New titles swell print offering

The company’s publishing ventures are set to grow this month with the addition of two new publications; the first edition of TOYOTA ZONE under the RamsayMedia banner and CAR’s first-ever book are both due to roll off the presses within weeks. TOYOTA ZONE, the second title in the Custom Publishing stable, will see 31 500 copies of the bimonthly magazine mailed to Toyota consumers and dealerships at the end of May.

The 96-page lifestyle publication will have the look and feel of a consumer magazine, its content pillars focusing on launches, news, eco issues, sport and travel, with additional sections taking account of lifestyle, gear and people. Competitions will be a key element, adding value to readers and serving as an important tool to grow subscriptions, according to the publisher, Neal Farrell.

The magazine will appeal to people who are loyal to the Toyota brand, are passionate about their cars and look for good value, while at the same time having enough broad interest to attract outside readers, he said. Features will encompass both urban interests – shopping, entertainment, eating out – and the country – game parks, 4x4 routes, places to stay, and more.

“The business model is to increase subscriber retentions and acquisitions through a solid editorial package that will at the same time allow Toyota to build stronger consumer relationships and greater product knowledge,” he explained.

In line with RamsayMedia’s philosophy of offering clients a multi-platform marketing solution, TOYOTA ZONE readers will also be reached through a number of digital touch points, including a digimag and email webletter.

All new Toyota buyers will receive a free copy of TOYOTA ZONE and will be encouraged to subscribe. The magazine has a cover price of R19,95, with an annual subscription costing R90.

A new team is responsible for the latest addition to the stable. Apart from Neal as publisher and Robyn Daly as managing editor, a Johannesburg-based editor, Stuart Williams, has been contracted from the June/July issue, while Christelle Botha, formerly a designer on Top Billing magazine, joined the team at the beginning of May. New ad sales execs Colin Garden and Anton Willemse will look after the ad revenue for the brand.

CAR’s first foray into book publishing, Cranked Up – Confessions of a Petrolhead, is a humorous compilation of the driving adventures of deputy editor Hannes Oosthuizen combined with road test information on the nearly 3 000 vehicles CAR has tested since 1957.

The 288-page, A5 book relates Hannes’ encounters with motoring personalities and his experiences behind the wheel of some of the most glamorous vehicles in the world, from Batman’s Lamborghini Murciélago to Fernando Alonso’s Renault F1 and the Koenigsegg CCX owned by controversial SA strip-club owner Lolly Jackson – all told in Hannes’ inimitable tongue-in-cheek style. About half the book is comprised of the magazine’s road-test database, gathered over more than 50 years, making it a comprehensive and entertaining resource for motoring enthusiasts.

Taking advantage of CAR’s strong social media presence, Cranked Up already has a following on Facebook and will be promoted on Twitter. Several launch activities are in the pipeline, including a book signing at the CAR-hosted virtual Le Mans in June and a competition and review on 5fm by DJ Sasha Martinego.

The book will sell for R149,95. Copies can be bought online at www.magsathome.co.za

Ramsaymedia amps up its success

Consumption of the company’s media is on the up and up. The latest AMPS results and analysis of the brands’ digital traffic both reflect growth during what has been a challenging time.

RamsayMedia titles captivate a significant number of readers – more than two million people or 6,3 per cent of the population read one or more RamsayMedia magazines, an annual increase of 12 per cent, according to AMPS 2009AB. At the same time, the latest website figures show continuing month-on-month increases in the number of unique users.

CAR magazine’s readership has gone up by 18 per cent to 1,2 million, Leisure Wheels’ by 30 per cent to 162 000 and WIEL’s by eight per cent to 127 000 average readers a copy, giving the Automotive titles an average total readership of more than 1,2 million a month. Getaway and Compleat Golfer also saw good growth for the period, at 14 per cent and 10 respectively.

Interestingly, the AMPS survey indicates that the majority (64 per cent) of RamsayMedia consumers are of colour, the average age is 36 (WINE and Getaway have the oldest readers at an average age of 40), only a third have English as their home language and 54 per cent are Super-A income earners.

