Reader's Digest Grow Audience
"The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global leader in publishing and direct marketing, creating and delivering products that inform, enrich, entertain and inspire people of all ages and cultures. The Company's flagship magazine, Reader's Digest, is published in 48 editions and 19 languages and is sold in more than 60 countries."The Challenge: Increase Web Site Traffic
The primary goal of the Internet and e-commerce team is to attract visitors to RD.com and then convert those visitors to customers. Secondary to this goal is providing the tools and support to existing customers so that they continue to pay for Reader's Digest products. While the strategy that we developed remains confidential, I'll touch on some highlights below.A Solution: Brand Extension
The Reader's Digest brand is strong. So it makes sense to use it when promoting other products as long as the products are similar enough so that customers will understand the relationship. Such was the case with the Weekend Reader initiative which set out to sell abridged versions of books from popular fiction writers. This is a natural extension for a magazine whose roots lie with the consolidation and summarization of news, stories, and commentary. To support the program, my team created a self-contained e-commerce web site complete with an online catalog.A Solution: Tap an Emerging Market
Spanish-speaking Americans remain an untapped market for many publishing companies -- Reader's Digest included. Although there is already a magazine for this segment of the market, Reader's Digest had yet to establish an online presence in this space. Thus was born the Selecciones web site. This site is used both for sales and marketing as well as customer service for existing subscribers.A Solution: Viral Marketing
One effective way to reach people who haven't already visited the Reader's Digest web site is to get their family and friends to invite them. Recognizing the popularity of e-cards, my team built an e-card delivery system where users can send e-cards to whoever they wish. However, to view the card, the recipient must visit the Reader's Digest web site which gives us as an opportunity to promote products of our choosing. What's more, the potential for traffic is great as friends send friends e-cards who in turn send e-cards to their friends.Role
Project Manager
Reader's Digest (2004 to 2006)
Akri Consulting (1999 to 2004)
Silver Systems (1996 to 1999)
Silver Systems (1996 to 1999)
