Telesales blitz to relaunch Punch
Liberty Publishing is planning a massive telemarketing subscription drive ahead of the relaunch of Punch on September 6.
The 500,000 telesales budget, in addition to 1m earmarked for an above-the-line campaign, seeks to trade on residual memories of the magazine, and is the first of its kind ahead of a magazine launch.
The technique has been borrowed from the US, where subscriptions account for a larger chunk of magazine circulations.
Media for the above-the-line launch includes outdoor, national press and radio advertising.
The magazine is aiming at a circulation level of 80,000, but has told agencies it hopes to sell about 200,000 copies of its first four issues.
Contributors signed up to write for the magazine include comedian Stephen Fry, former cabinet minister Alan Clark, author Salman Rushdie and journalist Julie Burchill.
“Previously the magazine had not kept in touch with the times and people didn’t know what it was about,” says Richard Britton, head of press at CIA Medianetwork. “But it’s got lots of goodwill attached to the name and it shouldn’t be too difficult to hit the 80,000 target.”
Britton believes the magazine’s target market of 25 to 44-year-old ABC1 men should be very attractive to advertisers. A standard colour page will cost 5,500 at ratecard.
Liberty appointed Leagas Delaney last month to handle the launch campaign, and to work on the repositioning and relaunch of its Viva! London radio station which was acquired in May.
Liberty’s owner, Mohammed Al Fayed, is known to be planning further media acquisitions with funds raised from the flotation of Harrods later this year.
