NatMag raids Asos.com for insight director

The National Magazine Company has recruited Asos customer insight chief Aida Muirhead to fill the newly created role of research and insight director.

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Muirhead will be part of the publisher’s central marketing team and will be responsible for creating, developing and managing the publisher’s centralised insight team.

She will work in partnership with NatMag publishing directors to develop an in-depth and strategic overview of the company’s customers and brands.

Muirhead joins NatMag from online clothes retailer Asos, where she developed and managed a customer insight team which worked across the online retailer’s brand strategy and customer segmentation.

She has previously worked at EMAP where she was involved in the launches of Red, Heat, ZOO and Grazia; and she is a former head of research at Initiative Media.

NatMag group circulation and marketing director Sharon Douglas says: “This is a key appointment within the business and Aida brings a wealth of insight and research experience to our company. Her role will enable us to drive further our strategy which puts the customer at the very heart of everything we do. With Aida’s commercial digital insight, we will be able to increase the pace of change in this growing area.”

Magazine publishers are accelerating their development of apps for the iPad and other tablet devices in the hope that there will be a swift consumer take up of the new gadgets.

Future Publishing is to launch 14 apps based on archive content from magazines such as Guitar World and Digital Camera.

NatMag recently promoted Matt Salmon to the role of group commercial director.