ProfiAuto.pl – a magazine with more than just car parts

Moto-Profil, one of the biggest Polish distributors of car parts, is the owner of ProfiAuto network, which associates wholesalers, shops and car repair shops. The network represents an efficient sales structure, based primarily on direct, ongoing contacts between Moto-Profil salesmen and partners, which makes it difficult for information other than that relating to sales to flow between the “headquarters” and the contractors. Within the network, there was no communication channel with business partners.

The strategy was to create a tool by means of which it would be possible to reach all network partners with effective communication. The key issue there was the choice of the medium – due to the lack of access to a computer by many recipients, a decision was made to produce a magazine in a paper form, published on a quarterly basis, emphasising factual information, events from the life of the brand and content presenting its lifestyle dimension.

Assuming that a number of employees of automotive industry entities are, also in their private lives, passionate about the automotive industry, the magazine adopted the formula of a lifestyle magazine, richly illustrated, with short texts, filled with both information “from the life of the network”, factual knowledge and information about the latest car launches, vehicle testing and other elements characteristic of the press from this segment. In editorial terms, the magazine is meant to compete freely with automotive magazines available on the market.

The quarterly was supposed to stand out with its graphic design amidst numerous gratuitous magazines that reach car shops and car repair shops. However, it had to match the factual content of non-gratuitous automotive magazines, which are also widely accessible at such locations. Contrary to these, however, individual customers can take such a magazine with them, prolonging their contact with the brand.

The contents of the magazine were divided into several regular sections. As far as the image information about the network is concerned, it comprised, for example: news about current events in ProfiAuto, advice offered by ProfiAuto specialists, a list with current contact details of network partners, a description of one of ProfiAuto distinguishing locations. Regular lifestyle sections include: the most significant events in the automotive industry, testing of new models entering the market, descriptions of gadgets for men, recipes for interesting dishes, descriptions of travels across various countries with emphasis on advice for drivers. The lifestyle section, which “wraps” information that is important for ProfiAuto internally, is designed to draw the readers’ attention to the magazine and retain them. When reading about the new car model, they are supposed to get to the text, e.g. concerning the Group strategy. The lifestyle section deliberately “sells dreams”, i.e. writes about high-end cars, gadgets and travels. The magazine, created in such a way, additionally turns into an excellent tool for the wholesale, shop and car repair shop owners to be used in their everyday work – making it possible to display and hand it over to the target customers. Image information about the network, placed and properly positioned in the magazine, honours partners as members of the network.

The magazine proved to be such an effective tool that the client decided to increase the circulation to 10 000 copies. The information obtained from the recipients confirms that the magazine enjoys a high level of readership, especially – but not only – among network partners.