9 Mappin Street      politifixmagazine@gmail.

com 
Sheffield    @PoltifixTheMag 

1 | ​PAGE 
 
Table of Contents 
I. Description  
Summary  
Values 
II. Brand characteristics and editorial content  
Reader Profile 
Market Research findings 
III. Competitive Set Analysis  
Why our brand will succeed  
IV. Circulation Strategy  

V. Financial Strategy  
Advertising Strategy 
VI. Marketing and Promotion  
SWOT Analysis 
Promotion and social media Strategy 
VII. Style  

VIII. Organisational Structure  

2 | ​PAGE 
 
Description 

Summary
For the modern young person who loves to ​laugh and learn​ in equal
measure, Politifix is a new special interest magazine aiming to ​break
through ​the social media echo chamber. We provide our audience
with a ​range of fresh perspectives ​from across the political spectrum.
From the serious to the satirical, Politifix explores both ​historical ​and
contemporary ​aspects of global issues. We are interested in ​ideas​,
not party politics. Politifix is a monthly publication available in both
print and digital, with a weekly podcast featuring up-to-date news.

Values
Informative
Above all else, we want our readers to be informed. Our content offers ​fresh and exciting
perspectives on the world, with stories covering the spectrum of politics and society. By
including ​a broad range of topics​, the magazine will be able to inform readers of many
different areas, allowing them to learn something new every week.
Varied
Our readers are interested in just about ​everything​, and so are we. ​Curious and bold​, we
provide a variety of stories in a unique fashion. ​Satirical and light hearted​ stand alongside
the ​serious​. Like a breakfast smoothie, our content is not separated into sections and
instead features ​flow ​into each other. With pieces on everything from protesting footballers
to space weaponry, this is your ​fix of everything politics​.
Unbiased
Whilst magazines across the shelves are constricted by their own political agendas, we strive
to be ​unbiased ​and​ unapologetic​. ​Ideas ​are what matter to us, not party politics. When it
comes to serious, hard-hitting features, we feel nothing is more important than ​neutrality
and ​verifiable facts. ​We also believe that political journalism must be brave: anyone and
everyone is susceptible to being made fun of in our magazine.

3 | ​PAGE 
 
Brand characteristics and editorial content 
The coffee shop generation don’t abide by the old boundaries. Other sectors realise this:
through Spotify they listen to Lady Gaga and then Metallica, on Netflix they watch Breaking
Bad and then David Attenborough. They love the heavy and the light, the intellectual and the
daft. Now, with Politifix, these younger people can finally indulge in this curiosity with a
current affairs magazine.

No topic is too out there and, to us, ​everything is interesting​. Politifix covers domestic and
global events alongside each other, taking a great deal of interest in international events as
the world becomes more ​interconnected​. These sit alongside fresh takes on historical
events, for example a feature on the impact climate change might have had on Russian
history. We believe each story should be presented in the best possible format, and so if
something is written similarly to the Economist or the Private Eye, that is OK. Every story is
done justice: Politifix is a broad church.

Don’t be fooled, though. Politifix is a ​one-stop shop​, but it is more of a side street off license
- selling crisps by day and cigarettes by night - than it is a Tesco. For us, satirical stories
should stand alongside the serious, and again, absolutely nothing is out of bounds. We will
make fun of African despots, East Asian laws and UK prime ministers. Politics is scary and we
don’t just want to educate people, ​we want to make them laugh​.

Politifix is different from other magazines because of not just our range, but our ​perspective​.
As a monthly magazine we can step back and look at the big issues. Our editorial team is also
perfect to provide a range of fresh perspectives on a wide range of topics, all being
20-somethings hailing from as far afield as middle England and Cyprus, Manchester and
India.

We present our stories as they are- facts intact and with ​no bias toward any political
persuasion​.
As a monthly magazine, we can step back and look at the big issues affecting the world with
a more carefully constructed and informative approach. By doing this, we can look at
contemporary news and issues from a different perspective. While other magazines are
constrained by party politics, we are interested in ideas.

All of this is presented in a ​sleek, mutedly colourful, minimalist magazine​. By providing

space within and between features, our reader is offered breathing space, as well as a place
to laugh, and a place to think. While our monthly print platform will look at politics from a
more complex and non-current perspective, our online site will feature current and breaking
news.

Our intended frequency for the publication would be monthly. We believe that publishing
once a month ensures that we can focus on longer form reads, and allows our audience to
return to the magazine on multiple occasions as and when they have the time. A monthly
frequency will also allow for the quality of production to be higher, enabling our reader to
benefit from a more ​satisfying experience with Politifix.​ We want to make our readership
pick up our magazine for many different reasons: to be informed, to laugh, to be entertained
4 | ​PAGE 
 
and to be educated. We believe this all in one approach is not offered by any other
magazines.

Reader Profile
General Profile

Politifix’s core demographic is those aged 18-30. Our peripheral audience will be towards
their mid-30’s, young at heart and will therefore still appreciate the publication. Our reader
is educated and ​very world aware​, with a sincere appreciation that life is highly complex and
not always simple.

Our magazine and website will fill a gap in the market for ​young, socially aware men and
women​, who see themselves as ​keen​, ​passionate ​and ​engaged ​people – but would describe
themselves as ‘pretty normal’. Politifix takes the thought provoking style of The Economist
and the humour of Private Eye to create a ​comprehensive political publication,​ relevant but
insightful to an audience largely in their 20’s. Our purpose is not to patronise our readership
by offering something ‘more on their level’, but instead working alongside other established
publications to condense information into a one stop shop for busy individuals.

