Key Takeaways
- SurfControl faced well-funded competitors that overwhelmed MIS and IT managers with advertising, direct mail, email, and sales calls.
- The main marketing challenge was not only a limited budget but also that technical managers often recommended solutions without having final purchasing authority.
- The campaign bypassed the crowded technical audience and targeted corporate executives and purchasing influencers who could authorize buying decisions.
- These executives first needed to understand the business risks of inadequate internet security before they could appreciate SurfControl’s solution.
- CDMG developed a 28-page magalog—a direct-response sales piece designed to resemble a valuable magazine.
- Although often associated with consumer marketing, magalogs can be highly effective in B2B marketing by reaching executives, bypassing gatekeepers, and explaining complex products.
- The SurfControl magalog combined persuasive direct-response copy with professional graphics to educate decision-makers about internet security risks.
- The campaign was mailed to carefully selected prospects from more than 60 targeted mailing lists.
- Post-campaign analysis linked product trials and purchases to recipients, showing response rates exceeding 1% in selected lists and market segments.
- A successful magalog requires more than attractive design—it depends on the right strategy, audience, message, direct-response copy, design, offer, and response mechanism.
Doing something difficult…
Doing something your competitors aren’t doing…
Doing something that breaks through the clutter, bypasses the gatekeepers and reaches the people with the authority to say yes…
That is what SurfControl did with a powerful, unconventional B2B marketing campaign.
Instead of trying to outspend its competitors, SurfControl changed the strategy.
The company stopped competing for the attention of the same overwhelmed technical audience.
It went directly to the corporate executives, CEOs, CFOs, COOs and purchase influencers who could authorize action.
And it used an unexpected direct-mail format to reach them:
A magalog.
Here are 11 things you should know:
1. The Challenge: A Good Product in a Crowded, Competitive Market
SurfControl was a global provider of corporate security software before it was acquired by Websense.
One of its products was SuperScout, an internet-filtering solution competing in a difficult market that included deep-pocketed companies such as Norton.
These competitors regularly bombarded MIS and IT managers with:
- Print advertising
- Digital advertising
- Direct mail
- Sales calls
- Product information
- Technical comparisons
SurfControl faced a serious problem.
How could it break through that competitive noise without attempting to match the marketing budgets of much larger companies?
The obvious answer was to find a more powerful message or a more unusual marketing format.
But first, we had to identify a deeper strategic problem.
2. SurfControl Was Not Reaching the Ultimate Decision-Makers
MIS and IT managers understood the technical problem.
They were responsible for maintaining corporate systems, evaluating potential threats and recommending security solutions.
But they were not always the ultimate decision-makers.
The individuals who felt the technical pain were not necessarily the executives who could approve the purchase.
That distinction changed the entire campaign.
Instead of continuing to fight for the attention of MIS and IT managers, I recommended going directly to the purchase influencers and senior executives who had the authority to act.
This gave SurfControl an opportunity to escape the most heavily contested part of the market.
But it created another challenge.
3. Senior Executives Needed a Different Message
Corporate directors and senior executives were decision-makers.
However, they did not necessarily understand the internet-security risks their companies faced.
They did not live with the problem every day as MIS and IT managers did.
They might not have understood:
- The extent of inappropriate or dangerous employee internet activity
- The productivity losses caused by uncontrolled internet usage
- The potential exposure to objectionable or harmful content
- The legal and regulatory risks
- The danger of malware or unauthorized downloads
- The financial consequences of inadequate internet controls
- The reputational damage a security failure could create
Before these executives would consider SurfControl, they first needed to understand the problem.
That meant this could not be a superficial advertising campaign.
It had to educate.
It had to create urgency.
It had to transform an unfamiliar technical problem into an understandable business risk.
And it had to do that without looking like another software advertisement.
4. The Unique Creative Solution: A Magalog
My solution was a magalog.
A magalog looks and feels like a magazine, but it is actually a carefully constructed direct-response sales presentation.
It is an infomercial in print.
At first glance, the recipient sees what appears to be an informative, professionally produced publication.
The cover features compelling article headlines and curiosity-building teasers.
Inside, the magalog uses articles, sidebars, photographs, captions, charts, bullets, case histories and other editorial devices to educate and persuade the reader.
