Learn How to Connect with Customers from Comcast's Buzz Magazine

buzz summer 07 TOC

Educate, Entertain, and Inspire to Strengthen Relationships

Guest Author: Newt Barrett from Content Marketing Today

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Comcast exists in a competitive and changeable world. They have lots of new, but complex product offerings. They also want to deepen their relationship with customers. Comcast decided to partner with DCP, a local custom publisher to create a quarterly magazine that would improve customer retention. Early results suggest their efforts have been very well-received.

Many people see Comcast is just another bill in the mail each month. Many customers are also unaware or uncertain how to take advantage of their advanced entertainment features. Comcast believed that, by creating an enjoyable, information-packed magazine for their Bay Area customers, they would provide genuine value to their customer and encourage them to take advantage of their advanced entertainment features.

buzz high school musical2Working with DCP, here's how they clarified their objectives:

  • Demystify technology for customers and clarify how Comcast products and services can enhance their lives.
  • Entertain, educate, and inspire customers to use and upgrade their Comcast digital products.
  • Showcase Comcast as a consumer-friendly company that is accessible, fun, and sophisticated. Buzz uses colorful graphics and timely human-interest journalism to demonstrate how to save time with digital technology. Combining celebrity interviews, easily-digested tips and up-to-date product information, Buzz helps readers get the most out of their digital cable, high-speed Internet and digital voice experiences. Their articles are short and easily digested with a good balance between graphics and text.In their summer 2007 issue, they include coverage of High School Musical 2, an interview with San Francisco legend Huey Lewis, an explanation of their online music portal, and a how-to for creating a karaoke lounge at home - using Comcast on-demand music. All in all, it's a fun read that manages to include content unrelated to Comcast with articles that demonstrate how to get the most out of the cool services available to them. Information about Comcast is useful rather than intrusive.

Buzz Magazine: Connecting with the Customer

Buzz Magazine reflects DCP's approach to custom publishing and content marketing:

"When you connect with your customers, an amazing thing happens - they become brand loyalists who helped extend your marketing impact...Nothing adds more value to customer relationships than giving them information that will enhance their lives."

Has the Buzz project been successful? Although it's early in the program, according to DCP, "Comcast is thrilled to have a retention magazine aimed at deepening customer relationships." Clearly, even in the digital age, a brilliantly targeted print publication can make a positive contribution to a content marketing strategy.

Check out more from Newt at Content Marketing Today