Arc Advertising wins 5m G&J magazines account

Arc Advertising has picked up Gruner & Jahr’s advertising account for Prima and is believed to have won Best, Focus and a new women’s weekly account, totalling about 5m.

The win comes days after Arc lost the 7m account for The Times, which it had held since 1992, to Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe (see opposite). Arc is still on the pitch list for The Sunday Times.

The G&J creative work was previously handled by a combination of creative shop Manifesto and an in-house team. Arc has also won the media buying for the G&J account from Zenith.

G&J is understood to be planning a move onto television for Prima and Best.

The brief will involve the launch of G&J’s trumpeted new women’s mass-market weekly early in 1996 (MW October 20). The title is expected to be a celebrity gossip weekly akin to G&J’s German title, Gala. The title has been developed by Jane Ennis, former deputy editor of Best, and a full editorial team is believed to be in place.

G&J is known to prefer what it describes as “word of mouth” endorsements for its magazines rather than heavyweight advertising support.

Best and Prima are both in the top 20 UK women’s magazines, according to recent circulation figures. Prima, which is the second best-read women’s monthly title has a core readership in its 30s, and was launched in 1986 as a mass-market women’s monthly.

It shook up the UK women’s monthly magazine market, introducing practical sections such as sowing patterns and recipes.

The following year, G&J launched Best. Its glossy, upmarket image forced IPC to relaunch all of its weekly women’s titles.