The launch of a new fitness magazine in South Africa is beginning with an online-only debut on September 9 and will be followed by a direct mail push. Women’s Health South Africa, a venture from Rodale Inc and South African publisher Touchline Media, will first appear on newssstands there on October 21. By that time, Touchline Media Group Publisher Desiré du Plessis said the brand will 24,000 viewers online. The print orders for the first three issues are 98,000, so du Plessis is betting on growing readership from that initial following.
“Our approach right from the start with this magazine is that it is a brand,” du Plessis told DMNews in an e-mail. “Online is one of the touch points through which we can reach our reader daily. We know the WH reader is young, successful, works hard for her money and is technologically savvy. What is great about the online launch is that the reader will already be interacting with our brand on a daily basis and the push to magazine will come naturally and through the Web site.”
The brand launch, geared toward affluent women ages 25 to 40, is also backed by an above the line TV campaign, print ads, online banners, outdoor signs and a direct mail campaign that is fed from databases of Rodale and Touchline Media subscribers. The duo is already successfully publishing Men’s Health, Bicycling and Runner’s World in the South African market. Currently the title’s competitors in the marketplace are Shape and Cosmopolitan, according to du Plessis.
“We believe the South African magazine market is ready for this magazine and that it will address a woman that does not find satisfaction in the current magazine offerings,” du Plessis said.
Du Plessis said the list for this magazine will not be available on the market, but the company may consider selective campaigns to the in-house database on behalf of clients.
Women’s Health SA launch backed by multichannel push
