Division B - Printed Tools of Public Relations
Category 6 - Magazine - Four Color
In Good Company
Bonita Bay Group Marketing Department
Award of Distinction
Research/Situation Analysis:
Bonita Bay Group, a developer of seven master-planned communities,
conducted VALS research, an independent study that quantifies the
psychographics and consumer behavior of buyers and target audiences.
VALS research groups respondents into segments that aid marketers in
targeting messages and determining the best mediums to reach audiences
with their messages. BBG’s buyers are typically retired, or
semi-retired, empty-nesters looking for a second home in Florida to
spend the mild winter months. They research revealed they fell into two
VALS groups: Thinkers and Innovators. These two segments are described
as well informed, thought leaders that are brand-conscious, socially
aware and ideal-oriented. The research informed us that they are
skeptical of advertising and seek unbiased information. They reward
environmental stewardship, enjoy being outdoors and prefer print over
internet or broadcast media. Other research pertinent to this
submission is that our internal tracking of sales shows that our
current residents are one of the best sources of new leads into our
sales centers.
Objectives: 1) Create a publication that promotes
our communities, but is perceived as unbiased. 2) Cross sell our
communities. 3) Create a vehicle that makes it easy for residents to
refer a Bonita Bay Group community to their friends. 4) Generate 60 new
leads from magazine inquires.
Implementation: BBG created In Good Company, a
semi-annual magazine that celebrates the Southwest Florida lifestyle
and subtlety extols the virtues of living in a BBG master-planned
community. The content features topics of interest to residents:
profiles on interesting people who live in our communities, gardening,
the environment, recreational activities such as biking and golfing,
beautiful homes, wining and dining, and philanthropic endeavors.
Content was developed to match those identified as of interest to our
primary VALS profile segments.
The articles feature activities
that happen within all of our communities, but also include events
outside the gates, to keep the magazine from being too parochial or
coming off as biased. For example, the spa story interviewed the
fitness director at one of our club’s but also included information on
Red Door, a hot new spa that opened recently in Naples.
BBG hired
CurtCo Media, the well-respected publisher of Gulfshore Life Magazine
as its partner to create the magazine and sell advertising space. The
premiere issue is 88 pages long (plus cover) with 56 pages of editorial
and 32 pages of advertising. To encourage passing the magazine along to
their friends, a business reply card was blown in. The circulation is
25,000 copies. It is mailed to all of our current residents (about
9,000 copies), sent to every sales center visitor, available in our
community offices and clubhouses, distributed to 400 area realty
offices, high-end grocery stores, and more. Copies can also be
requested through our web site.
To debut the magazine, a letter
was sent to all of our community residents about a week prior to the
magazine arriving in their mailbox, telling them to expect the
publication. To build recognition and support, it was also unveiled in
a series of events at each of our communities. Copies that were
distributed to realty offices had a customized letter of introduction,
as did the copies mailed to our business partners.
Evaluation:
The debut issue of In Good Company arrived in mailboxes the first week
of March, 2007 and has been a huge success. Requests for copies are
pouring in, both from residents asking for copies to send to their
friends and family, but also through our web site visitors. As of May
29, a total of 116 leads have been generated, both from resident
referrals and web inquiries. Residents have been extremely
complimentary, saying “so pleased to receive the first edition of In
Good Company!” and “it was very interesting and well researched.”
Another person said “Your In Good Company is a wonderful magazine…it
extends the feeling of being in beautiful Southwest Florida.” By hiring
a recognized name in regional publishing as our partner and by careful
writing and editing of the articles, we were able to produce a
publication that promotes our communities without overselling them. All
of our communities are well represented in the magazine, which supports
our cross-selling strategy and by making extra copies easily accessible
through events, in our communities and on the Web, residents are able
to easily pass it along to their friends. Because it represents their
community and their lifestyle in a positive way, they are enthusiastic
in doing so.
The tagline for In Good Company is “Celebrating
life, friends and nature in Southwest Florida” and the premiere copy
does all of that and more.
Budget: Sponsorship fee paid to custom publisher:
$60,000. Includes all aspects of publication including seven
complementary pages of advertising. Marketing staff hours: 80.