Archive for the ‘Imagination Publishing’ Category

Social Media Marketing is a Game Changer for Marketers and Consumers

by Kelsey Nash

One recent morning, a news story on the television caught my ear. I listened as newscasters discussed the latest case of a dangerous child predator using popular social media sites to seek victims by posing as a friendly young adult.

While much of the segment focused on how social media can be used for purposes of concealment and creating false identities, it got me thinking about something along opposite lines — despite social media’s ability to help us hide a great deal about ourselves from others, in what ways does it make us more knowable as citizens, as consumers, as targets for marketers everywhere?

At Imagination Publishing, we focus on the potential benefits of social media platforms. A lot of what we do is focused on reaching consumers easily and efficiently – but also cost-effectively. This means we rely heavily on the low-cost marketing platforms that have evolved within Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and a litany of other sites. We conduct a lot of consumer outreach through social media marketing. This benefits consumers, who get to interact with their favorite brands in increasingly dynamic ways, and us as marketers, who can now measure the effects of our targeted communication efforts more easily than ever.

The takeoff of social media channels allows us to get to know our clients’ customers in a way that is simply unprecedented. While we might not know them by name (unless, of course, it’s a username), we can determine a host of other facts about them, including: how many times they’ve have visited a client’s Web site, how they’re being referred there, how long they spend on the site, what they do while they’re on it, and whether they’ve expressed loyalty to that client online (via blogging, tweeting and becoming a fan, friend or follower of a brand and/or product – or any number of those things!).

Purchasing Products on a Social Networking Site

And soon – we may know more about consumers’ online purchasing histories. The biggest corporations’ marketing and advertising executives are looking for ways to optimize their presence on social networking sites by making it directly profitable. Going beyond building brand awareness, companies like Procter & Gamble and 1-800-FLOWERS.com have added a shopping feature to their Facebook Fan Pages, allowing consumers to purchase products without having to be referred to their company’s Web site or another online marketplace. By taking out this middle step, marketers are able to directly measure – at least partially – how successfully their Facebook pages translate into customer conversion.

According to Will E-Commerce Help Facebook’s Ad Sales? an article on Advertising Age, Procter & Gamble’s experiment with e-commerce on Facebook will pay off. The company sold 1,000 Pampers’ Cruisers diaper packs in under an hour when it put them up for sale on the social networking site just a few weeks ago.

To imagine such a common item, like diapers, selling that quickly in a bricks-and-mortar store is unimaginable. Because the sales pitch for this product was targeted and directed toward people whom marketers and advertisers already knew were fans/users of Pampers products, it was a tremendous success.

Cases like this show how social networking sites chip away at the guessing game we so often play in marketing and help us better know our audience members – and how to reach them. And that’s just some of beauty – and power – of socializing through a computer screen.

Custom Publishing Case Studies Now on Vimeo!

by Herminia Irizarry

Our broadcast team just set up a Vimeo page with our latest video projects and custom publishing case studies. We’ll be adding more videos often, so be sure to visit again!

NFIB Selects Imagination Custom Publishing to Create Cutting-Edge Small Business Content

by Michelle O'Hagan

NFIB-logo

CHICAGO—The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association, selected Imagination Publishing as its new custom publishing partner to help relaunch its flagship magazine, MyBusiness, and create dynamic new content for the NFIB website (http://www.NFIB.com).

MyBusiness, NFIB’s “voice of small business” publication for nearly 20 years, is published bi-monthly with a circulation of 475,000. The March/April 2010 custom magazine relaunch will include a revised feature well, prominent guest columnists, a fresh, modern layout, and expanded, exclusive and actionable content on NFIB.com, including rich media tips and tools to help small business owners own, operate and grow their businesses.

“For years, MyBusiness and NFIB.com have helped the nation’s small business owners run and grow their businesses,” said Dan Danner, NFIB’s president and CEO. “We chose Imagination for its outstanding creative execution, cutting-edge strategic thinking and the passion they brought to the table for helping small business owners. We’re excited to work with Imagination Publishing to reinvigorate the magazine and our site, to make it even more relevant to our audience and advertisers with critical and timely business advice, political and regulatory information and utilize digital opportunities to build community.”

