NEW CUSTOM PUBLISHING STUDY SHOWS THAT CIRCULATION
HAS SKYROCKETED, ISSUE FREQUENCY IS STEADY
AND PAGES PER ISSUE HAVE INCREASED

New York, NY (April 22, 2009) —According to a new study from the Custom Publishing Council (CPC), in cooperation with ContentWise —“Characteristics Study: A Look at the Volume and Type of Custom Publications in America,” the custom publishing industry remains strong, amid the economic downturn and the challenges facing consumer media.

Key Findings in the Characteristics Study:

• Circulation Soars: 
  Circ per issue: The average circulation per issue for custom publications increased from 30,044 in 2007 to 37,340 in 2008.
  Circ per title: The average circulation per title per year has increased to 336,060 copies, up from 270,000 in 2007.
  Circ volume in the market: The total number of custom publication copies distributed increased 7.4 percent over last year. Since the survey was first conducted in 1999, circulation volume has grown 228.3 percent, from 11.9 billion units to 41.6 billion.

• Steady Frequency: The average annual frequency of custom publications remained steady at 9 times per year. Although it is lower than it was at its peak in 2003, frequency is still 42.9% higher than it was in 1999 when this study began.

• Movement Toward Newsletters, Online:  The use of online publications increased from 18 to 22%. Meanwhile, newsletters retained a slight edge over magazines this year as the preferred publication format.

• New Directions in Distribution: 27% of publications on average are now distributed via the Internet. Before 2007, the survey didn’t include Internet distribution as an option. Meanwhile, the USPS continues to be the preferred distribution channel for custom publications, with 55% of titles using the service.

• More Pages Per Issue: The average pages per issue for custom publications increased from 22.2 to 23.2. Since 1999, the number of pages per issue has grown 68.1%.

• Unique Page Decrease: The total number of unique pages produced in 2008 was 25.8 million, a 9.7% decrease over the previous year. However, since the study began in 1999, unique page volume has expanded, with an average growth rate of 14.7% and an overall growth rate of 207.2%.

• Change in Primary Audience: For the sixth year running, titles targeting external audiences exceeded those targeting internal audiences (69% versus 31%).

• Presence of Advertisements Decreases: For the third year in a row, the percentage of custom publications using paid advertising decreased by 4%. Also for the third year in a row, the percentage of custom publications carrying no advertisements increased, with 70% of companies reporting no ads in their publications.

Overall money spent on custom publishing is down by 20%. Meanwhile, the number of unique custom titles being published decreased to 123,157, down from 143,000 in 2007. While this represents a sharp change, the results are still 27.9% higher than when this metric was first studied in 1999.

This news follows on the heels of the just-released Roper “Public Affairs & Media/Custom Publishing Council Study: Americans’ Relationship with Custom Publications and the Companies that Provide Them” which found that 68% of consumers who read custom publications say it helps them make better purchasing decisions. In fact, more than six in ten (63%) say they have bought something they saw mentioned or advertised in a custom publication.

“The drop in spending appears to be a combination of several factors, most notably the growing use of less expensive electronic media for the presentation of branded content, coupled with an overall reduction in marketing spend because of the current economic climate,” said CPC Executive Director Lori Rosen. “Clearly, some custom publishers have had to change their business models in the face of these forces, but it’s equally clear, based on both this study and the Roper study, that there is increased consumer interest in custom media and that the industry has been less affected by these changes than have other forms of marketing and content distribution. The fact that circulation is at an all-time high and pages per issue have increased reaffirms that custom publishers and marketers are committed to this valuable medium and are continuing to invest in their top titles.”
                                                  

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The Custom Publishing Council (CPC) is the leading association for the custom publishing industry in the United States, and is focused on promoting the growth and vitality of this dynamic marketing discipline. Founded in 1998, the CPC has 90 members (www.custompublishingcouncil.com). The research was conducted by ContentWise, the leading newsletter tracking the custom publishing industry.  The research was conducted by mail targeting a random sample of companies across all industries, with 350 respondents.