I read in the October 12, 2009 AdAge that Procter & Gamble’s quarterly beauty magazine Rouge is ramping up to hit 11 million US households this year. This coupon-rich publication joins other custom, company pubs such as Kraft’s Food & Family, in pushing info, ads and offers directly to their target audiences in a magazine format. Of course these companies are still allocating ad dollars to TV, radio and print—just less. Their strategy is to “own” the magazine, not just run ads in it.

B2B marketers can get the same great “bang for the buck” by publishing a custom magazine, perhaps in place of traditional customer newsletters. The trick is to keep the editorial content informational, reader-focused, useful and unbiased. Design needs to be reader-friendly, image conscious and grabby—just like the consumer pubs on the newsstand. Well-placed page or spread ads, coupons and offers can be sprinkled throughout.

A good example is Costco Connection, a magazine published for business and consumer members of Costco. It provides information, highlights new products and keeps members informed with a variety of useful information. The design could improve, but the content is reader-worthy.

Is your company doing a custom publication? What content do you like to see most in B2B custom pubs?