Imagination’s NFIB team will operate under the leadership of company President and CEO Jim Meyers, along with EVP of Design Doug Kelly, and EVP of Client Strategy Laura Chavoen. Editorial Director Simona Covel, formerly of the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, and Account Director Rene Ryan, whose writing has appeared in The Boston Globe and Inc. magazine, will head up print and digital strategies for MyBusiness and NFIB.com. Holly Townsend, president of The Townsend Group, will handle advertising sales for the magazine and the NFIB.com.

“Imagination is the custom content leader in producing editorial for organizations who want to reach small businesses, and this is the strongest strategic and editorial team we’ve ever had,” Meyers said. “Small business is the backbone of the nation’s economy and our mission is to take an already strong publication to the next print and digital levels, to make it indispensable for small business owners and the advertisers who want to reach them.”

Highlights of the March/April issue include:

Unemployment Overload

Unemployment is high, and that means opportunity for small business. How to take advantage of the sudden glut of workers—and how to avoid costly missteps.

The State of the Stimulus

It’s no secret: there wasn’t much in the stimulus for you. Follow five small businesses just like yours that tried to eke out stimulus funds.

The Exit Plan Crisis

Every business owner’s worst nightmare is losing his or her business. But without better succession planning, the majority of small business owners may face that prospect. How to avoid that fate.

Guest Columnist

Famed marketing guru Seth Godin offers his take on small business marketing.

About NFIB
NFIB (http://www.NFIB.com) is the leading small business association representing small and independent businesses. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1943, NFIB represents the consensus views of its members in Washington and all 50 states.  The organization’s powerful network of grassroots activists voices its opinion directly to state and federal lawmakers through a members-only ballot, playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system.

About Imagination Publishing
Imagination (http://www.imaginepub.com) is the leading custom publishing and content marketing agency. We help our clients build relationships and increase engagement with their customers.  Our clients include B2B and B2C marketers, industry and trade associations. Imagination combines the strengths of traditional agencies, digital agencies and custom publishers to harness the power of relevant content and targeted distribution to help our clients achieve their business goals.

For media inquiries about MyBusiness magazine, contact Jim Meyers, president and CEO of Imagination Publishing at: 312-887-1000.

For advertising inquiries about MyBusiness magazine, contact Holly Townsend, president of The Townsend Group at: 301-215-6710.

My Imagination Internship

by admin

As an editorial intern at Imagination, my skills are put to the test each and every day with a wide variety of writing assignments. Whether it’s writing stories for nationally published material for some of our clients or simple blog posts or tweets, each time I walk through the doors of this place, there’s something new and different on my plate.

My Internship Experience

You all know the theory that interns at some companies don’t truly get a ‘hands-on’ or a resume building experience, right? That couldn’t be farther from the truth at Imagination. My experiences have already led me to include Imagination on my resume as well as have the ability to show future employers the work I was doing here through my clips.

I have a friend who interned over the summer for a newspaper publication. He had one piece of work to show for it at the end of the program. I had one piece of work to show within the first two weeks of my internship at Imagination. Although I’m a journalism person at heart, my writing here has not only helped Imagination, but it furthered the knowledge I need to succeed in any writing industry.

The Imagination Difference

It truly is a great place to work and if you are even remotely thinking of entering in the field of custom media publishing, give Imagination a chance. I’m extremely thankful for the experience I’ve gotten here thus far and only look forward to the new projects that are in store for me.

To get a better idea of how the internship is from someone besides me, watch our video on the program. We, as interns, put it together to give all those interested a better idea of what work we actually do here and what kind of place Imagination is. After watching, feel free to apply, you may find it as rewarding as I did…

by Michael Van Der Harst, Editoral Intern

Imagination Interns Video

Custom Publishing @ Imagination: Not Your Average Internship

by Imagination Team Member

Maybe internships at Imagination Publishing shouldn’t be called internships at all. When I applied for my position as a print design intern, I was encouraged by a sentence in the company’s job posting on Craigslist: “You won’t be getting anyone’s coffee but your own.” And now being here, it’s definitely true (even though I prefer hot chocolate).

Custom Publishing: The Internship Difference

Some internships mean getting coffee for the big dogs, sending faxes, and taking notes, but they aren’t solid first steps into the real world. However, here at Imagination, interns actually get valuable work and experience in custom publishing and content marketing.