But unlike a conventional magazine, every element has a marketing purpose.
Every headline.
Every article.
Every sidebar.
Every photograph.
Every caption.
Every callout.
Each component helps move the prospect toward the desired response.
5. Why Magalogs Work in Consumer Marketing
Magalogs are often associated with consumer marketing.
They have been used successfully to sell:
- Investment newsletters and services
- Alternative health products
- Nutritional supplements
- Financial products
- Memberships
- Subscriptions
- Specialty products
- Information products
They work particularly well when customers or prospects need more information before making a decision.
A short advertisement may not provide enough room to explain a complex product, overcome skepticism, establish credibility and answer objections.
A magalog provides the space needed to tell the complete story.
It can present the problem.
Explain the consequences.
Introduce the solution.
Provide proof.
Answer objections.
Demonstrate benefits.
Build trust.
And ask for action.
6. Why Magalogs Can Be Even More Surprising in B2B Marketing
The magalog is normally used in consumer markets.
But it can also be extraordinarily effective in B2B marketing.
Why?
Because most corporate decision-makers are surrounded by predictable marketing.
Their mailrooms and assistants are trained to recognize and screen obvious advertisements.
Their email inboxes are overloaded.
Their digital feeds are crowded.
Their phones are protected by gatekeepers.
A traditional sales letter or software brochure can look like another sales solicitation and be discarded before the intended executive ever sees it.
A professionally created magalog is different.
It looks like a valuable business publication.
Its cover promises timely, useful information.
Its editorial appearance gives it perceived importance.
That makes it more likely to get past the mailroom, survive the gatekeeper and reach the executive’s desk.
Once it arrives, its magazine-style format encourages browsing.
The executive may begin by reading one cover story, sidebar or highlighted statistic.
That initial curiosity can lead to another page—and then another.
The magalog allows the company to begin a sales conversation before the salesperson ever makes contact.
7. The SurfControl Magalog Educated Before It Sold
The SurfControl magalog was designed to educate and activate corporate decision-makers.
It explained the dangers of inadequate internet security and the potential consequences for their organizations.
Then it directed readers toward the appropriate solution—SurfControl.
The strategy was not to begin with:
“Here is our software. Let us tell you why it is wonderful.”
Instead, the magalog began with the executive’s problem.
It showed why that problem mattered.
It explained the potential financial, operational and legal consequences.
Only then did it position SurfControl as the solution.
That is an important direct-response principle:
You must first make the problem clear, relevant and urgent before the prospect will value your solution.
8. The 28-Page Presentation Was Designed to Be Read
The SurfControl magalog was 28 pages long.
It combined persuasive direct-response copy with professionally produced graphics and an editorial-style format.
It was created for CEOs and other senior executives at companies with more than 500 employees.
The length allowed us to explain a complex technical problem in clear business terms.
But length alone does not create response.
A 28-page publication filled with self-centered corporate copy would have failed.
The magalog had to be:
- Relevant
- Interesting
- Easy to scan
- Visually compelling
- Benefit-oriented
- Credible
- Educational
- Persuasive
- Focused on the executive’s concerns
It had to look like a high-quality publication worth keeping and sharing—not advertising destined for the wastebasket.
9. Direct-Response Copy Made the Difference
A magalog should look like a magazine.
But it should not be written like a conventional magazine.
Its copy must follow proven direct-response principles.
That means the writing must:
- Capture attention immediately
- Focus on the reader
- Create curiosity
- Present a clear problem
- Explain the consequences
- Emphasize benefits
- Supply specific evidence
- Establish credibility
- Overcome objections
- Make the solution easy to understand
- Lead naturally to a response
- Include a clear call to action
The content must provide genuine value.
But it must also sell.
If it contains nothing but promotional claims, the reader loses interest and trust.
If it contains useful information but never moves the reader toward action, it becomes an expensive corporate magazine.
A successful magalog must accomplish both objectives:
Educate and persuade.
10. The Importance of Targeting and Testing
Even the strongest magalog will fail if it reaches the wrong audience.
For SurfControl, the campaign used more than 60 mailing lists.
That provided multiple audiences, segments and list sources that could be measured and compared.
The campaign was not evaluated by impressions, circulation or vague awareness.
