With some of the most prestigious magazine brands and titles in France, the independent, family-run MARIE-CLAIRE Group has selected VIVETIC to manage its subscriber relations. Anne-Laure Gras explains the reasons behind this choice, and why, above all, subscribers are an asset that no press group should allow to depreciate.
Your "title" is a whole program in itself: subscription manager, direct marketing and digital distribution?
Absolutely (smiles), in fact I manage and run a very autonomous business unit that's almost a micro-business: subscriber relations management, distribution logistics - the range of missions is vast and the stakes almost vital, dare I say it. For years now, like all press groups, we have been observing a change in reader and subscriber behavior. Our customers are now more opportunistic, more unfaithful than ever before. So the challenge is no longer so much to win new subscribers as to maintain our subscriber portfolio. We still have almost 400,000, thanks to our various titles (Marie-Claire, Marie-Claire Maison, Avantages, Cosmopolitan, La Revue des Vins de France etc.).
Do we still win subscribers by telephone sales approach?
We have never "recruited" new subscribers by telephone, for one simple reason: the economic equation for this type of action is not profitable for us. We work with subscription collectors (such as ADLP) and digital offers, but we don't use telemarketing or even direct mail. Average sales per subscriber are low in the women's press, and don't allow for this kind of action.
And yet in 2016, you launched an invitation to tender to select a service provider for subscriber relations?
Exactly, and for two reasons. The first is that we've been operating for over 30 years with the same service provider, who managed our subscriber base. We wanted to take another look at things and, above all, because of what happened at GLI, separate responsibilities: customer and subscriber relationship management, and management of the subscriber base. I'm convinced that if a subscriber reader remains loyal to us, it's also because the sympathy capital that the brand inspires and the ties we maintain with them are strong. That's why we approached some of the leading service providers in this market, including subscription and press specialists.
And in the end, you chose a mid-market service provider whose production teams are based in Madagascar. Why did you do this?
VIVETIC's commercial approach, cost-efficiency and in-depth knowledge of specific tools (such as Magellan**) made them a reliable partner that met our expectations. Their response to the call for tenders was precise, as was their adaptation to our context and commercial approach; they also had real press references.
Almost six months after the start of the collaboration, what lessons have you learned from the commitment of the VIVETIC teams?
Both in Pantin and Antananarivo, VIVETIC impressed and convinced me: the production teams are very committed, hard-working and loyal (transparent). The ramp-up took a little longer and was sometimes trickier than expected, not least because we had to formalize a large number of processes (something we hadn't had to do for 30 years). So we had to organize a lot more interaction with the teams than I had imagined, but I was really impressed by the work capacity there.
Not only is there no problem in having a service provider like VIVETIC manage complex customer relations operations in Madagascar, but once they have acquired even greater business relevance, Madagascan service providers like VIVETIC will be extremely competitive. I tell my teams
