a look at the volume and type of content marketing in america_2011

8/4/2019 A Look at the Volume and Type of Content Marketing in America_2011

1/27

11thAnnual Industry

Characteristics Study

A Look at the Volume and Type ofContent Marketing in America for 2011


2/27

Executive Summary

As other forms of content marketing evolve, it appears that printed custom publications (which were

the original form of content marketing decades ago) are evolving as well, toward a more substantial,richer magazine format with greater page counts and circulation, and lower frequency.

The average company distributes content 403.8 times per year more than daily. This statcombines the frequency of all forms of content marketing, and appears to be an indication thatbrands are increasingly playing a media role as they share more and more information, news andeducation.

The expansion of content marketing beyond the printed custom publication continued. Marketersspent an all-time high of $12.5 billion on video, mobile, virtual event, and educational content enroute to a $40.1 billion total spend on all forms of content marketing, the second highest spendrecorded.


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Characteristics of Printed

Custom Publications


4/27

UNIQUE TITLES PER COMPANY Summary

After a two year decline believedto be largely the result of general

economic conditions, the numberof unique printed custompublication titles produced percompany settled at 1.7.

1.7 1.7

1.9

2.3 2.32.3

2.2 2.2 2.2

2.4

2.01.9

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999


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6.1

7.4

9.0 9.0

8.4

8.8 8.7

10.3

9.6 9.3

6.4 6.3

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

11.0

12.0

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

FREQUENCY PER TITLE Summary

The average annual frequency ofprinted custom publications

declined for the secondconsecutive period to 6.1 timesper year.

This trend seems aligned with thegradual rise in the use of the

magazine format (typically a lessfrequent, higher page countmedium) versus the newsletterformat (typically a more frequent,lower page count medium).


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PAGES PER ISSUE Summary

The average page count perissue for printed custom

publications reached an all-timehigh for the second straight year.

The average page count perissue was 29.4 pages, a 145%increase in the last decade.

Printed custom publications areexpanding in page count at anincreasing average annual rate of1.4 pages per year.

29.4

25.8

23.2 22.2

24.9 24.9

22.8

20.0 19.3

12.0

15.6

13.8

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0


7/27

CIRCULATION PER ISSUE Summary

The average circulation per issuefor printed custom publications

climbed to an all-time high of52,010 copies per issue.

Over the last ten years (2001-2010), average circulation pertitle nearly tripled, increasing by a

remarkable 180%.

52,010

48,162

37,340

30,044

35,221

43,068

36,275

26,860

21,882

18,587

21,878

19,595

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000


8/27

ANNUAL CIRCULATION PER TITLE Summary

The average annual circulationper printed custom publication

title combines average annualfrequency per title with averagecirculation per issue.

For 2010, the average annualcirculation per title was 317,261

copies (6.1 frequency x 52,010circulation).

Since the outset of the survey,annual circulation per title hasgrown 157%, from 123,448

copies to 317,261 copies.

317

356

336

270

296

379

316

277

210

173

140

123

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Thousands(000)


9/27

PRIMARY AUDIENCE Summary

For the eighth year running, titlestargeting external audiences

exceeded those targeting internalaudiences (79% versus 21%)and the gap continues to grow.

Though the study did notascertain the reason for this very

consistent pattern, the trend islikely a result of the effectivenessof printed custom publications asexternal marketing vehicles, andthe use of electronic solutionssuch as intranets to conveyinformation from companies totheir employees.

79%71% 69%

64% 63% 65%59%

51%45% 46%

28%20%

21%29% 31%

36% 37% 35% 41%49%

55% 54%

72%80%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Internal

External


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EXTERNAL AUDIENCE Summary

As seen on the prior slide, 79%of printed custom publications are

targeting external audiences, agroup that is comprised ofbusinesses (BtoB) andconsumers (BtoC).

As with last year, of those printed

custom publications targetingexternal audiences, the majorityof them are BtoC versus BtoB.This is a new trend but appearsto have staying power.

37% 37%

54% 54% 55% 53% 52% 55%

63% 63%

46% 46% 45% 48% 48% 45%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

BtoC

BtoB


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19% 16% 16%22%

29%25% 27%

36%

73%74% 76%

74% 63%66%

65%55%

8%10% 8%

4%8% 9% 8% 9%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

Other PaidDelivery

US Post alService

InternalDistribution

DISTRIBUTION METHOD Summary

As circulation trends towardexternal audiences (and away

from internal audiences), thepreferred distribution method, notsurprisingly, trends increasinglytoward use of the USPS thisyears numbers represent arelatively stable continuation ofthat trend.