Meanwhile, the brands’ websites continue to deliver record figures – thanks largely to Preditor, the content management system that facilitates search engine optimisation. - CARmag’s unique users jumped by 30 000 in March, giving the site an all-time high of 73 861 visitors for the month. - A record 25 574 unique users visited Getaway.co.za in March (vs. a 2009 average of 19 226). - Winemag recorded 17 103 unique users in March (vs. an average 9 929 last year – an increase of 72 %).

Hotel & Restaurant’s website, launched in its present form a year ago, has seen exceptional growth since establishing a dedicated hospitality industry careers portal at the beginning of March. The move resulted in a 26 per cent increase in unique users in the month of its launch – and the site isn’t yet on Preditor, the content management system that optimises website content searches.

RamsayMedia titles go digital

Getaway’s March issue went live as a digital edition this week, making it the eighth and final title in the RamsayMedia stable to be made available in electronic format.

The move extends RamsayMedia’s multi-platform offering, giving consumers another touchpoint for the brands and providing advertisers with a further opportunity to reach new audiences beyond their established markets, explained Ian Dinan, Audience Development Manager.

With printing and postage costs no longer a constraint, the brands can grow their overseas readerships as well as manage their extensive complimentary copy mailing lists more effectively, he said.

“While we anticipate a relatively small uptake initially, having magazines available in this format means we open ourselves to new readers, and the possible development of paid-for content presented by the various e-readers arriving on the market,” he added.

“But the really compelling advantage for us is in the custom publishing arena. We can create digizines for our clients at a fraction of the cost of a print edition. Not only is there a significant saving, but digizines open avenues for the client to provide multimedia enhancements like videos and links to their website, enriching their clients’ experience of the brand.”

RamsayMedia will sell its digimags at 50 per cent of the cover price in accordance with the Audit Bureau of Circulations’ ruling that digital editions form part of a magazine’s sales while not being bound by the print edition’s price, Dinan said.

The other RamsayMedia digizines are CAR, Leisure Wheels, WIEL, Popular Mechanics, Compleat Golfer, WINE and Hotel & Restaurant.

Custom Publishing wins contract to publish TOYOTA ZONE

RamsayMedia Custom Publishing announced today that it will take over the publishing rights for TOYOTA ZONE magazine from the June/July issue. This is the second big custom publishing account win for RamsayMedia since its launch last year when Sanlam’s lifestyle programme awarded RamsayMedia the publishing rights for its customer magazine Reality, putting the media house’s innovative new custom publishing division firmly on the map.

New Getaway editor brings multi-platform expertise

Travel and outdoor enthusiast, writer, photographer and television presenter Cameron Ewart-Smith has been appointed editor of Getaway magazine, with effect from the beginning of February. He replaces Don Pinnock, who retires at the end of March.

Cameron brings to the job several years’ experience as editor of custom titles Xplore and Wild, where he was also involved in the content strategies for the latter’s website, newsletter, mobile platform, events and TV – all key areas in his new role of developing Getaway’s editorial strategy and delivery across its platforms.

“Cameron’s extensive multi-media editorial knowledge, coupled with his enthusiasm for adventure sport, wildlife and travel, make him the natural choice and a welcome addition to the team,” commented Getaway publisher Jacqueline Lahoud. “Poised to ride the wave of a recovering economy, the hype of the World Cup and with an exciting year ahead for the Getaway brand, this appointment is perfectly timed.”

This is not Cameron’s first stint with the travel title; he began his editorial career as senior photojournalist with Getaway in 2000. He left the magazine in 2003 to travel across South America for a year, doing research for a book.

On his return he continued his association with the brand over the next six years as compère of the Getaway Show and presenter of photographic workshops for readers.

Cameron has contributed widely to local and international publications on subjects related to his interests, which includinge hiking, mountaineering, diving and mountain biking. Through his association with Wild, he was recently the presenter of a six-part TV series on the Transfrontier Parks for Homebrew Films.

New full-service mobile division helps marketers keep up with mobile trends

RamsayMedia has recently launched a dedicated mobile division as part of its strategy to become the new media leader within publishing. Marketers looking to develop an effective mobile campaign can now benefit from RamsayMedia’s mobile consulting, creative and development services.