Rich Products
SITUATION
Rich Products, a leading supplier of frozen foods, was looking to build its business in the noncommercial foodservice industry. Research revealed that traditional advertising wasn't enough to communicate effectively with this segment. Facing budgetary pressures and time constraints, foodservice directors desired information on trends to enhance their menu offerings and improve their business practices. As such, Travers Collins & Company created Rich's Foodservice Sampler magazine, which was published from 1996-2007. The magazine presented an effective way for Rich Products to increase brand awareness and demonstrate and understanding of the foodservice directors' unique challenges, while proving that Rich's could be a trusted source for solutions that build business.
EXECUTION
An experienced journalist at TC&C managed the project, while an art director contracted with established artists to give the magazine a distinctive look. The editorial was customized to fit each of four segments, as were the graphics.
Each issue was distributed to approximately 40,000 foodservice operators. Features in the magazine included a Who's Who profile piece - to salute operators who were leaders in each of the segments; a facts and figures page to keep operators up to date on the statistics relevant to their segments; an in-depth article on the issue's theme; a guest column; recipe spread; and The Source, which was Rich's opportunity to present new products and programs.
RESULTS
Over the years, the Sampler proved to be very popular. There were numerous instances of foodservice directors mentioning that they learned of a new product by reading about it in the magazine. Rich's sales force credited the Sampler as an excellent sales-tool and leave-behind for customers when making calls.
A professionally conducted readership study of opinion leaders among Foodservice Directors found that the Sampler was a "must-read" and that it prompted them to purchase Rich's products. Specific scores indicated that a great majority of readers found the Sampler to be a credible, influential source for new product information, and better than other similar publications in terms of value.
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