Bundling: It’s Not Just for Your Cable, Internet or Telephone Provider

By Tim Nass, Vice President, Media Development

Bundling has become a popular word in our vernacular. If you’re like me you’ve seen or heard the term used the most in the countless number of mailers, television, radio and Internet ads where utilities are offering to “bundle” your various forms of communication into one monthly package. Yes, I need my mobile. Yes, I need speedy Internet. Yes, I have to have cable. Put them all together to save me money and reduce the number of companies I have to deal with — that makes for a very BIG YES.

I’ve found more than a few recent examples where an organization has many different vendors and/or departments providing piece parts of the services required to publish their member periodical. Content may be created internally and then that content is sent out for editing. From there it could be sent out for design/layout and then returned for final review. Now it goes to the printer. Quite possibly the printer doesn’t have the capability for mailing so from the printer the publications are sent to a mail house for final distribution. Who’s providing the digital component for the publication? You add in a separate firm to sell, track and invoice for the advertising and you’ve got quite a lot to manage.

Ascend provides a complete staff of publishing professionals that successfully handle and execute all facets in the periodical publishing process. We’re quite unique in that we have a seasoned and experienced sales team (which delivered more than 4.5 million in royalties to our clients in 2011) to go along with a talented group of editors, designers, digital programmers, production and printing specialists that deliver publications on time and on budget. The expertise of the entire team working together in one location provides a bundling experience that is both financially and efficiently rewarding for our clients.

So, if you’re responsible for publishing your association’s magazine and you have a number of internal and external resources providing various services to get that publication in your members’ hands, via print and/or digital, ask yourself: What can bundling do for me?