I came across Mariner magazine at my parents’ house this weekend, and was pleasantly surprised at what I found – a smart and apparently award-winning effort at content marketing, put forth by Holland America cruise lines.

The magazine features onboard highlights (this month’s was the food issue), photos sent in by passengers, professional destination photography, and several travel articles – some written by celebrities. (Who knew Andrew McCarthy could do anything other act in the shadow of James Spader?)

There’s only one way I think it could be better.

Most of the ship-related promotional content – their new Indonesian tea service, a note from the Head of Housekeeping, an article following the trip of three Dutchmen on the ms Nieuw Amsterdam – is in the front of the magazine.

It should be in the back, just before the “Savings” section that lists all of their routes for the upcoming year.

The idea of content marketing is to give your target audience what they want – insights, entertainment, anything interesting – up front. Then sell at the end. Even if they are an engaged/past consumer.

That’s my advice for Holland America. Now here’s my advice for luxury marketers who are considering advertising in this magazine. If you do it, ask for some really detailed statistics.

The majority of the ads in Mariner are for luxury watches. So I have to wonder, did they ask how much of the circulation goes to affluent consumers who pay full price, as opposed to people like my parents who jump from cruise line to cruise line based on the discounts they get. And yes, even the Holland Americas and Princesses of the world offer such deals. I had trouble finding a media kit anywhere online, so I’d be very interested to see the specific demographic info.

Point being, how many people are advertisers reaching in their target audience? And if it’s a low amount, is the ad space cheap enough to justify the buy?

Perhaps, in his spare time, Andrew McCarthy can provide us with some answers.