PPA New Media’96 Conference and Awards

More than 150 magazine publishers, advertisers and agency personnel and service providers attended the first PPA Magazines and New Media ’96 Conference and Awards held today at Cabot Hall, Canary Wharf, London.

Delegates were urged by keynote speaker Dr Michael Chamberlain of United News and Media to act now to develop their products for the future.

Speakers throughout the morning sessions agreed that magazine publishers should exploit and develop their prestigious brand titles, but that they should look beyond the printed version of their product to create a new business platform from which to generate revenue.

John Barnes of VNU Business Publications said: “The Internet provides the perfect canvas to experiment with ideas that aren’t feasible in the traditional print facility”. Dan Conagham of Conde Nast explained how advertisers could exploit new technology to generate more than a static advertisement; he said that for the soon to be launched Vogue site, a leading advertiser had sponsored graphics as part of a quiz which the user could interact with.

Discussing the UnZip CD-ROM and New ScientistNew Planet Internet site, Jonathan Newby and Colin Tough of IPC Magazines agreed that it was essential to be audience-led. Robin Hunt of Guardian On-line added that the role of the publisher had greatly expanded and had become a “hinterland.”

Winners