdat de magazines over mekaar in het winkelrek geplaatst worden en omdat op die manier enkel de linkerzijde van de cover te zien is. Een cover mag niet te druk zijn, hij moet er helder en vrolijk uitzien en mag zeker geen smerige of trieste indruk geven. Een cover mag maximum 1 hoofdcover-line bevatten en maximum 4 gewone. Artikelen: Een inhoudstafel kent nog een andere functie dan het droogweg opsommen van de inhoud: ze zet aan tot bladeren. Zorg dat er een inhoudsopgave is en zorg ervoor dat titels op de cover snel kunnen teruggevonden worden in de inhoudsopgave. Geef daarom bij voorkeur artikels overal dezelfde titel: boven het artikel, in de inhoudsopgave en op de cover. Begin het magazine met een aantal korte stukjes over het bedrijf in het algemeen. Deel per land, regio of dienst enkele wegwerpcamera’s (of nog beter: digitale camera’s) uit, waarmee personeelsleden hun ervaringen kunnen verhalen. Dit kan stof geven voor nieuwe onderwerpen en biedt het personeel een mogelijkheid om de eigen werkomgeving op een andere manier te interpreteren. Laat ook klanten, omstanders, opiniemakers, drukkingsgroepen, enzovoort aan het woord om een onderwerp te ontsluiten. Mensen lezen graag wat een buitenstaander denkt over een onderwerp. Bespreek nieuwe producten en/of diensten en organiseer wedstrijden om die te winnen. De artikels moeten boeien en moeten voldoende diepgang hebben. Doe eens een interview met een testpanel, een vrouwenpanel, een mannenpanel: hoe denken zij allen over product X. Besteed aandacht aan nieuwelingen in de onderneming, gebracht vanuit een human intrest manier (ipv een geschreven CV). Probeer als schrijver een mening mee te geven. Blijf niet altijd aan de oppervlakte en wees niet té bang voor een beetje controverse: het prikkelt de lezer en het toont dat een mening hebben op sympathie kan rekenen. Zorg er wel voor dat die mening goed onderbouwd is en dat zelfs tegenstanders zich in het artikel kunnen vinden. Wil je
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het de lezer té gemakkelijk maken uit angst om ook maar iemand uit je doelgroep voor het hoofd te stoten, dan produceer je oppervlakkig leesvoer. En dat keert zich uiteindelijk tegen u. Geef leuke faits divers als: de oudste werknemer, de jongste, de 5 leukste opmerkingen, de 10 meest vervelende, enzovoort.
Gebruik in je artikels belevenissen en anekdotes van het personeel, ook negatieve. Dat kan een hart onder de riem zijn voor de collega’s die ook zoiets meegemaakt hebben en ze helpen het verhaal beter verkopen. Morgen: toekomstplannen rond innovaties, hoe gaat het er aan toe in andere landen, ... Beeldmateriaal: Magazines (en zelfs nieuwsbrieven) zijn visuele media, zorg er dus steeds voor dat de fotografie van hoge kwaliteit is en dat de foto’s scherp genoeg zijn. BBB NEWS probeert zo goed als altijd kwalitatief beeldmateriaal te gebruiken. Neem de tijd om zorgvuldig de juiste foto’s uit te kiezen: ze moeten iets meer zeggen over de hoogtepunten van het artikel of ze moeten iets uit het artikel verduidelijken of ze moeten zorgen voor meer inlevingsvermogen. Gebruik altijd kwaliteitsvolle foto’s, zij leveren een beter imago. Zijn de beelden van een mindere kwaliteit, gebruik ze dan niet. In het geval van een grote organisatie kan het geen kwaad een kwalitatief hoogstaande fotodatabank aan te leggen. Het bespaart op den lange duur kosten. Een goede foto beeldt bij voorkeur mensen af die centraal staan en die iets doen. Probeer zoveel mogelijk beelden te tonen van mensen uit de onderneming of uit de doelgroep. Zorg dat foto’s een actieve rol spelen in het brengen van de boodschap en geen bladvulling zijn. Samen met de tekst moeten ze zorgen voor een sterker geheel: 1+1=3. De foto’s moeten aantrekkelijk zijn, aanspreken en moeten de lezer aanzetten om het artikel te lezen. De foto’s moeten opvallen, dynamisch zijn en de aandacht trekken. Geen te alledaagse beelden gebruiken, de lezers kijken hier over. De foto’s tillen de artikels naar een coherenter geheel en dragen in veel gevallen extra toe aan het artikel. Ze verduidelijken (een deel van) het artikel of zorgen voor meer inlevingsvermogen. Iets wat in BBB NEWS ontbreekt zijn passende onderschriften bij foto’s. Geef bij elke illustratie een woordje uitleg. Gebruik onderschriften die meer zijn dan een vermelding van wat je ziet. Dit is - naast verduidelijking van de foto’s - een uitstekend medium om de hoofdlijnen van de artikelen extra in de verf te zetten. De uitleg moet gedetailleerd genoeg zijn m.a.w. zorg ervor dat de lezer de link tussen tekst en foto goed doorheeft. Toon vooral mensen en laat ze ook recht in de lens laten kijken, alsof ze je aanspreken. Foto’s maken – naast korte artikels vooraan en achteraan het blad – de instap makkelijker. Het is dus aan te bevelen om de reportages met vooral veel beelden en weinig tekst vooraan in het blad te zetten. Naarmate het blad vordert kan je dan die verhouding verder afbouwen. Het gebruik maken van professionele fotografen is zeer zeker de moeite van het overwegen waard. Cartoons bij een verhaal zorgen voor een vrolijke noot en ze wekken de interesse van de lezer op. Bovendien verhogen ze de entertainmentwaarde van een blad. Kleurgebruik Gebruik de juiste (in overeenstemming met de sector/bedrijf) een aantrekkelijke kleuren.
