India Today to launch international women’s health magazine ‘Prevention’

India Today has entered into a licensing agreement with US-based Rodale Inc. to launch a women’s health magazine ‘Prevention’ in India. The magazine is slated for a launch on March 24 and Sanghamitra Chakraborty will be its editor.

Targeted at 35-plus Indian women, ‘Prevention’ will be a monthly magazine, priced at Rs 50. Elucidating the rationale for the launch, Mala Sekhri, Publishing Director-Lifestyle Division, India Today Group, said, “Health is a major concern of everybody today. Everyone wants to lead a healthy life, and that is the buzz these days. The time is right for good health-based content to be sold to people in the country. There is a need to know more about health and lifestyles in a credible and researched manner, which is what we bring to the table.”

The magazine focuses on six areas: hardcore health, fitness, nutrition, family, beauty and the ‘you’ section. The magazine will be launched with an initial print order of 50,000 copies and will be have around 150-170 pages.

When queried about competition, Sekhri said, “I don’t think we have any competition, simply because there is no focused magazine in the area of prevention. Prevention is a very powerful concept. The magazine is backed by thorough research and is the most credible title in the market.”

As far as the promotional activities are concerned, there will be a brand campaign in all of India Today’s in-house media. Television commercials will be broadcast on Star World, Zee Café and Discovery from the first week of April. At the same time, below-the-line activities and large scale sampling exercises will be carried out too. All these activities will be carried out from next week.