How a newsletter became a strategic sales tool

June 8, 2016

Spain

Best Practice: Henkel’s Raw Materials Facts

Locally adapted content and available in several languages – many communications managers would immediately associate these words with “increased coordination and costs”. Yet Henkel Adhesive Technologies has shown how international content can be published quickly and easily.

Henkel’s Adhesives Raw Materials Facts (RMF) newsletters keep its customers in the packaging industry up to date on the latest trends and developments in international commodity markets, which have a strong influence on the availability and prices of industrial adhesives. Produced as a quarterly PDF, the newsletter also provides sales staff with an extra tool for use during their discussions with customers.

Originally, RMF was produced for the Western and Eastern European regions only. But the need for product-neutral, non-marketing information is even greater in regions such as Asia-Pacific or Latin America. The marketing experts at Henkel Adhesive Technologies identified this need and responded. Depending on the edition, RMF now appears in up to 10 languages: English, German, Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, and Russian.

Fewer approvals, faster publication

So what are the processes involved in producing the international newsletter today?

  1. JP│KOM and Henkel agree on the content, sources, and data for the next edition. The agency then produces the relevant articles and graphics in English.
  2. Using the web-to-print system One2Edit, a master document is created in Adobe InDesign. This shows which elements are editable and which are protected and cannot be edited.
  3. Local communications managers from the relevant countries have access to the finalized, partly open document via One2Edit. They decide whether the newsletter will be used in their region and can translate articles or make country-specific amends accordingly. This reduces the time involved in publishing and approvals – and cuts costs.

In line with the “what you see is what you get” principle, the file is edited directly online. Knowledge of InDesign is not required, nor is the local installation of software programs.

Relevance: a recipe for success

While the newsletter’s reach has increased significantly thanks to its international use in several languages, its focus has remained on the highly factual coverage of the latest raw materials news. Although its detailed information and technical language/look and feel may not seem like a recipe for success at first glance, these are exactly the things that have brought the most value to individual countries. As Jenna Koenneke, Marketing Manager for Industrial Adhesives Europe at Henkel, explains: “With RMF we are boosting the credibility of both our business unit and our sales staff.”

Web-to-print systems such as One2Edit are ideal for coordinated publications that need to be translated for international distribution, or where minimal changes are required. Content publishing systems like WoodWing feature collaboration functions which allow communications professionals to manage complex editorial and approval processes involving multiple int

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