April 7, 2009 -- A study commissioned by the Custom Publishing Council (CPC) and conducted by Roper Public Affairs finds that custom magazines and electronic custom media have increased in influence and acceptance since the study was last conducted in 2005.

The survey, conducted via telephone with 1,000 US adult in February-March 2009, finds that:

• 93% of survey respondents are familiar with at least one type of custom publication.

• 70% say they like custom publications because the publications provide articles and information targeted to the reader’s specific interests.

• Nearly three-quarters of respondents (74%) prefer to learn about companies from “an interesting collection of articles” as compared to getting the same information from ads.

• 78% say that when it comes to custom publications, they don’t mind the fact that sponsors are clearly selling their products and services, as long as the publications are filled with interesting information.
  

• Eight of 10 (78%) believe that companies that send custom publications are interested in building strong relationships with customers and "most feel better about the sponsoring company when they are reading a publication the company has provided." 
  

• 68% of respondents say that the companies that provide information about their products in custom publications help them make better purchase decisions.  Two-thirds of respondents said they were likely to buy from a company that provided them a custom publication, and just about as many (63%) report they have bought something they saw in a custom publication.  All of these percentages were up since the last survey was conducted in 2005.

The study also found that while electronic custom media still lag behind print, it is making inroads:

• 36% say they look at electronic custom publications occasionally, or more often, than print publications -- compared to the 59% of consumers who said, at a minimum, they occasionally pick up and look through print custom publications.
  

• 45% of the survey group said that electronic custom publications provide a valuable service, with the number skewing higher (57%) among those 18-34.

About:  “Americans’ Relationship with Custom Publications and the Companies That Provide Them: 2009 Update” is based on surveys conducted by Roper Public Affairs and Media, a division of GfK – an international market research firm. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1000 adult Americans aged 18 and over from February 18, 2009 – March 3, 2009.