When global magazine publisher Bauer Media pulled out of New Zealand in April 2020, national and regional publisher NZME sensed an opportunity.

The Auckland-headquartered publisher of the national New Zealand Herald already had a successful brand in its newspaper-inserted magazine Viva. With the shock withdrawal, general manager of integration Margaret Hawker believed it could succeed as a retail magazine.

In an INMA Ideas Blog, chief marketing officer Katie Mills tells its story.

“Bauer Media’s exit left a big hole in the lives of many Kiwi magazine readers,” says Hawker. “But more than simply presenting NZME with an opportunity to fill the void in the wake of Bauer’s closure, our confidence grew from research indicating that Viva readers were magazine readers, and that a quarterly magazine with the same DNA would hit the mark with our audience – and advertisers.”

She says NZME was also motivated by the belief that once lockdown ended, there’d be a race for shelf space in-store – and the first titles to launch would be the likely winners.

Viva’s fashion and lifestyle DNA provided “exceptional foundations” for the magazine. “We took this blueprint, tapping into weekly conversations to produce a more considered read that people could dip into at their leisure,” says Hawker. “For example, whereas the Viva insert focusses on current fashion, the quarterly investigates trends and styles in the seasons ahead. So, there’s no need for magazine readers to make a giant leap every quarter.

Advertisers love a good a magazine, and clients and agencies “lapped up the concept”.

“A beautiful quarterly is a great advertising environment because readers are looking to be inspired.

“I also believe advertisers really admired the courage it took to launch a magazine during one of the toughest advertising periods we’ve ever seen. Obviously, the loss of the Bauer titles hit advertisers hard, so a new title in a decimated category was good for everyone.

Launched in August, the quarterly version of Viva magazine was immediately embraced by readers and advertisers alike.

“We started with a bang, capturing premium ranging positions in-store, which propelled Viva Magazine to the No. 1 selling monthly/quarterly title nationwide after the first week of launch.

“Our relative infancy means we’re unable to provide an audited figure of readership, however, with the Viva brand appearing in weekly print, online, and across the wider NZME network, the magazine benefitted from a large established audience of 295,000 readers weekly and monthly unique audience of 133,000.”

The size and engagement of NZME’s existing audience was one of the compelling reasons behind the launch of the quarterly. “At this early stage, we are concentrating on distribution – to be where our audiences are in destinations such as Koru lounges, great retailers, and sampling in hotels,” she says.

“Feedback has been extremely positive, and research confirmed that we’ve grown our market, extending Viva’s Auckland-centric footprint nationwide to reach readers unfamiliar with the brand. And 89 per cent of readers said they’d read Viva Magazine again.”

She says she can’t understate the bravery of NZME to back a magazine launch during the upheaval of lockdown. “For a company that works to the beat of daily deadlines, that was special.

“I think the lesson is that if you’ve got a strong brand and people who are passionate about developing it, then you’ve got to give it a crack.”

Hawker says Viva editor Amanda Linnell “did an amazing job”, her commitment and ability to pull together a team to create beautiful, inspiring, ground-breaking work against horrendous deadlines and with lockdown looming “second to none”.

“It’s hard to imagine this project coming to life without her editorial vision and creative leadership.”