The Politifix reader is likely to either be studying for a degree or working in a graduate level
position. They are fed up to the back teeth of party politics and can see right through the
political bias that they are fed from the mainstream media. Their decision of who they
support politically is based on morals and personality and know that a publication working to
convince them otherwise should not bother trying. The Politifix reader has a ​substantial
general knowledge​ and insightful articles which broaden that, are well received. Although
they can appreciate that the world is complex and will always remain so, they are aware that
they are still young, and light hearted, satirical content, helps them to remember this.

Our survey results show the demand for a brand aimed at this reader, but there is further
evidence elsewhere. Young people are fed up with the state of political media, shown by the
recent campaign against Paperchase advertising in the Daily Mail. We offer these people a
breath of fresh air​ with our unbiased, factual coverage. The so-called ‘youthquake’ during
the 2017 election was matched in 2016, when over 60% of 18-24 year olds turned out to
vote. Young people also increasingly prefer ​alternative methods of political engagement​,
such as the huge attendances at anti-Trump protests this year. There are hugely popular
social media accounts satirising politics, further showing this interest.

5 | ​PAGE 
 
Our readers: Sean and Amy

Sean is coming to the end of his History degree at the University of Leeds. He would describe
himself as a pretty normal student, popping home every month, but filling his weekends
with a mix of birthdays, nights out, society meet ups and days out with his girlfriend. He has
plenty of friends and acquaintances, many from all different walks of life. Sean spends his
money on experiences: trips with friends and events. He’s a thoroughly modern type of guy,
with Social Media profiles ranging from Twitter to LinkedIn, but realises technology isn’t
everything – his revision notes are handwritten, he references physical books from the
library, and enjoys popping into Waterstones to peruse the shelves for his next read. Sean is
keen on politics but will happily switch off his iPhone from the news for a few days, paying
occasional visits online to keep up to date with the latest headlines. With such a broad range
of interests, and a family who exposed him to the world from an early age, Sean has a
substantial general knowledge covering anything from authors to geography, history to
celebrity culture. Sean wants to do well but is not constricted to playing along with life ‘by
the book’. He wants to do something that makes him happy and allows him to live his life to
the fullest. Sean appreciates that he needs a job, he needs to work hard, because he knows
he is fortunate to be the situation that he is. He is economically liberal and votes
Conservative, although he is more interested in deep analysis than party loyalty. Sean is fed
up of the University bubble, in which he is criticised for his views, and does not feel that the
current political media caters for him.

Amy shares many of the same thoughts as Sean. Amy completed a degree in Geography at
Bristol University and went on to do a masters in PR. Now 24, she is working in digital
communications in Birmingham. Amy is one of hundreds of people who hop onto the Metro
at 8 in the morning, heading for her office behind the Bullring. While on her commute, you’ll
often find Amy dropping a message to her friend on her iPhone, checking up on the news on
the BBC app and sharing posts about topics on Facebook, such as food banks which she feels
needs more attention. Socially, Amy is very left wing and she is more interested in big, social
topics than party politics. Amy always likes to have one headphone in listening to her Spotify
playlists, but one ear free to experience the world around her, seeing what has got her
fellow commuters talking that morning. As someone who loves to experience and learn
something new, Amy is just finishing things off in the office before she goes to Japan with
some friends from university. A day at the desk flies by, with meetings and content produced
non-stop. Although Amy is fully invested in her work, she often takes five minutes to watch
the headlines of the day on the screen in the office. Working late to finish all her tasks, Amy
returns home at 6:30. A busy day staring at the screen, Amy wants nothing more than to
have some analogue time. The iPhone, MacBook and iPad are all put on flight mode, and she
settles down to an evening with Mary Berry and the latest Waterstones best seller.

The secondary market: Stu

Stu is a 40 something materials engineer. Although he lives alone, he has a good group of
friends around him and has nearly saved enough for the deposit on a flat next year. Stu likes
to think of himself as young at heart. He spends money on gigs, and watches football. He is
starting to feel like he is too old to associate with people of graduate age but is convinced it
must be a mistake that his next big birthday is 50. He has voted Labour his entire life and
6 | ​PAGE 
 
reminisces about protests he attended in the ‘90s. Importantly, Stu has similar traits to Sean
and Amy. However, Stu remembers a time more clearly before the influx of social media,
and although he embraces it, he is more cynical of its use, trusting it less. Stu is however
exhausted with traditional media coverage and feels that nothing really exists to keep his
interest. As a keen, senior volunteer for a campaigning organisation, Stu will often spend
chunks of his weekend on a train, travelling to meetings and events, listening to music
through his headphones or watching Netflix on his iPad. Often, contained within his satchel,
is a copy of a magazine. Willing to learn about new things, Stu is happy to pick up something
new to broaden his horizons.

Market Research findings

Our readers

7 | ​PAGE 
 
While the largest number of respondents say they would vote for the Labour Party if an
election was held tomorrow, there is no overall majority. This strengthens our belief in being
a politically neutral magazine.

8 | ​PAGE 
 
Evidence for demand

During our market research, we asked people what topics they enjoyed to read about (listing
the ones we intended to put in the magazine). Allowing people to tick all that appealed to
them, the results revealed ​five​ topics which were very popular and achieved at least ​55%
selection amongst respondents. These were: international politics (68%), domestic politics
(62%), historical pieces (56%), satire (80%) and general news (72%). These results were what
we were hoping for; our magazine is intended as a one-stop shop for various sorts of
political news (global, satirical, historical, etc.)

Furthermore, those five answers were selected highly by respondents as the topics they
would want to feature in our magazine. In addition to this, ​80%​ of people said that they
would consider buying our brand. We believe that this clearly shows that our magazine has
an audience and its content will appeal to a wide range of people.
By appealing to a range of genres, news topics and themes, Politifix has the capacity to
establish itself as a unique publication, with no other magazines as varied as us currently on
the shelves. If someone picks up our magazine they can expect to:
● Be informed on current affairs and issues relating to them
9 | ​PAGE 
 
 ● Be educated on historical incidents that helped shape the world we live in today
● Laugh at the almost sitcom-esque situations current politics finds itself in
By offering a truly rounded amount of varied content, we believe that we can leave an
impression on countless people, offering them a unique magazine unlike any other.

