NME signs £1.5m Miller Genuine Draft deal
IPC Media’s weekly music magazine NME has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Scottish Courage-licensed beer brand Miller Genuine Draft.
The &£1.5m deal, which was brokered by MediaVest, will include the launch of a monthly listings guide containing music news, reviews and gig listings. Called Bring It On, the guide will launch on May 3 and will be distributed free with the main magazine and in bars and stores that stock the beer brand.
IPC Ignite! advertising director Karl Marsden says that, in the long term, IPC will review the frequency of Bring It On, and may consider launching it as a paid-for title.
The Miller deal also includes sponsorship of 12 NME gigs across the country and a Bring It On microsite, hosted by the Nme.com website.
This deal follows a glossy makeover of the tabloid-format rock magazine, in an attempt to fight declining sales (MW last week).
For the first time in its 50-year history, NME has cropped an inchand-a-half from its height. It will move from newsagents’ bottom shelves to be placed alongside rival titles like EMAP’s Q and Mojo.
The new-look NME will be available from today.
