Asiaweek has plunged into the battle of the regionals with a new
brand advertising campaign and an imminent redesign which will be
revealed in early May.
Although publisher and managing director Peter Brack denied that any of
the initiatives - including stepping up the frequency of tech supplement
Asiaweek.com to a monthly basis - were in response to what appears to be
heated competition among regional print titles for circulation and
advertising, the timing has been uncanny.
In the last two weeks, the Asian Wall Street Journal has dropped its
cover price, the Far Eastern Economic Review has redesigned its masthead
and interior for the second time in four years, while the International
Herald Tribune has just fired the first Asia-targeted missile in its
global branding campaign.
However, Mr Brack told MEDIA that the moves among the regionals were
"pure coincidence".
"Redesigns take a long time - we started ours quite a long time ago," he
said.
"For us, it was a really question of evolving the magazine and investing
in the brand."
Among the regional newsweeklies, Asiaweek is claiming ownership with its
new tagline, "Asia Inside Out", which replaces "If it's in Asia, it's in
Asiaweek".
"The new ad campaign is a real departure from what we've had in the past
few years," Mr Brack told MEDIA.
"Previously, the campaign was an enhancement of the logo. We didn't talk
about what was actually in the magazine - and this was crucial, because
a lot of non-readers don't know and have misconceptions as to what we're
about."
M&C Saatchi Hong Kong was therefore tasked to create a campaign which
would focus on the magazine's content while developing its own tone of
voice and style.
"We want people to be able to instantly recognise it and say, 'That's
got to be an Asiaweek ad'," said Mr Brack.
The campaign coincides with Asiaweek's 25th anniversary celebrations,
which offered an opportunity to "rethink, to reposition, to invest in
the brand and what we are all about".
Part of this includes the redesign of the magazine's interior, which Mr
Brack stressed would be "evolutionary, not revolutionary".
"We believe that every couple of years, magazines need to revamp to keep
their readers interested," he said.
Deciding to increase Asiaweek.com to a monthly basis was in response to
both reader and advertiser demand; originally launched as a quarterly,
it was such a success that plans were for the supplement to go bimonthly
this year.
"It's been a big hit with advertisers and readers; we're filling a real
niche," said Mr Brack.
"... The recovery of Asia is about business, and business right now is
about technology. We are not changing the focus of the magazine by any
stretch - we have our finger on the pulse of what is happening in Asia,
and we are covering more and more of what matters.
"Technology is not just one defined field - it spreads into everything,
including politics."
As of this month, Asiaweek.com will appear each month within
Asiaweek.
Components of the overall advertising campaign include print ads (both
trade and consumer), direct marketing, outdoor advertising (including
painting 20 London taxis in Singapore) and online.