10 | ​PAGE 
 
Competitive Set Analysis 
We have identified the brands which we see as our main competitors and explained how we
see our brand as offering something different.

1) The Spectator

Format​: Print, podcasts, online

Cost and circulation​: £4.50 weekly magazine, 80,000

circulation. 350,000 unique readers online

Overview​: The Spectator is a weekly magazine founded in

1828 which is sold in many retailers. The Spectator in print
has an audience with a high social grade, according to the
magazine’s statics, 99% of readers are within the ABC1 social
grade. On average readers have a net worth of £1,000,000
and 62% of the readership are homeowners. 29% occupy
CEO or director level jobs with almost half having previously
lobbied or advised government. In addition, the readership is
mainly based in London and the South East and takes an
average of seven holidays a year. These readership
demographics allow the paper to attract advertisements
from Rolex, Toyota and Fly Emirates amongst others.

There is also an online version which sees around 350,000 unique readers. Additionally, and
64% of readers are aged between 25 and 44. In terms of content, The Spectator mainly
features Conservative minded articles although states that: “contributors have no party
line.” It has largely been seen as a stepping stone for Conservative politicians with Boris
Johnson having previously served as editor. Features are mainly opinion based with sections
including: including “The Week” (leading article, diary, from the archive, letters), “Books and
Arts”, “Life”, “And Finally” (other). The brand is largely seen as being ‘Atlanticist’,
‘Eurosceptic’, pro-Israeli and being against Scottish Independence.

How our brand will differ​: Our brand is aimed at a younger audience when compared to The
Spectator. This means that our advertising and lifestyle sections will differ from those found
in this brand. More than this, we are not trapped by our own political agendas - the
Spectator cater for a right wing audience, we offer a more cynical, wide reaching approach.

11 | ​PAGE 
 
 2. Private Eye

Format: ​Print, small online presence, podcast

Cost and circulation​: ​£2.00, circulation of 100,000

Overview: ​Undoubtedly one of the closest competitors to our

magazine, Private Eye is a mix of satire, humour, but also serious
investigative journalism. Most pieces are short in length and are
written in columns thus resembling a newspaper. It is common for the
Eye to feature coverage from traditional media in a light-hearted
fashion. Compared to other political publications, there is noticeably
less advertisements and it sells for £2.00 making it cheaper than
political publications with longer pieces (2018).

It usually treats those from all sides of the political sphere equally,
although it is often seen as left-wing due to having some
anti-establishment sentiment. Cartoons in the magazine work with
edited images and clever language to make light of political
happenings.

It’s perhaps best known for its distinctive covers. These can drastically
affect circulation: newsstand sales vary between 86,000 and 125,000
(​source​). When the MD asks newsagents what they want from the
magazine, they usually say ‘a funnier cover’ (​source​). Unusually, the colour of the magazine’s
names varies between issues.

How our brand will differ: ​Our brand will mainly contain pieces that are longer in length and
add more detail to a topic, as well as offering some humour in a similar way. The Private Eye
has no digital strategy to speak of, which can be unattractive to a younger audience. They
can also be slightly exclusive, alienating people who are less knowledgeable. We will be
more inclusive without dumbing content down. In terms of materials, we are aiming for a
traditional finish of the magazine rather than the Eye’s, which is more comparable to a
newspaper.

12 | ​PAGE 
 
 3) The Economist

Format​: Print and digital

Cost and​ ​Circulation​: £5.99, print

circulation of 1.4m worldwide

Overview: ​The Economist,

although looks like a magazine,
acts very much as a newspaper
dubbing itself a ‘newsmagazine’.
In the UK, it comes at a cost of
£5.99 per print issue off the
stands. Founded in 1843, the
global brand has attracted a
combined digital and print
circulation of over 1.4m
worldwide. This makes The Economist the best-selling current affairs magazine in the UK.
However, much of the readership reside in the United States with digital circulation stateside
up 46% when compared with the previous year in 2017. Other key markets for the company
include Continental Europe and the Asia Pacific. In terms of content, features are typically
organised by continent with a large section on the UK. Other sections include business,
finance and economics, science and technology and arts.

The editorial stance can be seen as one of liberalism, both cultural and economic. The
Economist is in favour of globalisation and free trade though supports ideas such taxes to
help the environment. Both in the UK and in the US the paper has supported political parties
of all colours describing itself as the ‘extreme centre’.

In relation to readership, the brand targets mature highly-educated, well-travelled affluent

readers. This is demonstrated by the advertisements the paper attracts which have included
Rolex and high-end matchmaking services.

How our brand will differ: ​Unlike the Economist, Politifix has personality and humour. Our
brand will not be targeted to a mature, well-travelled readership but instead to a younger,
student and recent graduate demographic. Furthermore, our magazine will have a much
larger focus on UK politics. A large similarity is the contrast between print and online
editions with the former providing more in-depth content.

13 | ​PAGE 
 
 4) The Week

Format: ​Print and online

Cost and circulation: ​£3.50​, ​205,000 (UK circulation)

Overview: ​The Week is a weekly ‘news’ magazine founded in 1995. The readership of the
magazine is equally split between male and female readers and the majority do not read
daily newspapers. 69% of readers fall into the AB bracket. The magazine, although British,
publishes a U.S. edition which enjoys enjoying a higher readership than its British
counterpart. This is in addition to an edition aimed at children “The Week Junior” and the
now discontinued “The Week Australia”.

