Marketing is following sister title PR Week by switching to A4 format
Marketing is to switch to a smaller format and move its on sale date forward to put it 24 hours ahead of its main rival Marketing Week.
The title will unveil a radical new look next week with a greater focus on case studies and analysis to compete with the news delivered via the web.
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The publication day will move from Thursday to Wednesday and the format will shrink from broadsheet to A4, with a minimum of 100 pages an issue.
Marketing is the second Haymarket business title to switch to a smaller size, following sister title PR Week.
The content has been revamped with more news and new branded analysis pages, taking a more in-depth look at parts of the industry. Amanda Aldridge, retail analyst for KPMG, has been signed up as a regular columnist.
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Editor Craig Smith said: “We are doubling the size of the editorial.
Research told us readers were after more analysis because they get a lot of their news delivered by web portals, including our own site, Brand Republic.
We come out on a Thursday but we’re sending out news 24 hours earlier through the web portal,” he said.
According to Smith, research showed readers welcomed the smaller size because they regarded Marketing as a commuter read.
The front page will carry fewer stories than before – a maximum of four instead of six. Smith said the concept of an image-led cover did not perform well in research. “We experimented with that format but it went down badly so we are continuing with our news front cover. People said they wanted immediate access to the news and didn’t want to have to turn several pages inside. They wanted the information at their fingertips.”
Smith said he was surprised by the response because the picture-led cover looked quite striking. “I expected it to be a bit more 50-50. But people work in highly pressured environments and there is a bit of a feeling of guilt among trade press readers – if they are to be seen reading something at their desks they want it to look as business-like as possible.”
The cover price will remain at £2.60 and the print run will increase by 10,000 to 50,000.
The editorial team has expanded from 15 to 21. Drew Barrand, former deputy editor on Sports Business, has become special reports editor, Campaign reporter Mark Sweney has joined as a senior reporter and Rachel Barnes (ex-Print Week) joins as reporter. David Tiltman has come on board as a sub-editor and David Robinson as assistant art editor.
By Ruth Addicott
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