Product
Yamaha BackstagePASS, a glossy, 26-page, twice-yearly consumer magazine with a circulation of 40,000.

Objective
Yamaha Band & Orchestral Division is a leader in the production of quality musical instruments and provider of information and services to educators, students, and musicians, both aspiring and professional. Yamaha sought to cement its relationship with dealers and consumers through a magazine that showcases successful musicians who play Yamaha instruments. The publication also serves to communicate the latest information on Yamaha products, including new instruments and accessories.

Method
Bentley-Hall, Inc. began production of BackstagePASS by conducting a detailed meeting with the client at their offices in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This face-to-face meeting established goals of the magazine, and developed a strategy for success. Originally envisaged as a four-page, broadsheet glossy with short articles in the style of public relations copy, the BackstagePASS concept was radically expanded when Bentley-Hall's research found that potential readers wanted more in-depth articles on artists, instruments, and accessories. Bentley-Hall, Inc., worked closely with the client to redevelop the magazine's strategy, collaborating on editorial direction geared toward the specific needs of the readership. New articles in an enjoyable format, along with a fresh new design, allowed readers to move more easily from feature stories on Yamaha artists to informational pieces about the instruments they play.

Results
• An attractive, full-color glossy magazine that provides a regular creative outlet for content including feature articles on Yamaha artists and groups, research and innovations, new product spotlights, and educational tips and techniques.

• Close contact with client’s headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan ensures the project continually develops along with the Yamaha readership's changing needs.

• Input from Yamaha executives, contributing writers and photographers, and assistant and associate editors is coordinated by Bentley-Hall, to achieve a finished product that is widely recognized in the industry as a vaulable, informative, and entertaining marketing tool.

• Yamaha has maintained a strategic relationship with its customers, enabling the company, through BackstagePASS, to “sell without selling.”