Content of the magazine includes: “Europe at a glance”, “The world at a glance”, “best
articles” and “briefing”. Art, film and ‘marketplace’ are also sections of the publication.
Adverts from famous brands such as Rolex,
Samsung and Hermes Paris occupy the pages.
Moreover, there is also a section containing listed
properties for sale. Within the website of the
magazine, there is an ‘offers’ section which gives
benefits to members of “The Week Society”
suggesting a sense of community amongst
readers.

How our brand will differ: ​Similar to our band,

The Week is non-partisan and aims to help
readers understand issues from all angles. To add,
there is also similar sections to those we will
include such as ‘technology’ and ‘arts and life’.
According to The Week’s website, their
readership core is aged between 35-54, and are the peak of their profession and earning
power. In contrast, we are looking to attract a younger audience who still may not be within
their dream profession. As well as this, the Week do not offer the humour and satire that we
do.

5) The New Statesman

Format: ​Online and print

Cost and circulation: ​£4.50​, ​140,000 weekly audience

Overview: ​The New Statesman is a weekly magazine, which mainly covers politics, but also
has a cultural section, founded in 1913. Traditionally, it is seen as being left-leaning as the
founders of the brand where a part of the socialist Fabian Society which has had influence of
the Labour party over many years. It is seen as being more in touch with New Labour ideas
14 | ​PAGE 
 
with supporters including Ed Balls and Tony Blair more
recently with Harold Wilson and Roy Jenkins in the past.
Today, the magazine has features which could be of
interest to Labour party members and supporters.

The readership is largely wealthy with 62% of readers

earning more than £50,000 per annum in 2013. Readers
are seen as being loyal as 66% of the audience have been
reading for over 5 years. Common employment sectors of
the readership are the corporate and education sectors
representing three quarters of readers. One third of
readers also live overseas and are likely to label
themselves as ‘anglophiles’. The magazine is also given to
98% of MPs and claims to have a controlled circulation to
influential people.

How our brand will differ: ​The main two differences

between our publication and the New Statesman are the
ideology and the tone. Our publication will not be aimed
at those with a particular party affiliation and will not focus on the UK to the same extent.
This publication has a fairly serious tone throughout whereas we will be aiming for a more
light-hearted tone.

6) Foreign Affairs Magazine

Format: ​Print and​ ​online

Cost and circulation: ​N/A

Overview: ​This is an American based magazine

which is distributed by a non-profit, non-partisan
think tank named “Council on Foreign Relations”.
The print edition has been circulating since 1922
and is published every two months with the
website being updated regularly. In the UK it is
available by subscription for government,
business leaders and international affairs
students. The magazine claims to “to inform
public opinion by a broad hospitality to divergent
ideas.” It is also available as a journal for
academics and students alike. To add, the online
edition of the magazine allows readers to choose
news from various parts of the world or by
category. These categories include: politics &
society, environment, security, law and
15 | ​PAGE 
 
institutions and economics. Whilst it does use maps and diagrams when needed it claims to
leave the more technical aspects to ‘special magazines’.

How our brand will differ: ​One similar aspect of the magazine that is the fact that it also
contains historical events which is an aspiration of Politifix. Though global, the interests and
‘profits’ of the American reader are the priority for the publication whereas the UK will be
the main focus of our brand. A further large difference is that our brand will be more
accessible to the general public and not assume detailed prior knowledge from the reader.

7) VICE (news)

Format: ​Print, online

Cost and circulation: ​80,000 (UK magazine)

Overview: ​Vice is the number one youth

media company in the world, reaching twice
as many 18-34 year olds compared to other
media channels. It has 135 million unique
visits per month to Vice owned channels
globally, with 11 channels, and with 11
million subscribers on YouTube. 60% of its
audience consume vice content on mobile.
Vice magazine, which was published in 1994
in Canada, has a circulation of 900,000 worldwide, and 80,000 in the UK, and it is accessible
online. The magazine is monthly, and usually focuses on a single theme, and its front covers
are artistic, simplistic, and clean with only the logo and picture without any insights of what
features are stories are inside, except from the front cover picture. Such covers include “The
Vice guide to sex and drugs, and rock and roll”, an African child wearing a T-shirt that read
“Hi, I don’t care, thanks”, and “the fashion issue 2012” featuring a greyhound in a white
background, wearing a latex ‘costume’. The magazine includes the work of journalists,
columnists, graphic artists, cartoonists and photographers, with a political and cultural stand
that is often contradictory, covering controversial topics.

How our brand will differ: ​Rather than sexy clickable subjects that Vice often go for, we will
cross topics and explore them in depth. We will be aiming to attract the younger audience in
the same way, though our print edition will be where most of our content will be found
rather than online. Furthermore, we will assume some prior knowledge in some of our
pieces which will differ. VICE tends to have centre-left leaning content, we will aim for a
neutral voice.

16 | ​PAGE 
 
 8) Newsthump

Format: ​Digital

Cost and circulation: ​Free, unknown circulation

Overview: ​Newsthump is a free-to-access satirical

website which publishes spoof and parody stories of
news and current affairs. The site is published and
owned by Thump Publishing Limited. The site isn’t
restricted by the fact that it is UK-based; it publishes
satirical stories on domestic and international topics.
Newsthump only publishes online and has no presence in another publication format.
The site publishes stories daily, with a mixture of contemporary satire and more general
stories based on everyday subjects. There is no cost to the site and it is open to everyone-
although they state that it should only be viewed by those over the age of 18. However,
there is no form of security wall to prevent people younger from accessing the site. Stories
on the site can obtain millions of hits, although the exact amount of traffic the site receives
is unclear. Newsthump does have a large social media presence however, with 45,000
twitter followers and 340,000 Facebook likes.