Post-campaign analysis matched product trials and purchases to the executives who received the magalog.
This allowed us to determine which lists and market segments generated measurable action.
The results demonstrated a phenomenal 1%+ response rate on selected lists and segments.
In B2B marketing, that response can have significant value.
A single lead can become a major corporate account.
A single product trial can create an opportunity for a larger sale.
A single executive relationship can open the door to an entire organization.
That is why response rate should never be considered in isolation.
The more important questions are:
- What was the cost per qualified lead?
- How many product trials were generated?
- How many leads became customers?
- What was the average sale?
- What was the lifetime value of each account?
- Which lists and segments produced the best return?
- What was the campaign’s total return on investment?
11. What Presidents and Marketing Directors Should Learn From SurfControl
The SurfControl campaign offers an important lesson:
You do not always win by spending more than your competitors.
Sometimes you win by changing:
- Who you target
- How you reach them
- How you frame the problem
- How you explain your solution
- How much information you provide
- How you measure the response
SurfControl’s competitors concentrated their firepower on MIS and IT managers.
We went beyond that crowded audience and reached the executives who could authorize action.
Competitors used predictable advertising formats.
We used a 28-page publication that looked and felt like valuable business content.
Competitors promoted technical solutions.
We educated executives about a business risk that demanded attention.
That strategic difference helped SurfControl open doors that ordinary marketing could not.
Action:
Could a Magalog Open Doors Your Current Marketing Cannot?
If your company sells a complex, unfamiliar or high-value product or service, a magalog may help you reach customers or prospects who ignore ordinary advertising.
It can be especially powerful when you need to:
- Get past corporate gatekeepers
- Reach CEOs, CFOs and other senior executives
- Educate decision-makers about an unfamiliar problem
- Explain a complex product or service
- Establish credibility
- Overcome skepticism
- Support a sales team
- Generate product demonstrations or trials
- Create qualified leads
- Differentiate your company from larger competitors
But a magalog is not simply a long brochure.
It requires the right strategy, audience, positioning, copy, design, offer, response mechanism and testing plan.
Open New Doors With an Award-Winning Magalog From CDMG
At CDMG, we do not simply create attractive publications.
We create direct-response campaigns engineered to generate measurable action.
Our team can help you:
- Identify the real decision-makers in your market
- Develop the strategy and positioning
- Clarify your most persuasive competitive advantage
- Create the lead concept and editorial theme
- Write compelling direct-response copy
- Design a professional magazine-style publication
- Select and evaluate the right mailing lists
- Develop the offer and response mechanism
- Coordinate the magalog with digital follow-up
- Track, test and analyze the response
CDMG has developed magalogs for both consumer and B2B markets—from health and investment products to business software and professional services.
Our work is backed by decades of direct-response experience, more than 10,000 marketing tests and 128 awards.
If your marketing is not getting through to the executives, customers or prospects who matter most, doing more of the same may not solve the problem.
A magalog may be the unexpected strategy that breaks through the walls and opens new doors.
Call Michael today at 615-933-4647 or email him at [email protected]. Ask him for a complimentary discussion about whether a magalog could help your company reach difficult-to-access decision-makers, generate qualified leads and produce measurable growth.
FAQs:
Q: What is a magalog?
A: A magalog is a direct-response sales presentation designed to look and read like a magazine. It uses articles, headlines, sidebars, photographs, captions, charts, testimonials and other editorial-style elements to educate and persuade the reader. The simplest description is: A magalog is an infomercial in print.
Q: How does a magalog differ from a traditional brochure?
A: A traditional brochure usually focuses on the company, its products, its features and its services. It looks like a sales piece. A magalog begins with the customers’ or prospects’ interests, problems, concerns and questions. It provides valuable information while gradually presenting the advertiser’s product or service as the solution. It looks like a printed magazine.
Because it looks like an informative publication instead of an obvious advertisement, it is more likely to be opened, read, retained and shared.
Q: Are magalogs only effective for consumer marketing?
A: No. Magalogs are commonly used in consumer marketing, but they can also be powerful B2B lead-generation and sales tools. A B2B magalog can:
- Bypass mailroom screeners and executive gatekeepers
- Reach senior decision-makers
- Explain complex products or services
- Educate executives about unfamiliar problems
- Establish credibility
- Overcome skepticism
- Support sales representatives
- Generate qualified leads, demonstrations and product trials
The SurfControl campaign demonstrates how a consumer-style direct-response format can be adapted successfully for a sophisticated corporate audience.
