Question

Topic: Strategy

Positioning Of A New Magazine

Posted by jelena on 2/1/2009 at 10:40 AM ET 250 Points
I start a new magazine for lifestyle and property for a client. I need advices for positioning and branding.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 2/1/2009 at 11:31 AM Accepted
    A few questions: First, what's the objective? Is there a business plan? Is it an advertising model, or subscriptions, or benefit for members, etc.?

    Are you positioning the magazine for advertisers or subscribers or both? Who is the target reader? How will that reader learn about the magazine's existence? (What's the marketing plan?)

    Who is the competition? What will make this magazine different from, and better than, the competition?

    You might want to start with a SWOT analysis. Then at least your positioning and brand platform will be based on a solid understanding of the situation.
  • Posted by jelena on 2/2/2009 at 5:17 AM Author
    Thank you for your answer.
    We have to make a magazine for a customer (hotel owner and real estate investor) based on a competition magazine. Chief editor from competition magazine is coming to create content.
    It will be a bilingual magazine lifestyle and property which will be a special focus on owners hotels . The journal is produced in Croatia. Is a bilingual - English-Croatian.
    We still don't have a business plan, advertising model, or anything. We just have an order to create it and a experience chief editor.
    I know that I have to make SWOT analysis and a business plan.
    I'm still just thinking about it and all good suggestions are accepted
  • Posted on 2/3/2009 at 5:33 AM Accepted
    Hello jelena,
    The moment you say you want to start a Life style magazine you have already completed a major positioning exercise...you have given a label to the category - refrain from doing it. Lifestyle and property magazine is a segment where i am sure there would be already lots of players so you want to enter the market becoming one of them or you want to change the rules of the game and write new rules. Understand first the profile of your target based on demographic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation. Find the most profitable variables and target them. Develop a positioning that 1)Eastablishes you as offering a new category 2) Is relevant to the target customer 3) Is consistent with your goals.
    Find one word to describe your positioning or area of concentration - is it design, is it glam, is it opulence.....own a word in the mind of the customer dont try to own the category it cant be done.
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 2/6/2009 at 3:55 PM Accepted
    Hi jelena,

    I think pravn provided some good insight. I would add that you do not necessarily need to "establish a new category". It is also possible to re-position all competitors in an existing category.

    For example, using superior photography and graphic design, you could re-position the others as flat looking, or visually less interesting. Same could be true for your editorial POV. Pick a strong POV and hire the best writers available. Thereby re-positioning the others as a less interesting read.

    hope this helps
  • Posted by jelena on 2/7/2009 at 8:36 AM Author
    Hello,
    Thank you very much for your response. I think I will try to do positioning within existing category. In fact, our customer in some way imposed the category. Any answers will help me a lot. If you have any suggestions, please be so kind to write.
    Also, it will be helpful if you explain strong POV you have bin writing about. I already have a Chief editor who comes from a competitive, successful lifestyle magazine. In what way can I suggest him to change the ways of editing that would be more successful than others?
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