IPC Women’s Weeklies Get Set For The Millennium
IPC Connect has unveiled its largest-ever seasonal promotion with a millennium programme worth £1 million. The women’s weekly division, which includes Women’s Own, Women’s Realm and Chat, has designed souvenir issues for its 1 January editions.
Chat, in the biggest promotion in its history, will be wrapped in silver foil and each issue will contain either a cash prize voucher or food and drink offers from Yate’s Wine Lodge.
The other major titles in the division will offer covermounted gifts to their readers: Women’s Own contains two shades of eyeshadow in a chrome tin; Woman features a chrome-cased red lipstick; Women’s Realm gives readers a pen and Women’s Weekly offers a 2000 pocket-sized diary; Now gives its readers an “illusion” silver necklace and earrings.
Publishing director Sandy Gale said: “The festive period is the busiest time for the weeklies market and our £1 million investment marks the beginning of a development programme for the titles, which will maintain and strengthen their market-leading positions into the year 2000.”
January 2000 also sees the unveiling of a revamp of the UK’s oldest film magazine, Sight and Sound. A new masthead and an expanded news section have been created for the mag, which is published by the British Film Institute. A new publishing manager, John Innes, will join the group from John Brown Publishing.
Separately, Future Publishing is to relaunch Glory Glory Man United on 6 January. Aimed at the 8-13 year old Manchester United fan, the group acquired the magazine in September after its sales had been falling rapidly (see Future Acquires Football Magazines). Increased pagination and a free poster with each issue will mark the revamp. February’s issue will give readers an Official Manchester United Sticker Album.
It is also understood that Gruner & Jahr is planning to launch a new women’s magazine early next year. Preliminarily named Florence the title is reported to be targeting 30-40 year old ABC1 women, with a cover price of £2.40 and initial print run of 250,000.
IPC Connect: 0171 261 5710 Sight And Sound: 0171 957 8912 Future Publishing: 01225 442 244