Q: Why can magalogs be effective in B2B marketing?
A: Corporate decision-makers are surrounded by predictable sales messages.
Their inboxes are overloaded. Their phones are protected by gatekeepers. Their mailrooms routinely screen obvious advertisements and solicitations.
A professionally produced magalog looks and feels like a valuable business publication. Its cover promises useful information, while its articles and sidebars encourage browsing. This gives the magalog a better opportunity to pass through the gatekeepers, reach an executive’s desk and begin the sales conversation before a salesperson calls.
Q: How did SurfControl use a magalog to reach corporate executives?
A: SurfControl sold corporate internet-security software in a market dominated by larger, well-funded competitors. Instead of continuing to compete for the attention of MIS and IT managers, CDMG recommended reaching the purchase influencers and senior executives who could authorize action. The 28-page magalog educated these executives about the business dangers of inadequate internet security. It then positioned SurfControl’s SuperScout product as the solution.
Q: What results did the SurfControl magalog campaign generate?
A: The campaign was mailed to prospects drawn from more than 60 mailing lists. Post-campaign analysis matched product trials and purchases to the executives who received the magalog. The analysis found a response rate exceeding 1% on selected mailing lists and market segments. For a B2B software campaign targeting senior executives at larger companies, each qualified lead, product trial or new account had potentially thousands of dollars in value.
Q: How long should a magalog be?
A: A magalog normally requires enough space to look and feel like a genuine publication. Many magalogs are between 16 and 32 pages, although the appropriate length depends on the audience, product, offer and complexity of the sales story. The SurfControl magalog was 28 pages long. That gave CDMG enough space to explain an unfamiliar business risk, establish credibility, answer objections and position SurfControl’s software as the solution. A magalog should be as long as necessary to make the sale—but never longer simply for appearance.
Q: What content should a successful magalog include?
A: The specific content depends on the audience and objective, but a successful magalog may include:
- A curiosity-building cover
- A letter from the editor
- A compelling lead article
- Benefit-oriented supporting articles
- Sidebars and callout boxes
- Case histories
- Testimonials
- Statistics and research
- Charts or comparisons
- Photographs with persuasive captions
- Answers to common objections
- A strong offer
- A clear response mechanism
- A specific call to action
Every element should either capture attention, educate the reader, build credibility, overcome an objection or move the reader toward responding.
Q: Can a magalog be integrated with digital marketing and a sales team?
A: Yes. A magalog should not necessarily operate as an isolated direct-mail campaign. It can direct customers or prospects to:
- A dedicated landing page
- A personalized URL
- A product demonstration
- A video presentation
- A webinar
- A special report
- An online assessment
- A consultation request
- A reply form
- Text or QR code
- A tracked telephone number
Sales representatives can also use the magalog as a presentation tool, trade-show handout, follow-up package or leave-behind. Coordinating direct mail, digital marketing and sales follow-up can help increase response while making campaign results easier to measure.
Q: How can CDMG help create a successful magalog?
A: CDMG can develop and manage the complete magalog campaign, including:
- Audience and decision-maker analysis
- Marketing strategy
- Positioning and differentiation
- Unique selling proposition development
- Editorial theme and content planning
- Direct-response copywriting
- Magazine-style direct-response design
- Offer development
- Mailing-list and data strategy
- Printing and production guidance
- Digital integration
- Response tracking
- Testing and campaign analysis
CDMG has developed magalogs for consumer and B2B markets, including health, investment, financial, software and professional-service campaigns – over 200 different magalogs created. The agency’s work is supported by decades of direct-response experience, more than 10,000 marketing tests and 128 awards. To discuss whether a magalog could help your company bypass gatekeepers, reach senior decision-makers and generate measurable leads, call Michael at 615-933-4647.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a Christian, political commentator, and marketing expert. He publishes The Huey Alert and hosts the Huey Alert Podcast with his wife Shelly.
Together, they stand at the intersection of faith, politics, and culture, helping Christians understand the issues shaping America today.
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