The main features of the site are the stories they publish. Although they have a mixture of
stories they do focus extensively on mainstream news and politics. For example, stories on
Trump and the current UK Government are numerous. Because of this content, the site
seems to be more left-leaning than neutral, although they claim to satirise everyone equally.
However, this may be due to the fact that due to a right wing government, their actions,
leading figures etc. are prominent in the news and therefore open to parody.

A strength of newsthump is its reach. Through their sharing on facebook and twitter, they
can reach millions of people, as some stories can be shared thousands of times.
Furthermore, the site is open to submissions, which allows for a wider range of voices for
the site. The site lacks professional presentation in contrast to other satirical sites such as
The Daily Mash or The Onion. Furthermore, they seem to use the same formula of parodying
a topic for a lot of stories.

How our brand will differ: ​The site isn’t direct competition as our brand isn’t merely based
on satire in the way that newsthump is. We plan to feature humour in our brand but not to
the extent that it is the sole feature. Our brand will include hard news, features and
interviews interspersed with satirical elements, something which newsthump does not do.

17 | ​PAGE 
 
 9) The New Internationalist

Format​: Print, online

Cost and circulation: ​£4.45, 75,000 circulation

Overview: ​The New Internationalist​ i​s an independent, non-profit

publishing co-operative group that publishes a magazine of the same
name. The first issue was published in 1973 and has received recognition
from the United Nations for its “outstanding contribution to world peace
and development”. Although based in Oxford, it also has offices and
Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It claims to cover stories that the
‘mainstream’ does not and provide different viewpoints. The
co-operative says most of its income comes from donations and
subscriptions. There is also an ‘ethical shop’ which readers and
supporters can purchase ‘eco-friendly’, ethically sourced and fair-trade
treats’.

According to the title, many students and teachers are amongst the
readership of the publication. This has led the brand to start a
programme called “Easy English” which is targeted at English learners.

The magazine covers global topics such as the environment, international politics, justice
and human rights. In recent months lead stories have included: homelessness, robots and
“Brazil’s soft coup”. The magazine does not have an online presence in the same way as
other players in the field. Instead the website of the brand informs readers about the
content of print editions but does have a small selection of exclusive online content.

How our brand will differ: ​The tone of our magazine will not be as serious and we will not be
indirectly ‘campaigning’ about issues in the same way. Instead we will be offering insight into
issues of the day. Furthermore, our business plan will include an online version of our brand
with richer content and will truly be a cross-platform publication.

18 | ​PAGE 
 
 10) The Daily Mail

Format​: Print, online (mailonline)

Cost and circulation: ​65p, 1.4M print

Overview: ​The Daily Mail is a middle market newspaper

which is published in print as well as having a website
and an app. The newspaper has a circulation of
approximately 1.4 million, costing 65p, whilst the site
attracts tens of millions of unique visitors. The
newspaper is published daily, as well as having a Sunday
edition of the brand, and can be found in practically
every shop in the country. The newspaper is a more
right-leaning brand and therefore appeals to people with
those political views. The published brand covers all
manner of news and sport, from hard, serious topics to
more light hearted pieces, across approximately 70
pages.

Main features of the brand include their strong political

coverage, which includes support for the conservative
government and Brexit as well as criticism for liberal parties and subjects such as migration.
A proudly “politically incorrect” brand, the Daily Mail is often criticised for its stark views on
various areas.

However, this hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most popular brands in Britain.
A strength of the Mail’s reporting is their in-depth features. They can be anything from
current affairs to stories from one hundred years ago. This is not much unlike the idea of
including historical pieces in our brand- to create a mixed collation of news. Furthermore,
the Daily Mail utilises its brand well, as it is popular in both print and online. I believe they
support each other well and show that the Daily Mail is a very successful 21st century news
organisation.

How our brand will differ: ​Partisan, sensationalist and ever so slightly fascist, the Daily Mail
is everything Politifix stands against. Due to their readership and political sway, they are an
indirect competitor, but we hope to counteract the Daily Mail’s coverage of global and
domestic events, which we believe is biased and spreads fear.

19 | ​PAGE 
 
 11) The Daily Telegraph

Format​: Print, Online

Cost and circulation​: £1.80, 450,000

Overview​: The Daily Telegraph is a

broadsheet founded in 1855 with a
following of 24.6 million readers per
month. It’s circulation has been
decreasing, resulting in its circulation
being overtaken by the Times . The
largest part of its readership are 65+
year olds, and 55-64 year-olds, whilst
they have a lower circulation amongst
younger groups. The Telegraph has a digital paywall, which offers some free articles to
tempt the reader. Online, its readership reaches 6,722,000, with adults of over 35
representing 69% of its online readers. The website is the third most popular UK newspaper
website.

The Telegraph’s reader is affluent, as one in three earn £50k or more. The Daily Telegraph
has historically showed support for the Conservative party and is thought to influence
Conservative activists and politicians. It was strongly opposed to Scottish independence
during the 2014 independence referendum.

How our brand will differ: ​In terms of online content, The Telegraph has an easy to navigate
website with content stored under various headings such as ‘news’, ‘politics’ and ‘sport’. This
is a way in which our brand will be similar. However, as a political brand politics will be our
main focus. To add, we are aiming to attract younger, less wealthy readers which means our
tone will be more light-hearted and more accessible. This along with our satirical elements
and politically neutral tone will set us apart.

20 | ​PAGE 
 
 12) Daily Mirror

Format:​ Print, Online

Cost and circulation​: 75p, 890,000 daily (print)

Overview:​ The Daily Mirror is a leading daily tabloid

newspaper founded in 1903. As with the other
newspapers mentioned so far, the paper covers a wide
range of topics such as news, sport and business. As a
tabloid, a lot of celebrity news features within the
paper. The Daily Mirror is now a left-leaning newspaper,
although starting its life as a middle-class read, showing
support for the Labour party for over 50 years. The
paper is owned by the wider Trinity Group which also
publishes over 200 regional British newspapers. The
online version of the paper offers a large selection of
multimedia content.

