The recipe is called Reader Service
Special Interest: A relaunch is intended to strengthen PCtipp readers' loyalty to the magazine. The tabloid format will remain.
Special Interest A relaunch is intended to strengthen the loyalty of PCtipp readers. The tabloid format remains.PCtipp gained 42,000 new readers last year. According to Mach Basic 2003, readership rose by 15.5 percent to 313,000. This puts the computer magazine comfortably between Neuer Zürcher Zeitung and Neuer Luzerner Zeitung. However, the publisher IDG Communications is not resting on its laurels. With the October issue, PCtipp underwent a redesign. The title was given the second "p" required by the new spelling. The layout was made more airy. Above all, however, PCtipp has broadened its range of topics. Security, communication and operating systems now have their own sections.
Head of Marketing Jacqueline Ort sees the secret of the trade journal's success in its content. "We don't have a highly complicated marketing recipe," she laughs. The editorial team senses what the market and subscribers want. The aim is to design PCtipp in such a way that buyers are happy to pass it on. Promotional activities at newsstands, in computer stores and schools also increase awareness.
Topics from the grievance box
To keep its finger on the pulse of its readers, PCtipp conducts a detailed survey every month. "We keep in close contact with our readers," says Hansjörg Honegger, Production Manager and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. This also includes the "Kummerkasten" section, in which practical advice is given in response to readers' questions. According to Honegger, it provides suggestions for setting topics. For example, information on digital cameras and image processing has become more important.
A need that IDG has met with a special supplement. The "Shopping Guide Digital Cameras" in June was so successful that it will be repeated in November with the theme "Digital Photography". With ideas like this, IDG is countering the advertising slump that PCtipp is also experiencing, says Ort.
The shopping guide was published as a glossy magazine - in contrast to the PCtipp, which is printed as a tabloid on newsprint. Ort sees this format as another trump card. The newspaper flair conveys topicality and sets PCtipp apart from its competitors. In addition, the slim magazine fits well on the desk next to the screen. A clear product advantage if the reader wants to follow the tips from the magazine on the PC, says Ort. Honegger recognizes another plus: "The tabloid format is unrivalled in terms of price." This is often cited as a reason for buying, in addition to the Swiss connection.
The 90-page PCtipp goes on newsstands for 3.80 francs. Of the 60,600 copies sold, around 11,400 are sold individually. "In view of the strong competition, we are quite satisfied with this - incidentally very stable - figure," explains Marketing Manager Ort.
IDG had less success at the time with its sister product, Internet Standard. The magazine had to be discontinued after only eleven months in July 2001 when the Internet bubble burst. For the time being, the publisher intends to continue to limit itself to PCtipp and the weekly Computerworld.
"Not a highly complicated marketing concept": PCtipp.
Stefano Monachesi
Head of Marketing Jacqueline Ort sees the secret of the trade journal's success in its content. "We don't have a highly complicated marketing recipe," she laughs. The editorial team senses what the market and subscribers want. The aim is to design PCtipp in such a way that buyers are happy to pass it on. Promotional activities at newsstands, in computer stores and schools also increase awareness.
Topics from the grievance box
To keep its finger on the pulse of its readers, PCtipp conducts a detailed survey every month. "We keep in close contact with our readers," says Hansjörg Honegger, Production Manager and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. This also includes the "Kummerkasten" section, in which practical advice is given in response to readers' questions. According to Honegger, it provides suggestions for setting topics. For example, information on digital cameras and image processing has become more important.
A need that IDG has met with a special supplement. The "Shopping Guide Digital Cameras" in June was so successful that it will be repeated in November with the theme "Digital Photography". With ideas like this, IDG is countering the advertising slump that PCtipp is also experiencing, says Ort.
The shopping guide was published as a glossy magazine - in contrast to the PCtipp, which is printed as a tabloid on newsprint. Ort sees this format as another trump card. The newspaper flair conveys topicality and sets PCtipp apart from its competitors. In addition, the slim magazine fits well on the desk next to the screen. A clear product advantage if the reader wants to follow the tips from the magazine on the PC, says Ort. Honegger recognizes another plus: "The tabloid format is unrivalled in terms of price." This is often cited as a reason for buying, in addition to the Swiss connection.
The 90-page PCtipp goes on newsstands for 3.80 francs. Of the 60,600 copies sold, around 11,400 are sold individually. "In view of the strong competition, we are quite satisfied with this - incidentally very stable - figure," explains Marketing Manager Ort.
IDG had less success at the time with its sister product, Internet Standard. The magazine had to be discontinued after only eleven months in July 2001 when the Internet bubble burst. For the time being, the publisher intends to continue to limit itself to PCtipp and the weekly Computerworld.
"Not a highly complicated marketing concept": PCtipp.
Stefano Monachesi