Indien het bedrijf een bepaalde kleur heeft (bv het rood van Coca-cola), zorg er dan voor dat
dit een pantone kleur is: altijd en overal exact dezelfde kleur.
Taal:
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Wat direct opvalt bij het lezen van BBB NEWS zijn de vele taal- en typefouten. Het ergert niet alleen de lezer, hel geeft een slordige indruk en resulteert in een slecht imago voor het bedrijf. Enkele voorbeelden:
- Nummer 84 p 3 de inleiding: “Mathilde komt aan met haar papa, mama en broetjes.” - Nummer 84 p 7 de cartoon bovenaan: “Vroeger, wanneer er nog gerookt werd in mij bureau...” - Nummer 85 p 4 het groene kadertje: “In de eerste fase gaat het om dossiers op naam en de in tweede
fase om beurstoepassingen.” - Nummer 85 p 7 onderaan de middelste kolom: “Als ik me moet baseren op de reacties van de
intranetgebruikers, dan denk ik dat ze er over het algemeen tevreden zijn over het tool.” - Nummer 85 p 12 1e alinea: “zes mensen bleven in Brussel om andere functies te vervullen, vijf
collega’s van BBB vervoegden ons team, gevold door een collega in 2003.” - Nummer 85 p 12 1e alinea: “In 2004 was het rustig maar in 2005 vertrokken er vier vertrokken
medewerkers op enkele maanden tijd.” Zo’n zaken kunnen niet als je professioneel wil overkomen. Schrijf in de taal en op het niveau van de doelgroep: Gebruik zoveel mogelijk actieve werkwoorden. Schrijf in concrete substantieven, door de tekst tastbaar te maken wordt hij vatbaarder. Met korte alinea’s. En korte zinnen. Het taalgebruik van BBB NEWS is bij momenten heel ouderwets. Een externe redactionele inbreng levert niet alleen professioneel geschreven teksten op. Het geeft ook meer objectiviteit aan de artikelen, waardoor de geloofwaardigheid en leesbaarheid toenemen.
Lettertype
Een lettertype moet uitnodigen om te lezen. Zorg dus voor een lettertype met een vlotte leesbaarheid. Een mooi lettertype is in evenwicht met het geheel (er mag niet één bepaalde letter zijn die er over heel de pagina uitspringt) en vlot leesbaar. Voor een doorlopende tekst mag je enkel beginhoofdletters gebruiken en heb je de keuze tussen ‘schreef’ (serif) en ‘niet-schreef’ (sans serif) hoewel er een lichte voorkeur is voor ‘schreef’. Voor een titel daarentegen, mag je enkel ‘niet-schreef’ kiezen en je mag een titel in kapitaal zetten.
