Scout London readies tablet edition

Scout London is to launch its first tablet edition on Apple and Kindle devices to complement the return of its print magazine.

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Free weekly title prepares mobile drive following the return of its print magazine after production was suspended to review Time Out’s strategy.

The weekly tablet edition, which will include all editorial content from the print magazine as well as exclusive videos and articles, will sit alongside the offline edition following its return from a eight-week hiatus last week (22 October). The app will also include additional interactive adverts.

The publisher hopes the move will reinforce the brand’s long-term strategy after its print magazine was put on hold in response to Time Out’s relaunch as a free title. The title bolstered its online presence in response to the move by adding a raft of new features to its website.

Speaking to Marketing Week, Scout London’s founder Jim Zambrano, says the decision was justified because the title has been able to develop the magazine at the core of a more integrated content strategy.

He adds: “With mobile we see it as a chance to take the brand into a new direction and push content that sets us a part from rival titles. We’re focused on London’s social life and its creative scene and whereas Time Out is a more critical guide to things across the UK. We see the work we’re doing online as a key part of our long-term strategy to carve out a niche.

“Rather than continue producing the title without knowing what Time Out’s proposition was going to be, we took a step back and looked at how we could build a more attractive commercial and editorial proposition across all our assets. We decided to change our print day from Tuesday to Monday because we didn’t want to needlessly clash with Time Out and wanted to be first out of the blocks with the magazine.”

Additionally, the business is developing a listings portal that allows it to link posts more closely to editorial content after claiming that the automated way of hosting listings online was not a sustainable revenue source.

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