Client

The Slattery Media Group - MAG

The audience

MAG’s audience are dedicated music lovers who want to know more. MAG provides its audience with a roadmap to new music, and why they should take the trip (or not). MAG’s highly respected editorial voice provides a hotwire to the world of music: the MAG audience is discerning, open-minded, critical and passionate. It’s also ever expanding: as JB HiFi (MAG is distributed through JB HiFi stores nationally) grows, MAG grows.

The challenge

The Slattery Media Group acquired MAG in June 2005. Although peppered with great ideas and strong writing, the X-factor – consistency in design and message – was missing in the approach. MAG’s immediate challenge lay in translating a multitude of good ideas into the right ideas; to create a balance between strong credible music content, and lifestyle and technology content that spoke to a music audience without changing the central focus of the magazine. The title also required a comprehensive re-think in terms of maintaining industry credibility; MAG is free press; but it’s never ‘pay for play’.

A direct strategy ensuring comparisons with other free press titles with an advertorial bent was required to give MAG in immediate point of difference: free press with a free voice. Any sponsored editorial will ALWAYS be clearly marked in MAG.

Our approach

The Slattery Media Group undertook a series of comprehensive re-designs, breaking up the magazine into new style folios with specific design and editorial features to give them their own identities. Importantly, the baby was not thrown out with the bath water! The inherent focus remained: a magazine for music lovers, by music lovers, with each review section written by writers passionate, and experienced, in their respective fields. The line up remains cheeky, irreverent, independent and in touch with the audience: they love their music.

Inventive new editorial sections have been added and will continue to be; ‘The Loop’ is newsy, witty, fun bites of music information; ‘Soundcheck’ is comprised of interview pieces and illustrated stories from the world of sound; Culture Fix explores everything from fashion to travel. The A5 size remained after research indicated the vast majority of MAG’s readership preferred it. Importantly, this move has also ensured the magazine is racked within JB HiFI, not left on the floor; allowing customers to browse the magazine as they queue to reach the counter.

The result

With a growing distribution in line with the growth of JB HiFi, MAG can now set it sails for future growth in a volatile music industry, while still providing an editorial voice of true authority and independence, as supported by a strong message from JB HiFi CEO Richard Uechtritz, after our 50th issue (December 2007). Richard wrote: “MAG is an independent magazine produced by people who know and love their music; just like our staff. It seems to get bigger, brighter and better each month! MAG has established itself as a truly authoritative voice in the Australian music scene with a superb team of writers, and we’re proud of our association with MAG and The Slattery Media Group.”

Services Provided

• Rebranding
• Publishing
• Editorial
• Design
• Production
• Photography
• Project Management
• Print Management
• Distribution Co-oridnation
• Advertising Sales
• Web Development
• E-newsletter creation
• E-newsletter distribution
• Marketing services
• Surveys
• Competitions
• Publicity