"B2Me" customized magazines capitalize on reader/buyer data

I've been reading about the rise of customized B2Me magazines, print publications tailored or "versioned" to the interests and characteristics of the audience. D. Edward Tree has written in Publishing Executive about a Belgian magazine which has a print run of 150,000 but with no two copies alike. 

"Changes in the advertising market are creating a greater need and opportunity for customized magazines. Programmatic advertising in digital media has demonstrated the power of getting the right message to the right person at the right time, undermining the “spray and pray” approach often associated with advertising in traditional media.

"ZEB, a multi-brand fashion [retailer and] publisher, uses customer data — such as purchase history, age, gender, favorite brands, and place of residence — to customize the text and images on multiple pages of its customer “magazine,” which is arguably a catalog."

There's a video showing how the company does it. 


It's a long way from a belly band or a cover wrap. But part of the thesis is that, while it is expensive, it may be no more so than direct mail.