IPC Relaunches NME With Above The Line Campaign
IPC Ignite is relaunching its veteran music title, NME, with the support of an extensive above the line marketing campaign.
The relaunched title, which goes on sale on 16 September, is the latest in a line of initiatives designed to strengthen the NME brand following the appointment of Conor McNicholas as editor last year.
NME saw its circulation increase by 0.5% year on year to 72,443 in the latest ABC results for the six months to June. This places it just ahead of its closest rival Kerrang!, which dipped by 16.2% during the same period to 70,361.
The new-look title will have a cover price of £1.80 and will be completely restructured to include new editorial sections, more in-depth band interviews, clearer news and reviews, as well as the use of stronger and more impactful photography.
New additions to the magazine include The Agenda, a seven day planner featuring the latest albums, tickets and films, as well as the week’s TV and radio listings. The classified section is to be renamed NME Messageboard and NME.com will be better signposted throughout the magazine.
Commenting on the redesign, McNicholas, said: “Having just celebrated regaining the top spot as the UK’s best selling music weekly, this redesign is another exciting move in the history of this world famous brand. It has taken six months of extensive research and hard graft. No change has been taken lightly, with every innovation focussed squarely on our readers’ list of wants and needs.”
He added: “We’ve made some bold moves, and we’ve added some unique new twists to the title. However, our sole aim has been to ensure that NME not only maintains its position as being the first stop shop for music news and reviews, but also continues to deliver as the title closest to the cutting edge of music culture.”
The redesign will be supported by an extensive above the line marketing campaign featuring heavyweight 30-second ads across all MTV digital music channels, a nation-wide 4-sheet poster campaign and washroom media activity. There will also be flyposting in university towns and around music venues.
Earlier this year IPC Ignite was forced to close its monthly Muzik magazine following a drop advertising and copy sale revenues and a decline in the popularity of dance music in the charts (see IPC Ignite Pulls The Plug On Muzik Magazine).
IPC Media: 0870 4445000 www.ipc.co.uk
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