How our brand will differ​: The news which we will cover will of course differ as we don’t
have to stick to bitesize news stories. As a result, our content will have to involve
long-running events and look to the future. In addition, we will be more neutral in tone (with
some clearly stated opinion pieces) and a focus on political issues.

13) The New European

Format​: Print, Online

Cost and circulation​: £2.50,

20,000+

Overview​: The New European is a

weekly newspaper that was
established to speak for the ‘48%’
of voters who voted remain in the
2016 EU referendum. ​Even
though it started with as a pop-up
paper, the New European
continues to publish weekly ​£2.50
issues which are sold in certain retailers in Ireland, yet it sells 20,000 to 25,000 copies a
week, with 7,000 subscribers. Its website is simple, dominated with the colors of the EU,
blue and yellow, and it also has an app from the apple store. Since its main focus is Brexit, its
website has only one a “top stories” section, with the latest news on the subject. It also
provides a downloadable content such as signs for canvassers and podcasts as well. One of
its main two features are the high profile journalists and politicians such as Tony Blair and
21 | ​PAGE 
 
Alastair Campbell. It stands out for its provocative front covers, such as displaying a ‘Hitler
moustache’ on Trump. Like ​Private Eye​, the New European relies heavily on the success of its
covers: it’s “had to rely mostly on its innovative front pages for its marketing” (​source​).

How our brand will differ:​ Our publication differs as it will not be heavily focused on one
issue, nor will it be solely aimed at the 48%. Furthermore, The New European is heavy on
opinion pieces and offers less in terms of news in the traditional sense.

14) GQ Magazine

Format: ​Print, online, digital

Cost and circulation: ​£3.99, 114,000 (2017)

Overview: ​GQ (gentlemen's quarterly) magazine is a weekly men’s magazine that was
originally founded in the US in 1931 and now has many global editions including a UK
edition. The magazine is mainly viewed as a lifestyle magazine though does feature news
and politics amongst other sections. The average reader is 34 in print and 36 online and 80%
of readers fall into the ABC1 category. GQ is said to have a witty, sophisticated and stylish
tone and often is seen as being ahead of the game. GQ owns the majority share of fashion
advertising in the UK men’s lifestyle market. In addition, almost half of it’s readers are based
in London.

How our brand will differ: ​When compared to our product, it is clear that we will have a
more focused topic area and also, we will cater to both male and female readers. Though in
a similar way, we will also have a variation in content between online and print content.

15) BBC Online and BBC History

Format:​ Online (History in print)

Cost: ​Free

Overview:​ The BBC reaches a weekly audience of 372 million

around the world, increasing its audience by 8% through TV, audio
and social media. The BBC has spread across all platforms and
formats, online with its website, both the BBC and BBC World
Service, it has a YouTube channel of almost 2 million subscribers
along with each of its shows having their own channel with a more
humble following. Facebook has been the biggest source of the
BBC’s global media reach. It has also launched an application for
Amazon’s Alexa, a voice-controlled smart speaker, along with the
New York Times, Reuters and NPR. The BBC covers pretty much
anything, with local news, England, Scotland, N.Ireland, world,
politics, science, business etc. The BBC services online are free, but
to access any of the BBC channels and programs on television require a TV licence. The BBC
22 | ​PAGE 
 
audience is considered to be educated, affluent, career-oriented, outward-looking and
culturally curious. The BBC also publishes magazines such as “BBC History”, “BBC Focus”, and
“Top Gear”, as well as nine other magazines that are dedicated to sports, traveling, food and
gardening.

BBC history magazine has a circulation of 98,000 and has a cross brand reach of 919,000. The
publication contains features by leading historians and journalists on a number of topics
ranging from political to private history. Firstly, our brand will have the main focus of politics
rather than history. Also, when history is the topic of an article it is likely to be political
history. Furthermore, the satirical element of our pieces will set us apart. Additionally, we
will have a more straight-talking tone when compared to this publication.

How our brand will differ: ​Our brand has a narrower focus when compared to BBC online as
a whole. The theme of politics will be clear in almost all of our content. Furthermore, we will
have opinion pieces and focus on longer term issues as we will not publish as often. When it
comes to our online brand, our website will supplement our magazine and not be the main
source of information.

Why our brand will succeed and USP

From our research we have concluded that there is not currently a magazine on the market
which shares our mission and style. What is clear is that political publications in the printed
form ​heavily carter to a wealthy, professional and older readership​. Our publication will be
aimed at a ​younger, student and recent graduate readership​ of which is currently being
targeted by many online publications. However, our questionnaire result show that there is
interest amongst this readership for a print product.

Furthermore, the closest competitor in terms of the satirical tone in some of our content is
Private Eye,​ who do not offer readers in-depth political news stories in the way in envisage
doing so. They also lack online-only content thus creating a gap in the market for us to move
into. However, we will offer our readers a variety of tone which will keep us distinct from
others- light-hearted interviews, satirical comment pieces and serious but clear in-depth
reports.

Before the release of the print edition, the online edition of our brand will be visible in order
for us to gain attention and give possible readers a chance to get familiar with our brand.
This will let us report on political events in a timelier fashion due to the time lag caused by
print editions. With the unpredictable nature of political and international relations, this will
be a benefit to us.

23 | ​PAGE 
 
Circulation Strategy 
Our publication will be distributed in urban areas in ​both large and small supermarket​s,
local newsagents and top retailers such as WH Smith. We will particularly target shops at
train stations​, as a large number of our readers enjoy reading magazines whilst travelling.
As a ‘long latte read’ we will also be targeting the coffee-shop culture of millennials,
rolling-out to various small, independent coffee shops.

