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Sunday Times Revamp

Sunday Times Revamp

News International currently seems unable to last more than a few weeks without introducing major changes to either the Times or the Sunday Times. The Sunday Times Magazine and Style & Travel section have become the latest proof of this, with both displaying rather substantial revamps yesterday.

The Sunday Times Magazine has been renamed The Magazine and made slightly smaller. It has a much lighter and younger feel both editorially and visually. This is reinforced by the front cover which carries a more casual logo than its predecessor. The editorial includes features on Jodie Foster and Michael Jackson and an interview with nightclub owner Peter Gatien. This is in stark contrast to a previous week’s magazine which was a special issue focusing on the unification of Germany.

In terms of advertising content there is little difference between the new look magazine and the old one with both comprising of about 60% ads. One change, however, is that the previous Sunday’s issue had 13 pages of ads to wade through before reaching the first page of editorial. Yesterday’s issue had a more manageable 3 pages.

Style & Travel, the 16-page broadsheet section 6, was relaunched yesterday as a 48-page stapled tabloid and repositioned as section 8. As well as covering style, fashion, food and drink and travel the new section now includes opinion, property and motors. The smaller pages produce a layout that is easier on the eye with fewer pieces of editorial appearing on a single page.

The new compact Style & Travel section also offers more opportunities for display advertising, with the first issue containing 2 full page ads (Air Canada & Proton cars). The previous weekend’s broadsheet section contained no full pages. The revamped section maintained the high proportion of classified advertising found in its predecessor. Yesterday’s issue comprised 14-pages of classifieds which were predominantly travel ads.

Media director with Quadrant Advertising, David Maclaine, believes the Sunday Times has tried to do too much with the section, resulting in it being “very bitty”. Quadrant placed a full page ad for Proton cars in the edition but Maclaine claims he was lead to believe there would be a larger motoring section rather than a single page. He does say, however, that the colour reproduction throughout the section is excellent.

Steve Cronan of McCann Erickson thinks the new look is a big improvement and much easier to read than the old format. He thinks that it will stand out from the broadsheet supplements, with the new size making it much more manageable. The biggest bonus of the lot, he comments, is that his client’s ad (Air Canada) looks so good on the back page.

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