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USE FOUR COLOR Summary

Last year, we suggested that thedays of no four color printing

would come to an end or close toan end in the next decade, and2010 continued to indicate thesame trending.

This year an all-time high of 88% of

companies used some or all fourcolor in the production of theirprinted custom publications.

69% 66% 65%61% 62% 59%

51%47%

40% 37%44%

39%

19%19% 18%

18% 18% 20%

17%21%

21%22%

16%

15%

12% 15% 17%21%

20% 21%

32% 32%39% 41% 40%

46%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

No Four Color

Some Four Color

All Four Color


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PUBLICATION FORMAT Summary

Following a three year comebackfor newsletters likely driven by

challenging economic times magazines have resumed theirtrend of dominance.

56% of the printed custompublications are categorized by

responders as magazines (an all-time high), a data point furtherbacked by the continued growthof page counts per issue.

37%

50%49%

49%

42%

43%

49%

52%

59%

64%

59%65%

56%

46% 47% 43%50% 47%

42%39%

30%29%

29%24%

7% 4% 4% 8% 8% 10% 9% 9% 11%7%

12% 11%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Tabloid

Magazine

Newsletter


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PRESENCE OF ADVERTISEMENTS Summary

The presence of paid advertisingseems to expand and retract

periodically, perhaps as brandsexplore the value of participationfrom advertisers and advertisersexplore the effectiveness of usingbranded mediums to carry forththeir message.

For the last two years thepresence of paid advertising hasexpanded following three years ofdecline. This year the 30% ofprinted custom publications thatcarried paid advertisements wasthe second highest factor ever.

59%62%

70% 68%62%

46%

62%67%

70%

11%

12%

11%9%

9%

20%

11%6%

16%

30% 26%

19%23%

29%34%

27% 26%

14%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002

Paid Ads

In-House Ads

No Ads


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AVERAGE AGE PER TITLE Summary

Six years ago, we introducedmore options for survey

responders in answeringquestions related to the age oftheir printed custom publications.

Average age jumped from 8.2years to 9 years, indicating the

staying power of the printedcustom publications.

9.0

8.2 7.8 7.7 8.0 7.9

4.6 4.64.3 4.2 4.2 4.1

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0


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TITLES IN THE MARKET Summary

The number of unique printedcustom publication titles

published in America decreasedfor the third straight year to110,174, as marketers broadenthe array of content marketingmediums beyond print.

Despite the third straightdecrease from the peak reachedin 2007, the rate of declineseems to have stabilized.

Though there are fewer titles,

each title is packing more punchin terms of greater per issuecirculation and page count, morecolor, and the magazine format.

110

113

124

143

125

116

108

116 114

126

106

97

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

Thousands(000)


17/27

CIRCULATION IN THE MARKET Summary

The total number of printedcustom publication copies

distributed (titles x averagefrequency x average circulation)decreased 12.9% to 35.0 billionunits.

Since the survey was first

conducted in 1999, totalcirculation volume has nearlytripled from 11.9 billion units to35.0 billion units.

The main driver of this years

decline in total copies is notcirculation per title which isactually rising but issuefrequency and the gravitation tothe magazine format.

35.0

40.241.6

38.7

37.0

43.8

34.1

32.0

23.421.9

14.8

11.9

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Billions(000,00

0,0

00)


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UNIQUE PAGES IN THE MARKET Summary

The total number of uniqueprinted pages (titles x average

pages per issue x frequency)produced in America was 19.8million, down 8.2% versus 2009(21.5 million). Again, frequency not page count per issue is thedriver of this aggregate decline.

Since the outset of the study in1999, the unique printed pagevolume has expanded with anaverage annual growth rate of9.8% and an overall growth rateof 134.9%.

19.721.5

25.8

28.6

26.2 25.3

21.4

24.3

20.6

14.2

10.6

8.4

5

10

15

20

25

30

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Millions(000,000)


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Characteristics of Other Forms

of Content Marketing

S


20/27

OTHER FORMS OF BRANDED CONTENTSummary

For the second year, we exploredthe use of other forms of mediafor content marketing initiatives.

This section details 2010 results.

By a large margin, the mostcommon other form being used iswebsite updates of articles, blogposts and other content (79%).

Video is among the fastestgrowing forms, gaining popularityby an additional 7% ofresponders in 2010.