We hope to be placed on newsstands along with mainstream political publications. We will

have a print run of 43,500 and initially anticipate an unsold rate of 45%, meaning an initial
actual circulation of 30,000. This figure was calculated by looking at the percentage of their
target audience magazines such as the New Statesman sell to. This means initially we will be
dependent on finance from advertisers and subscriptions initially, but we hope to grow year
on year. Our plans for growth are set out in our ​Promotion Strategy. ​Below is a graph of our
target, along with a good case scenario and a bad case scenario.

Our subscription deal will be an ever-growing proportion of overall sales. It will mainly apply
to physical magazines but we will look into adding digital versions to this.

Placement on newsstands: We expect to be placed alongside our main competitors such as

The Spectator and the New Statesman. Our cover will help us to stand out and in some cases
we will need to pay extra to ensure our brand can be seen.

24 | ​PAGE 
 
Making money (Financial Strategy) 
Cover Price: £3.95

Whilst our market research told us that readers would prefer a lower price, we believe that
this is necessary to keep our brand afloat. As we are a monthly magazine, we have less
periods of incoming income. We believe that this is good value for money as weekly
competitors such as The Spectator are priced within the same price range.

The cost will also reflect the quality of our content and show that we are not a low-end
brand. This too will let us attract high-end advertisers and charge a higher rate.

Print run: 43,500

Percentage of unsold magazines: Initially 45%

Advertising: ​The percentage of adverts will be in the region of 20%. The remaining 80% will
be editorial content. This figure is less than many other titles though reflects a current trend
in the industry to reduce the number of pages dedicated to ads. They will include a range of
brands, such as Innocent Smoothies and Beats headphones.

Native Advertising: ​Whilst our launch edition does not contain native advertising, we will
look to include one per issue as our brand goes. These will be largely based on cultural and
lifestyle products such as holidays and events.

Online Advertising: ​We have taken the decision to not have a paywall on our online
offering. The reasons for this include the fact that we want our online offering to be able to
supplement our print edition. This content will be more in reaction to up-to-date events and
therefore will believe that we can generate traffic from here and promote our brand.

Another reason for this decision is that a paywall would, without a doubt reduce the traffic,
thus limiting the audience which our advertisers would be able to reach.

Subscriptions: ​These subscriptions will help us to mitigate the cost of the unsold rates and
therefore we will be able to offer a low per-issue price to these readers. These will cost
£29.99 per year, meaning per issue this the cost will be £2.50. We believe that we will be
able to sell approximately 1,000 subscriptions within the first year. If so, this would result in
turnover from subscriptions being approximately £30,000.

These subscriptions will help us to mitigate the cost of the unsold rates and therefore we will
be able to offer a low per-issue price to these readers. These will cost £29.99 per year,
meaning per issue this the cost will be £2.50. We believe that we will be able to sell
25 | ​PAGE 
 
approximately 1,000 subscriptions within the first year. If so, this would result in turnover
from subscriptions being approximately £30,000.

From sales our total income would be £68,544. From advertising our total
income would be dependent on negotiations.

Due to high initial costs, we predict that in the first year we will make a loss.
However, we expect to break-even in year two and to make a small profit in
year three. This will be due to the fact that our subscription targets will grow
year by year and allow us to spread our brand. Also, we will be able to start
charging higher prices to our advertisers as our circulation increases.

26 | ​PAGE 
 
Advertising Strategy

27 | ​PAGE 
 
The previous page shows the brief summary of our brand which we sent out to potential
advertisers to see if they would be interested in our brand. As can be seen below, we believe
that once our first issue is published we would be able to secure even more advertising.

28 | ​PAGE 
 
 29 | ​PAGE 
 
 30 | ​PAGE 
 
Digital Advertising

As our readers are interested in such a wide range of topics, there are many advertisers we
would be interested in including. Some of our ideal advertisers include Spotify, Netflix and
Paperchase. On our brand website, we will look to include at least two adverts per page.
Website link: https://journ-web.shef.ac.uk/ba-mags-2018/politifix/

31 | ​PAGE 
 
Mobile app:
We will also develop a (free) mobile and tablet app which will be a simplified version of our
website, with more in-depth interactive graphic features. Here we will also contain
advertising and a brief description of our brand.

The Politifix Podcast will

become a weekly
companion to the
monthly print issue.
Crucially, it represents a
currently underserved,
underexploited area of
the media market,
which our competitors
are yet to fully
embrace. By launching
the podcast alongside
the print magazine, our
omniplatform brand is
‘fully up-and-running’
from the start.
32 | ​PAGE 
 
The podcast will be fairly formulaic, beginning with a discussion of the biggest events of the
last seven days (including ‘harder’ stories as well as lighter, more lively events). Each episode
then examines one ‘slower-burn’ story, often with the relevant reporter appearing in the
studio to discuss it in more detail. Guests can appear in-person for interview, or may be part
of a wider news ‘package’.

