SpiceJet appoints Ink Publishing to produce Spiceroute

SpiceJet has appointed Ink Publishing to produce its in-flight magazine, Spiceroute. Until August, the magazine was handled by New Delhi based Gill India Communications.

The magazine will be reintroduced on all SpiceJet flights in October 2008.

Talking about the reintroduction, Samyukth Sridharan, chief commercial officer, SpiceJet Airlines, tells afaqs!, "The magazine should also progress with the airline. Forty per cent of our clients fly business class, so there are certain expectations from the quality of the editorial. With the kind of expertise Ink has, it fits the bill perfectly. The new magazine is in sync with our brand."

For the record, Ink Publishing produces many in-flight magazines for various airlines across the world. Its clients include Air Macau, AirTran Airways, Bangkok Airways, bmi, bmibaby, Brussels Airlines, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, clickair, easyJet, Gulf Air, Jazeera Airways, Jet2.com, Jetstar Airlines, Mandala Airlines, Midwest Airlines, MyAir, Ryanair, Siem Reap International Airways, SkyEurope, Sterling Airlines, Tiger Airways, Thomas Cook, VLM Airlines and Wizz Air.

The new magazine will be headed by Vanessa Mulquiney, editor, Ink Publishing, based in Singapore.

Around 20,000 copies will be distributed, with an average of 3,24,000 readers per issue. The monthly will have an average of 84 pages per issue, out of which 55 pages will be for editorial and the rest for advertising.

The size of the new Spiceroute will be 240mm x 176mm. It will carry upfront pieces, including best buys, restaurants and reviews, as well as features such as 48 Hours, City Skirts and My Hometown.

The magazine will revolve around the destinations SpiceJet offers and what travellers can do at these places. Since October marks the beginning of the festive season in most parts of the country, the cover story of the magazine will focus on Varanasi. The focus of the issue will be festivals in India.

In an email reply, Mulquiney informed afaqs! that the magazine will be an accessible, relevant and fun read for passengers. "Spiceroute will be an exciting onboard read, a ready reckoner for all travellers with up-to-date information and interesting facts. The magazine, like the brand, will reflect the contemporary Indian mindset. Spiceroute is the new title that Ink Publishing has added to its stable of in-flight magazines."

Ink Publishing also produces CNBC European Business magazine, CNN's bimonthly travel magazines, CNN Traveller and CNN Traveller Asia Pacific, Time Out Singapore, Hotline for Virgin Trains and Carlson Wagonlit Connectt.

According to Sridharan, the treatment given to the magazine will be similar to the magazine, TimeOut. "The objective of this magazine is to capture the interesting aspects of the 16 destinations where we fly. Spiceroute will add an extra dimension to the passenger experience and enhance their overall enjoyment onboard. At the same time, it will help us to promote our services and ancillary product offerings," he adds.

SpiceJet has outsourced the complete business model to Ink. Every SpiceJet aircraft will carry copies of the magazine in each seat pocket and passengers will be encouraged to take it away.

In an official communiqué, Jeffrey O'Rourke, chief executive, Ink Publishing, says, "The airline's route network covers many popular destinations for both local and international business and leisure travellers, thus creating an amazing media platform that will appeal to a wide variety of advertisers."