Usage increased in all but three

of the forms, with the increasesranging from two to sevenpercentage points. The declinerswere e-newsletters, podcasts,and RSS feeds all of which maybe declining due to social mediainitiatives that replicate some of

the benefits of these forms.

39%

82%

70%

56%

76%

21%

70%

81%

63%

61%

18%

30%

44%

24%

79%

30%

19%

37%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%Yes

No


21/27

FORECASTED USE OF OTHER FORMS Summary

Other formats continue to bewhite hot with very few

responders saying they will doless in the coming year. In fact,for web site updates and mobilecontent, no respondents saidthey will do less.

The format that responders weremore bullish on this year versuslast year was video content 57% of marketers are now sayingtheyll do even more videocompared to 54% last year andthis is on the heels of a 7%

increase in the popularity of theformat over the past year. Theappetite for video continues togrow aggressively.

78%74%

80%

41%

67%

55%

65%

57%

21%

20%

15%

57%

28%

45%

32%43%

1%6% 5%

2%5%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%will do less

will do more

no change


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FREQUENCY OF OTHER FORMS Summary

Once again, web site updates areboth the most commonly used

other form (in use by 79% of allmarketers), and the form ofbranded content that has thegreatest frequency. The averagemarketer updated its web site(s)142x nearly three times perweek with articles/posts and

other content.

Combining the frequency of allforms, the average marketer isdistributing content animpressive 403.8 times per year

or about 1.1 times per day.

46.2

23.6

5.2

16.8

35.3

142.5

25.9

102.2

0.0

25.0

50.0

75.0

100.0

125.0

150.0


23/27

Market Spend

S


24/27

OVERALL MONEY SPENT(Production and Distribution Only)

Summary

Spending on production anddistribution, which might reflectCorporate Americas budget

for content marketing, hasdropped to $40.1 billion.

For the second year in a row,weve added electronic and otherforms of content marketing to the

survey. Electronic was the onlyform that grew year over year.

Print remains the biggest piece ofthe content marketing pie.

The total market spend datarelies on data gathered from aperiod that was partially duringthe recession, a fact that may bedepressing figures.

$24.0

$30.9 $27.3

$34.1$37.3

$28.4

$22.0$18.3 $17.0

$14.2 $12.9

$12.5

$12.1$3.6

$4.2

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

other forms

electronic

print

Billions(000,0

00

,000)


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$15.1

$20.3$18.5

$23.1$24.5

$18.3

$14.9$13.2 $11.6

$9.9 $9.4

$8.9

$8.9$2.4

$2.9

$0

$10

$20

$30

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

other forms

electronic

print

Billions(000,0

00,0

00)

OVERALL MONEY SPENT(Production Only)

Summary

Excluding costs related todistribution and personnel

assigned to content marketingprojects, Corporate Americaspent $26.4 billion on theproduction of content marketing.

To de-emphasize the impact of

spikes in spending in past years,for the first time this year, the2010 numbers utilize a 5 yearrolling average for marketerspend (for print, electronic, andother formats).


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SPENDING AS PART OF THE MIX Summary

Of the average overallmarketing, advertising andcommunications budget, 29%

of the funds were dedicated tocontent marketing.

The slight dip from last year isdifficult to explain, although itcould be reflective of the cost

efficiencies marketers realizeas they reduce their printfrequencies and focusincreasingly on electronicmedia.

Nevertheless, 29% is a veryhigh percentage of marketingfunds to be devoted to contentmarketing, and reflects ageneral trend of increasingmarketing share since thissurveys inception.

29%32%

24%27%

24% 23%25%

22% 23%

13%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001


27/27

Sponsors

The Custom Content Council (CCC) is the lead trade organization representing custom publishers in North America.

The research herein was conducted by the monthly subscription newsletterContentWise (www.becontentwise.com), which

is a leading source of news, information and research on the content marketing industry.

Methodology

The research was conducted via an emailed survey targeting a random sample of companies across all industries. Eight

thousand survey invitations were emailed and approximately 197 were completed and returned, producing a +/- 6% degree of

accuracy at a 90% confidence level. Among the responding companies were: AARP, Allstate Insurance, ASPCA, Boston

Scientific, GE Healthcare, Hoosier Energy, MassMutual, Nationwide, TCF National Bank, University of North Carolina.

More Information

For more information on custom publishing go to www.custompublishingcouncil.com or call the CCC in New York bydialing 1-212-989-4631. To subscribe toContentWise call 1-888-626-8779 or visit the website noted above.

a look at the volume and type of content marketing in america_2011

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