In Episode 1, hosted by Andrew Burdett:

● Navya Hebbar talks about the Eighth Amendment vote
● Daniel Hopkins discusses the poor ticket sales for Labour Live
● Andreas Koumoudis imagines a ‘what if?’ history of Russia
● Euan Antona meets Young European of the Year, Madeleina Kay

33 | ​PAGE 
 
Marketing and Promotion 
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
● Unique Selling Point - Political
magazine focused around a young
adult market.
● Cross Platform - A brand that provides
diverse content, installing value to
each platform.
● Identified Reader - Analysis of market
research has identified a group to
target.
● Advertising Market - Politifix provides
advertisers with a clear demographic
of readers to appeal to.
● Monthly - opportunity for in depth
reads
Opportunities
● Digital Expansion - Potential to grow
and adapt to suit ever changing
consumption trends by altering
production methods.
● Subscriptions - Utilising digital paywalls
to access print content online or
through apps. May lead to reduction in
print run, reducing costs.
● Growth in a stagnant market - While a
currently unknown brand, as we
publish, we can attract a readership,
some of which may remain loyal to the
brand.
Weaknesses
● Small Production Team - Pressure
to maintain editorial standards
and produce ongoing range of
content.
● Price and Volume - Small
unknown brand will result in a
smaller production run, increase
overheads and be reflected in
price.
● Brand Power - Fighting for a
competitive place around
established, often historic brands.
● Financial Support - Small
independent magazine results has
a significant deficit in investment
compared to the competition.
● Monthly - behind times.
Threats
● Retail uptake - The fight for retail
space amongst larger, well
established and proven
publications.
● Market Volatility - An unstable
and unpredictable market may
lead to financial stress with lack
of capital.
● Illegal Access - If subscriptions are
offered online, the pirate
subscription industry stealing
content to post free of charge.
34 | ​PAGE 
Promotion and social media Strategy
Politifix is targeted at an age group of 18-30 year olds, with a smaller secondary group in
their 30’s. Politifix will therefore focus around ​social media​ as a means of promoting the
brand. Our focus will surround both Facebook and Twitter, both appealing to different areas
of our target market.

Source: Think Digital First

As can be seen above, advertising and sponsored content on both platforms will allow
Politifix an opportunity to reach a wide number of people, covering our age groups as well as
Male and Female groups. Our material would be ​tailored to each format​, with Facebook
adverts containing more information to suit the longer duration in which users are active on
the site. Content for Twitter will be ‘Thumb Stopping content’ - simpler and more eye
catching to stand out from the consumer’s feed. Utilising both of these platforms is relatively
cheap in comparison to traditional marketing techniques. However, it is now a heavily used
and competitive medium to advertise. We at Politifix will ensure that we offer dedicated
content, such as​ brief weekly podcasts​, interviews and highlights of print content to stand
out from other brands.
Our social media, especially our twitter account, allows us to react to news which we believe
will be of interest to our audience as soon as it happens. It also allows us to form a better
understanding of our readers as we can see their reactions to the news.

35 | ​PAGE 
 
Screenshots from our twitter account

36 | ​PAGE 
 
Facebook

37 | ​PAGE 
 
A secondary route for promotion would be through​ sponsorship​. Although budgets would
be very tight in the first period, sponsoring content on small ​YouTube channels​, focused
around similar interests to Politifix would cost $100-200 for a channel attracting an average
of 10,000 views per video. As a platform, YouTube is accessed by 96% of all 18-29 year old
internet users in 2016, according to ​‘We are Flint’​. This format is a relatively new way of
seizing promotional opportunity. A dedication of time would be required to ensure that a
channel has a largely UK based audience, however, as the brand grows, a wider international
audience learning about Politifix may support expansion abroad. As the brand grows and
Politifix has a growing marketing budget, this can be used to approach larger YouTube
channels, reaching more people.
We feel like, in a world with large, well established political publications, we need to make a
splash to get noticed in the market. Politifix want to therefore launch into the market
alongside a ​PR stunt​. To coincide with the launch edition looking considerably at the use of
data by companies and the government. We would look at hiring projection equipment and
projecting a blinking eye on to the side of large, central council or government buildings. If
possible, our advertisers may be a possible location for this to take pace. This would have
cost implications, but as the projectors are modified versions of domestic projectors, rental
costs could be justified in reflection of potential publicity. This act would be supplemented
by a ​strategic social media campaign​, to ensure that the stunt is associated with Politifix and
shared accordingly. As with any PR stunt, if not executed in a professional and well planned
manner, the act could work negatively towards the brand. This means that time would have
to be dedicated to ensuring that substantial plans are in place before being executed. We
can estimate that could cost up to £500.

To go alongside this, we will pay for an average sized ​billboard​ in London (48 sheet) for 2
weeks. One week before the launch until 1 week after. According to figures from “Bubble”
this would cost £542. In addition to this, we will pay for bus shelter adverts in other cities
such as Birmingham. This will cost around £265 each according to Bubble.

38 | ​PAGE 
 
Style 
Paper:

Cover: 80# Semi-gloss (180 GSM) for heft and protection

Paper: 80# Matte text (90-106 GSM) paper
Perfect Bound
Coverweight: 12pt cover, 85ib text

Style Guide:

Heading Sans: Minion Pro – 30, 36

Se​ll Sans: Myriad Pro – 15, 18
Byline Sans: Myriad Pro – 13, 15.6
Body Sans First paragraph: Corbel 9,– 10.8
Body sans main copy: Myriad Pro – 9, 10.8
Body sans last paragraph: Myriad Pro – 9, 10.8
Pull quote sans: Myriad Pro – 14, 16.8
Headings Serif: Britannic Bold – 30, 36
Byline Serif: Minion Pro – 13, 15.6
Body Serif First paragraph: Minion Pro – 9, 10.8
Body serif main copy: Minion Pro – 9, 10.8
Body serif last paragraph: Minion Pro – 10.8
Pull quote serif: Minion Pro – 14, 16.8
Body Serif Subheading: Minion Pro – 14, 16.8
Credit Sans: Myriad Pro – 6, 7.2

39 | ​PAGE 
 
 40 | ​PAGE 
 
 41 | ​PAGE 
 
Organisational Structure 

The magazine currently is a team of seven people and operates with a horizontal
organisation structure. The team each have their strengths and whilst this is taken into
account, we will expect all to carry out a range of roles.

As the brand grows, we expect to feature pieces from other contributors and freelance
writers. We will be open to submissions which we believe fit with our brand.

42 | ​PAGE 
 
Appendix 

43 | ​PAGE 
 
 44 | ​PAGE