Imagination offers internships in many areas including editorial, digital media, web design and development, video/broadcast, business development and marketing.

To give an example of work here at Imagination, my first project was a newsletter that went out as a supplement to one of our client’s magazines. I learned a new design program, worked with an editor, and completed a project that was valuable to our company and to our client.

At Imagination

Even though I’ve only spent a month here, Imagination’s strong, cohesive culture is obvious to me. This collaborative, positive, and creative atmosphere is amazing.

Learning more about the company’s work and culture helped me realize this isn’t an ordinary opportunity. To see for yourself, check out the video my fellow interns created to learn more. Oh, and don’t forget to apply.

written by Anne McElherne, Print Design Intern

Imagination Publishing Among Top Chicago Businesses Using Social Media

by Herminia Irizarry

In a recent post, Ocean Agency recognizes 21 small to medium sized businesses in Chicago that effectively use social media. Among the 21 companies is Imagination, for their work with social media marketing and being “a content marketing and custom publishing agency that really gets social media.”

New Custom Magazine for Senior Marketers to Debut Friday

by Michelle O'Hagan

ORANGE magazine to share insight and opinions about custom publishing, branding and integrated marketing programs.

CHICAGO—Imagination Publishing, a custom publishing agency, on Friday will debut a new custom magazine, ORANGE, to be distributed to senior marketing executives internationally.

The custom magazine, and its companion microsite, will share the magic of why custom content is the most powerful marketing tool for creating audience engagement.

“ORANGE magazine fills a void for CMOs; it goes way beyond the content in most marketing and advertising industry publications, says Jim Meyers, president and CEO of Imagination Publishing. “It covers cutting-edge issues developing around custom content, and positions custom publishing as a critical part of an integrated marketing strategy.”

ORANGE, a custom published magazine for senior marketers, from Imagination Publishing
ORANGE, a custom published magazine for senior marketers, from Imagination

The inaugural issue of ORANGE includes interviews with leaders at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership; Chris Brogan, co-author of New York Times best-seller “Trust Agents;” Anna Malmhake, VP of global marketing for The Absolut Company; Jeremy Gutsche, founder of Trendhunter; and Martin Lindstrom, author of “Buyology: The Truth & Lies About Why We Buy.”

Online-exclusive content includes interviews with international pollster John Zogby and Ruy Teixeira, senior fellow with The Center for American Progress.

ORANGE’s original content and striking design demonstrate a custom publishing program at its very best. The publication’s masthead describes it as “both inspirational and aspirational, and sometimes confrontational.”

One department, titled “Buy This Idea,” features complete concepts for new custom content packages, along with a suggested ideal sponsor for each.

“Imagination has been a leader in custom publishing for fifteen years,” Meyers says. “With ORANGE, we’ll share our knowledge, insight and opinions with senior marketers around the country through our own ideal custom publishing program.”

To learn more about ORANGE magazine, or to request a subscription, visit www.imaginepub.com/orange

Custom Publishing Special Report

by Michelle O'Hagan

Imagination Publishing’s own Jim Meyers is interviewed in a Custom Publishing Special Report in the October 12, 2009 issue of BtoB Magazine.

Here’s an outtake from the article:

The ecosystem where b-to-b marketers, trade publishers and ad agencies interact is changing. Increasingly, b-to-b marketers are acting like publishers. The Internet has forced marketers to populate their Web sites with white papers, webcasts and other content that will attract the attention of search engines.

Read the complete article:

Media, Agencies Battle to be King of Content: Custom Publishing Special Report

Tradition

by Joel Witmer

Via Consumerist.

De-branding

by Liz Ecker

This may be old news by now, but I couldn’t help but share this story on the recent effort of Starbucks to “de-brand” some of its stores. A global brand leader, Starbucks, in a smart and defensive play, plans to open several “stealth” stores in the U.S. to appeal to neighborhoods and populations that see themselves as too cool for (or otherwise against) Starbucks. For all the companies out there working to gain just a little brand recognition, Starbucks has actually identified a need to scale back.

Stealth Starbucks: Coffee Chain’s New Stores Disguise Brand Name