Time Out Tokyo aims to strengthen brand with print edition

The free magazine, which will publish quarterly, predominantly targets tourists and expats. Its first issue will be available at more than 300 locations nationwide, including airports, train stations and hotels.

“Time Out is a well-known brand globally, but not so much in Japan,” A spokesperson from the publishing house told Campaign Asia-Pacific. “This launch is aimed to introduce Time Out to wider Japanese audiences.”

The first issue, with a theme of '50 Reasons Tokyo is the Greatest City in the World' released yesterday.

The print version, which is in a trial period, will pick out each season’s highlights, and part of content will be shared both online and in print, the spokesperson said.

Koji Watanabe, CEO of GroupM Japan, said that the success of the print magazine depends on the quality of contents as there are varieties of title selection in the market.

So far, the magazine has attracted a positive response from advertisers, especially among national brands and urban developers who are keen to promote each developer's area, according to the publishing house.

However, Watanabe pointed out that advertisers are gradually moving away from print to digital in Japan, but the change is not so eccentric compare to other Asian markets.

The magazine ad spend is about US$2,623 million in 2013, accounting 5.9 per cent of total media spend, and it will decrease 0.3 per cent in 2014, according to GroupM.

The advertising market in Japan is estimated to be US$75 billion for 2013, increasing 3.4 per cent from 2012, and it will likely grow 2.8 per cent in 2014, according to the statistics from Nikkei Advertising Research Institute, before the announcement of Tokyo Olympic win in September.