Sign up for afaqs! Newsletters
Mumbai’s ‘Time Out’ now aims for Delhi
This city centric magazine, which started off in Mumbai, now plans to have multi-city editions
Mumbai’s city magazine, ‘Time Out’, plans to have a Delhi edition by next year. After that, the publication plans to enter four other metros as well.
Talking to agencyfaqs! about the magazine’s expansion plans in India, John Luck, marketing director, ‘Time Out’, London, says, “Our plans to launch in other metros will depend largely on the response that we receive in Delhi.”
Luck was in Mumbai recently for the first anniversary celebration of ‘Time Out’.
Smiti Ruia, publisher, ‘Time Out’, says, “To launch a magazine such as ‘Time Out’, we need to study the ethos of a place. Our aim is to understand the spirit of a city before we launch and that is what we are doing currently in Delhi and the other metros.”
She adds, “We don’t intend a multi-city roll-out, but plan to enter the market in the metros one by one.”
In terms of circulation, the magazine claims to have achieved its target of 50,000 copies in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai edition of ‘Time Out’ is also looking at broad-basing its readership with both above-the-line and on-ground promotions. Ruia says, “When we started out, the challenge was to find a place for city centric magazines and reach to a mindset looking to spend on bigger things and having the discerning capacity to soak in such information. We managed to do that.”
She adds, “We managed to hold our readership even when Mumbai saw a plethora of new publications in the last few months and this gives us the confidence to reach a wider readership amongst those looking for entertainment improvement.”
City centric magazines are one category that major publications are looking forward to. So, even in the other metros where ‘Time Out’ plans to venture, it may face stiff competition.
This, however, does not seem to deter Luck. He says, “We are not here to compete with those who pretend to supply comprehensive entertainment. Our product scores because of its comprehensiveness and independence in its real sense.”
For the record, ‘Time Out’ has just turned one with it first edition in Mumbai. The magazine is published by Paprika Media, which is part of the Essar Group.
© 2005 agencyfaqs!