C4 set to tackle women’s mags

Channel 4 is to tackle the women’s magazine market head-on with a determined initiative to win revenue from advertisers targeting women. It aims to become an authority on women’s media consumption.

The broadcaster has commissioned qualitative research, which will be presented at a seminar, Talking To Women, in London on February 3. Speakers will include Mary Quant and Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe director MT Rainey.

"We’re not saying don’t use magazines, but don’t use five inserts, double-page spreads and fringe coverage," explains Channel 4 business development manager David Stubley. "Channel 4 combined with core women’s titles can make for much more exciting communication."

The women’s strategy is one of a number of initiatives for 1995 unveiled this week. In the next few days Channel 4 will formally launch its ratecard for 4-Tel, its own teletext service.

Although Channel 4 carries Teletext, it also has its own limited text capacity – 4-Tel – on which it has been able to sell advertising complementary to TV campaigns since January 1994.

Until now advertisers have only tested this facility. But the first full-scale campaign involves the Turkish Tourist Office, which has now switched the bulk of its TV budget from ITV to Channel 4 with commercials cross-referred to text pages.

"We first tested Teletext on ITV last year and found it was the largest generator of enquiries," says Peter White, joint chief executive of Dovetail Retail & Detail, the full-service agency which handles the Turkish Tourist Office account.

"We wanted to build on this, but also to work more closely with the broadcaster, to link directly the strategy and creative work of the commercials and text advertising."

Channel 4 has also signed up the Italian Tourist Office for a campaign involving airtime and text, which broke yesterday (Wednesday) and runs for two weeks.