Complaint Review: Naylor

This is a publisher (Naylor, LLC) that has recently hooked up with a major association, APIC (Association for Professionals in Infection Control).  This is their first year with APIC.  Therefore, this actual experience should be of help when making your advertising decisions with Naylor/APIC.  I will outline my experience in the next 3 paragraphs.

Misrepresenting Distribution

This is Naylor's first year with APIC and I'm sure they will have to change their sales pitch next year to stay on the contract.  I was sold on the publication based on what their rep said would be a distribution of 40,000 magazines (Prevention Strategist Summer 2013).  In actuality, they reported, after printing and distribution, that it was 15,000.  They said the distribution would flood the Infection Preventionists by mail and at their annual trade show.  I have several contacts and customers that attended the APIC conference this year and none of them received a Prevention Strategist magazine even though my representative claims that everyone got one.  I don't have any figures on the mailings other than they reported 15,000 total distribution.  So, their distribution was only 37.5% of what was claimed- so why was I being required to pay full price?  

Lied about Ad Placement
Next, my representative told me that I would be in an editorial section and on the outside edge of the page.  In reality, I was grouped with a bunch of other ads and backed into the center crease of the page.  They got my ad and dimensions correct but the placement was completely not close to what was promised.  So, they delivered 50% of what was promised, but why was I being required to pay full price?

Weak Publication
Lastly, the Prevention Strategist was sold as a rich publication with articles that were informative and sought out by the audiences.  My representative talked about how it would be a magazine that people would keep, reread and pass around.  We found it to be very promotional and advertisement heavy.  There is no way that I would have paid nearly $2000 for a small advertisement in an ad book that only reached 15,000 people.

In the end, they were very threatening for collections and only budged 25% of the price although I feel that I should have paid a maximum of 50% of the price.  Before you advertise with Naylor in future promotions with APIC- I would bring up my experience.  

Benjamin