Case Studies
Title: Road King
Client: TravelCenters of America (TA), a nationwide network of 162 travel centers primarily serving professional over-the-road truck drivers.
Publisher: Parthenon Publishing
Circulation: 225,000
Frequency: Bimonthly
Target: Professional truck drivers
Client Objectives: Strengthen relationships with TA's core customers. Encourage participation in customer loyalty program, the Road King Drivers' Club.
Execution: Parthenon developed an integrated communication program utilizing print and digital media to strengthen communications with customers across multiple media.
Parthenon undertook a complete overhaul of TA's Road King magazine, transforming it from a trade publication into an award-winning business and lifestyle magazine for truckers. The magazine, which has a circulation of 225,000, is distributed through TA's travel center network.
The publication offers readers relevant, intriguing stories by some of the top writers in national consumer publications as well as valuable articles by experts in the trucking field. A section devoted to TA news lets customers know about new products and services that they can find at TA and serves as a guide to the benefits offered by Road King Drivers' Club loyalty program.
The Road King website gives truckers another route to content from the magazine, promotes magazine contests, and provides additional means for reader interaction. The semimonthly Road King eNews and monthly Road King Drivers' Club eNewsletters enable TA to communicate with customers on a timely basis, offering valuable business information and highlighting TA initiatives and promotions.
Parthenon's management of TA's customer communication vehicles is turnkey — handling creation, production, distribution and information integration of all communications vehicles. Parthenon also manages advertising sales for the magazine, website, eNewsletter, in-store kiosks, and other place-based media, generating positive net income for the publishing program.
Results: In 2007 Readex reader research, readers reported significantly higher engagement with and readership of the publication than a similar study conducted prior to Parthenon's being chosen as the publisher. Specifically, the research showed:
- 61 percent increase in readership
- 29 percent increase in “regular readership” (three out of four issues)
- 175 percent increase in the number of readers rating the magazine their personal favorite
