April 10, 2014

Finding Your Way To the Customers

Not being the part of those shenanigans, British Monocle magazine for seven years has been showing the right direction to the printing media that is aimed to be commercially successful and popular among the readers.

Monocle is a professional and stylish media outlet about countries and cities, describing the world not only from the traveling point of view, but from the perspective of national development and politics, international relationships, urbanism as a science of the comfortable living in the city, local businesses, trading and workmanship (from the organic milk farm in Ireland to hand-made shoe shops in Tokyo). Monocle is a typical “hipster” project that is read by beard-faced youngsters in black framed glasses while drinking their coffees in London, Sydney and Seoul.

What is the secret of success of this magazine that is distributed via pretty expensive subscription. Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the professional journalism, the ability to analyse countries and cities on the equally professional level of politics and farmer’s opinion, high quality photos, unusual perspective of the stories and interesting people behind them, who are normally not the heroes of Forbes and Harvard Business Review. The Monocle style is absolutely perfect for the target audience, who wants to be different in their consumption: they read smart literature instead of the yellow fiction, they listen to different music, eat organic, wear hand-made and are crazy about ecology, health and bikes instead of cars.

But still it’s not enough for commercial surviving of such an expensive paper outlet. So, Monocle took the wise road. They followed their audience towards the convenient way of information consumption.

Monocle comes to the radio and starts a separate project Monocle 24 for 24/7 broadcast towards those who is not a big fan of reading. Monocle develops the website, which is not just a digital copy of their printing version, but a hub with unique content – videos, podcasts, documentaries, slides, radio archives and magazine’s issues. If, while reading a printing versions all of the readers are faceless, on the website on the contrary – the readers can do whatever they want: keep a personal archive or pay for the magazine and services. Certainly, a mobile app is also available.

Then Monocle goes offline and opens its stores. There are only four of them so far – in London, Hong Kong, New York and Toronto. The stores sell heaps of stylish pretty things – from sleeping masks to sick frames for glasses. Today this retail part of Monocle business is the most cost effective and profitable according to Monocle itself.

Then goes the Monocle coffee shop – so far in Tokyo and London only. These are the places where you can read the Monocle or just to have a breakfast or a glass of wine. Monocle positions these coffee shops as the places to meet aka the place where you will definitely meet those who share your interests and views promoted by the magazine. The printing Monocle is successful enough to open a place where you love to check in on Facebook and Instagram as people love to associate themselves with the brand and style it forms.

Still it’s not everything. Last year Monocle published Manifesto For a Better Life book, and plans to publish another one in 2014.

So, here’s a successful model of the niche printing outlet of the digital era. They do not refuse the paper – moreover, they use high quality and stylish paper and has 300 pages of content.

If the brand is built on the rock solid ideology and image, heaps of opportunities are opened for it, and they help to broaden the mind of the audience and to increase the audience itself. It attracts advertising and sponsorships, making the project even more alive and interactive. It’s possible that soon we’ll find out that Monocle opened its organic store, holds weekend market fairs or launches the hipster bikes.

Monocle website.

The photos are taken from www.monocle.com.

Asya Vlasova

Marketing and PR professional with 7+ years experience in IT and telecom. Passionate for social media and digital projects.

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