Author: Mark Fletcher

With a 2009 calendar and tea towel as gifts with the latest issue of Donna Hay, it is logical to promote this at the counter. I will be interested to see how it performs as Donna Hay sells steadily through the month – we will only have this display up for five to seven days.

I like the way they feature key magazine categories in the large newsstand at Dubai airport. As well as offering a full range on their regular magazine racking – showing 30% of the cover vertically – they have top titles in top categories on display in the three units you can see in this photo:

What I like about these units is that they bring together several categories. For example, on the men’s magazines unit you have titles covering fashion, health, lads interests and cars. Newsagencies only co-locate the major weeklies if they co-locate at all. I like this unit from Dubai and want to see if I can get something with a slightly smaller footprint working to promote by key customer.

Given the success we had with Money magazine at the counter over the last week, we have decided to run with Your Mortgage magazine as our next counter-top feature title. Customising the unit to match the masthead makes it look purpose built. This display is geared to weekend sales – another reason for the title selection.

I have been talking with the Publishing Director of Popular Science, the new locally published men’s magazine. While we will be tempted to promote this new title in the science section, it deserves a more prominent position than this since it has the potential to extend the basket with male shoppers. The publishers recommend next to Men’s Health – Popular Science is the 5th biggest men’s magazine in the US.

I thought that readers here might like an insight into information put together by the publisher about the typical Popular Science reader:

Research has confirmed that there are 1.49M 25-49yr old males in Australia that fit thePopSci guy profile.

He is a high achiever, he is not price sensitive, if he wants something he will seek it out and pay the asking price.

He has diverse interests ranging from camping to computers, surfing to photography, from golf to gadgets.

He is a modern independent man (over 50% live alone) who does his own shopping & cooking – he contributes largely to the growth in the male grocery shopper.

This is the first general interest magazine to come to Australia that is not about business, cars, sport, girls or computers. The PopSci Guy can happily read it in front of his girlfriend or mother!