Many magazines and catalogues resort to guessing at which executions are most effective at reaching their target audience. With Penn Schoen Berland’s cover testing approach, we don’t have to guess – we know. We have tested more than 3,000 covers for over 50 leading titles and our propriety research methodology has been statistically verified with real world newsstand sales and sales impacts.
Our cover testing methodology offers several advantages over the typical industry cover selection methods:
We have in-house capabilities for fielding qualitative in whatever is the most appropriate way for the audience and learning needs, whether tradition focus groups, one-on-one phone interviews, online focus groups, or intercept interviews.
Here are just some of our innovative qualitative techniques:
Without Cover Testing: Cover selection is a gut decision made by a few
With Cover Testing: Cover selection is a scientific decision informed by your newsstand buyers or target consumers
Without Cover Testing: There is no “safe” way to try out new cover execution ideas without paying for them on the newsstand or through the mail
With Cover Testing: Editors can test new creative ideas and see how they are received before releasing them
Without Cover Testing: Unreliable sales predictions are based on seasonality and draw
With Cover Testing: Accurate sales forecasting based on survey metrics, celebrity appeal, article interest, cover execution, economic indices, and brand momentum
Without Cover Testing: Vague understanding of what drives interest in your brand
With Cover Testing: Empirical understanding of those attributes most central to your brand’s success
In the short term, cover testing can identify which of a set of covers has the most potential to drive sales. In the long term, a regular cover testing program can provide invaluable insights into the successful creation and repetition of cover strategies.
