Travel+Leisure, the international travel magazine brought to India under licence from American Express Publishing by Media Transasia, is all set to celebrate its first anniversary this September in style. The celebrations include a renewed thrust on marketing with a budget of Rs 50 lakh, especially BTL activities, according to a company statement. A T+L website is also on the cards in the next two months.
Said Payal Kohli, Editor-in-Chief, T+L, “On the completion of a very successful year, we are proud to have achieved the respect and standing that T+L enjoys as the world’s leading travel magazine in South Asia as well. Our first anniversary issue is a collector’s edition as we celebrate ‘40 Trips That Will Change Your Life’ and much more.”
The 164-page anniversary issue (against the usual 132 pages) would be sold at the usual cover price of Rs 150.
Piyush Sharma, CEO & Publisher, T+L, said, “The magazine has today touched a print-order of 90,000 with an advance paid subscriber base of 25,000 copies.”
In addition to BTL activities, the company is coming up with a T+L website in the next two months. The anniversary celebrations also include a renewed thrust on marketing. The gala event is scheduled for September 20 in New Delhi with people flying in from all parts of the world, the statement said.
On the magazine’s positioning, Sharma explained, “T+L makes a clear departure by focusing on the ‘lifestyle behind the travel’ rather than ‘the destination’ as its specific editorial thrust, and hence the acknowledgement of the title across world markets as the right medium for high-end luxury and lifestyle products.”
About the marketing initiatives, Sharma informed, “For the first time we are doing an event, post our launch events in New Delhi and Gall in Sri Lanka last year, and thereby marking the first in the series of on-ground activation exercises. To ensure exclusivity and non-dilution of brand, it is of course without any sponsors. We intend replicating it now with a renewed thrust with three more events in Bali on September 26, October 15 in Singapore and October 18 in Hong Kong. This is to establish the brand clearly as South Asia edition and not only as an India edtion.”
The anniversary issue is being promoted through heavy activities at newsstands along with a new thrust on acquiring new subscriptions through potential launch of sweepstakes, etc.
Other than this, some strategic alliances with top Indian corporates are in the offing, Sharma added.
Media Transasia is one of Asia’s most diversified and largest publishing groups, headquartered in Bangkok. In India, Media Transasia’s publications include Swagat, Discover India, Maxim, Better Homes & Gardens among others.