Book of the Month is Brand of the Year

Marissa Kappus
Nov 1 · 4 min read

When is the last time you visited a local library? (For all of you youngsters out there, a library is a quiet place where you can borrow used books, then return them to then continue borrowing more books.) With tablets, iPads, Kindles, phones, and who knows what else constantly paving ways for new methods of reading and getting new information, picking up a book and reading it just isn’t what it used to be.

Don’t even get me started on book clubs. A club for reading books, really? That concept of people rallying behind a book and connecting over it once a week seems so ancient these days. But, Book of the Month is working to change that. By providing users with book choices from a variety of genres and giving them the opportunity to invite their friends to read along with them, they’re striving to get that reading camaraderie back.

The sense of involvement and inclusion that the brand encourages their readers to take part in is what sets their company apart. Sure, they add convenience to readers’ lives by picking out books and mailing them straight to their doors. But, the same concept can be done by ordering a book online through Barnes & Noble, for example, in their “Weekly Picks” section. Rather than putting the focus on reading individually, they put an interactive, human aspect into the leisurely pastime.

Aside from being able to invite friends and family to become a member as well and read along with that month’s book picks, they also give readers the space to discuss the books they’ve chosen and connect through their brand. A virtual book club! Readers can also become a BotM “BFF,” enticing more readers to read more books and connect with the brand itself.

That being said, what would a typical Book of the Month reader look like? What would they be interested in? (Besides reading, of course.) Well, if you dive deeper into the objectives behind Book of the Month and their basic concept of providing books to those that want to read them, you might come to the conclusion that their target audience consists of intellectual, young audiences that are independent but can appreciate the good that comes from reading.

I wouldn’t think that their target audience would be too young as I am sure they are fully accustomed to getting their text off of their screens. And, the same logic can be applied to audiences that are too old since they lived a life of libraries and book stores. I imagine Book of the Month’s target audience being a sort of “hipster era” crowd of millennials that make a decent amount of money (enough so that they aren’t tempted to get their free books from the library) and take interest in a wide range of topics such as history and pop culture. Whatever their interests, these people seek opportunities to communicate them with others and create a sense of community around them.

Specifically, I envision the target audience being between the ages of 24 and 42, with middle-class incomes, and of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. I imagine these audiences are educated beyond a high school education and often take part in other community or local organizations such as non-profits or special interest clubs.

Now, once we assume this information, how can we market to these audiences while maintaining this innovative idea of reading camaraderie and breathing life back into the idea of book clubs?

One idea would be to host several Book of the Month Club events around the country in popular BotM reader hubs such as New York City and Seattle. Events would assist in shifting the focus to one of excitement, interaction, and inclusion.

One idea for a Book of the Month event could include themed meet-ups at local bars, restaurants, etc. based off of one of the books selected in that month. For example, if one of the books that month was Harry Potter, readers could dress the part and attend a mixer at a local pub (deemed the “Leaky Cauldron” for the night) or at a planetarium to set the starry mood. Or, if the book that month was one that got turned into a movie, maybe a mixer was organized so that readers could view the movie, then attend a sort of cocktail hour to chat and mingle.

Another idea for a Book of the Month marketing event would be to cater specifically to audiences that fit the characters of that month’s book. For example, there was a book that could have been chosen a few months ago that followed the life of a soon-to-be bride in a big city. What if Book of the Month hosted a mock wedding as their reader mixer? Or, what if they hosted a girl’s night type of “bachelorette party” to meet and connect over the book?

By getting readers out and mingling, Book of the Month can maintain their ideas of innovative reading involvement, target their primary subscribers, and continue to make waves in the literary ocean.

UF CJC Online

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