Lay-out
Enkele suggesties: Geef het blad meer structuur via een rubricering en een aantrekkelijke inhoudstafel. Zoals eerder gezegd, zorg voor vaste rubrieken die altijd op dezelfde plaats staan. Eén positief punt aan de inhoudsopgave is dat enkel de hoogtepunten vermeld worden en dat niet elke pagina voorkomt in de inhoudstafel. Het negatief punt van de inhoudsopgave blijft het feit dat ze op de cover staat, daar hoort ze niet thuis. Streef naar een stramien met daarin voldoende ruimte voor afwisseling. Titels en foto’s mogen speelser geplaatst worden. Het verhoogt de dynamiek. Het valt op dat BBB NEWS beperkt is in pagina’s, wees iets selectiever in het kiezen van de tekst die gepubliceerd moet worden. Het is soms beter om minder tekst te plaatsen ten gunste van foto’s en witruimte, deze creëren rust en maken een magazine aantrekkelijker om te lezen. Plaats ook regelmatig een grotere foto. Het geeft afwisseling, ademruimte en is visueel interessanter. Streef naar een herkenbare rubricering doorheen het magazine, met aantrekkelijkere benamingen en eventueel een icoon om te vervangen of te verduidelijken. Tekst in kolommen leest beter dan volle lijnen. Zorg dat je het stramien van de kolommen (breedte en hoeveelheid) consequent toepast. Gun jezelf wel de nodige bewegingsvrijheid. Als je met kolommen werkt moeten er tussen de 50 en de 70 karakters per kolom staan. Het voorwoord is één van de rubrieken die beter in kolommen zou gezet worden. Als je er nu naar kijkt nodigt het niet uit tot lezen. Giet deze tekst in kolommen en het ziet er al een pak aantrekkelijker uit om te lezen. Een ander aspect waar in BBB NEWS meer aandacht moet aan besteed worden is het basislijnstramien of de ‘baseline grid’. Dit zorgt ervoor dat regels van verschillende kolommen altijd op dezelfde horizontale lijn
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uitgelijnd worden. Dit maakt het blad visueel aantrekkelijk en het bouwt rust in. Bijvoorbeeld op pagina 3 en 6 van nummer 86 wordt dit niet nageleefd. Zoek naar een eenheid voor het plaatsen van de beelden: kleur, plaats en grootte. Opnieuw, met de nodige manoeuvreerruimte. Hoe meer beelden en hoe minder tekst, des te aantrekkelijker een magazine is om te lezen. BBB NEWS moet toch proberen om meer eenheid te scheppen in het plaatsen van beelden. Liever één groot beeld dan een collage van veel kleintjes. Vermijd absoluut tekst op te drukke achtergronden: donkere kleur waarin tekst staat komt de leesbaarheid niet ten goede. Vermijd nietszeggende beelden, de aandacht wordt er sowieso naar getrokken, ze zijn een dood spoor als ze niets te bieden hebben. De aandacht gaat in de eerste plaats naar warme kleuren ten koste van koude kleuren. Zorg bij reportages voor een korte inleidende alinea die de essentie van het verhaal brengt (cfr. kranten). Maak meer gebruik van de techniek van captions. Zorg voor korte en krachtige tussentitels, ze maken het lezen van een lange tekst aangenamer. Als je een ‘kaderstukje’ gebruikt, zorg er dan voor dat dit past in de opmaak. Op pagina 2 & 3 van nummer 85 bijvoorbeeld zie je twee kaderstukjes die naar willekeur opgemaakt zijn. Dit is zeer storend en geeft een slordige indruk. Probeer dit te beperken tot één kolom. Zorg over het algemeen voor een rustgevende opmaak. Een groot wapen om tot een rustige opmaak te komen is witruimte. Hoe meer witruimte, hoe aangenamer een blad is om te lezen. Zorg voor een consistente opmaak doorheen het blad: zorg ervoor dat elke pagina min of meer op dezelfde manier is opgemaakt; Maak geen wirwar van verschillende stijlen. De lay-out van BBB NEWS is verre van slecht, maar is voor verbetering vatbaar. Meer structuur en consistentie moeten in de toekomst zorgen voor een aantrekkelijker blad dat vlot leesbaar is
Materiaal
Zorg dat het materiaal klopt met de bedrijfsfilosofie (zowel het papier als de omslag). Kies papier dat niet te veel blinkt, dit is storend bij het lezen: bij een felle zon of onder spots weerkaatst het magazine te veel. Hier is BBB NEWS één van de betere uitzonderingen. De meeste bedrijven kiezen papier dat zo veel mogelijk blinkt. De materiaalkeuze van BBB NEWS is uitstekend. Neem een formaat dat handig is om te lezen. Uit onderzoek van Het Salon blijkt dat A4 of daaromtrent het best werkt.
Besluit
De redenen waarom een blad slecht scoort op ‘‘De Salontest’’ zijn niet altijd de schuld van de initiatiefnemer. We hebben wel degelijk rekening gehouden met het feit dat vrijwel alles intern gedaan wordt. Maar dat neemt niet weg dat het magazine véél beter kan. Want uiteindelijk kijkt de lezer naar het eindresultaat en niet hoe het verkregen wordt. Een goed gemaakt blad geeft een goede indruk over het bedrijf, over zijn plannen. Een slecht gemaakt blad geeft een slecht indruk.
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De aanbevelingen die wij schetsen in onze Salontest streven naar een ideale situatie. Veel hangt uiteraard af van wat haalbaar is, qua timing en budget.
Wat kan Het Salon doen voor het bedrijf en het blad
Wat we kunnen doen:
- lid redactieraad: meebepalen thema’s, keuze onderwerpen en hoe ze te benaderen - redactie: schrijven artikelen, bijsturen geleverde teksten - fotoredactie, in samenwerking met fotografenteam Het Salon - eindredactie - opmaak, productie en verspreiding - coördinatie van het hele proces, zorgen dat het blad op tijd bij de geadresseerden belandt - (peiling bij de lezers)
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Exhibit 3: Seizoen summer 2008 Kort Verblijf
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Exhibit 4: Bruce spring 2008 The Cover Story
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