Evaluation of corporate publishing

1. Definition
Corporate publishing describes the process and outcome of planning, producing, and organizing corporate publications. The tools of corporate publishing include, but are not limited to, image brochures, environment reports, corporate reports, customer newsletters, employee newsletters, online offerings and business TV.

2. Applications
Corporate publishing provides stakeholders with direct information – without prior selection by journalists – about the company and its products/services in accordance with the stakeholders' interests. Evaluation of corporate publishing tools shows the utilization and effect of an organization's own media. This identifies the additional value or meaning attached by readers/users to the offerings provided, and shows their attitudes to those offerings and to the organization.  This can be a basis for cost-benefit analysis.

3. Conduct
Corporate publishing is primarily evaluated at the output level, or better at the outgrowth or outcome level. Depending on the type of media involved, the respective methods, e.g. print or online media analysis can be used to investigate content and form. Other data includes circulation and contact statistics. It also makes sense to check the creation process (input) with the methods of concept evaluation and process evaluation . Effects of the information content on recipients can be determined and evaluated by surveying the target groups addressed. Additional information can be drawn from evaluation of readers' letters, competition entries etc.

In 2002, Forum Corporate Publishing, Deutsche Post and TNS Emnid presented a research concept (CP Standard) on the impact and cost effectiveness of corporate publishing. This is intended for the investigation of communication and marketing performance. Almost 40 studies have been conducted since, and an interim conclusion is available here for downloading (PDF in German).

The CP Standard (PDF in German) is intended to measure the journalistic, communicative and marketing performance of CP media. Three elements were assembled for the purpose: CP Basic shows whether the corporate publishing product is used regularly and intensively and is given positive ratings. Among other items, it investigates intensity and frequency of use, title profile, satisfaction dimensions, goodness of fit with the sender, reader-corporate publishing product bonding. CP Impact uses assessment scales to measure image transfer performance and convincing ratings. CP Target creates an index on customer loyalty in various target group segments. Meanwhile, the design of the instrument was supplemented with qualitative studies to provide information on the eye movements while one is reading a customer magazine. The new concept of the "CP Tandem" consists of an eye-tracking test of the Siegfried Vögele Institute, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post, and the known "CP Standard".

4. Indicators (of the CP Standard)

• Intensity and Frequency of use
• Title profile
• Satisfaction dimensions
• Fitting with the sender
• Reader-corporate publishing product-bonding

5. Service providers in Germany
aexea, Stuttgart
TNS Emnid, Bielefeld

6. Links

7. Further reading

8. Case studies