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Publishers Seesicht Media AG launches a lifestyle magazine for the high-income population of Lake Zurich.

Publishers Seesicht Media AG launches a lifestyle magazine for the high-income population of Lake Zurich Living on Lake Zurich is very popular with the top ten thousand. In terms of area, the lakeside communities close to the city form the largest contiguous region with a purchasing power of CHF 18,000 and more. The new Seesicht magazine aims to serve up this well-heeled readership to the advertising market on a silver platter. The publisher is Seesicht Media AG in Thalwil. Sole shareholder Michael von Babo is also the founder and co-owner of the IT publishing company Compress Information Group. Only to the best addresses
"I noticed that there is no cultural magazine in the commercially interesting Lake Zurich region," says von Babo, who has lived on Lake Zurich for 20 years. While the Lake Constance region, for example, is covered by several publications, there is nothing comparable for the Lake Zurich communities. This gap is to be closed in mid-May with the first edition of Seesicht. Piero Schäfer, author and communications consultant to the Swiss Advertising Association and the Swiss Commission on Fair Trading, will be editor-in-chief of the magazine, which will be published four times a year.
"Most lifestyle magazines are aimed at a young, fast-moving and trendy audience," says Seesicht advertising manager Patric Mackenzie. In contrast, Seesicht wants to appeal to an "established and style-conscious readership". Households with an income of CHF 250,000 or more are targeted. The magazine aims to appeal to this target group on 132 to 148 pages with topics relating to living, the real estate market, gastronomy, leisure, shopping, people and culture on the lake.
The core of the concept is the editorial division of the magazine into a premium section with around ten articles and a classified section that serves the local market. The rate plan was designed accordingly. The distribution concept is also ingenious: a third of the 35,000-copy print run is distributed via newsstands, restaurants, hotels, sailing and golf clubs and stores in the lake region.
Two thirds are to be sent to selected households in controlled target mailings. These addresses will be selected according to the quality of the residential area and household income. Says von Babo: "We assume that there are a good 120,000,000 households in the region, including the best streets on the Zürichberg. The best-qualified of these will receive a copy on an alternating basis". Anyone who wants a gap-free delivery must take out a subscription. This is available for 40 francs a year. Even as the number of subscriptions increases, the publisher wants to guarantee qualified delivery to over 22,000 top households around the lake.
Those responsible are convinced that there is a need for a publication like Seesicht on the part of both readers and advertisers. This could be indicated by the reactions to the recently published zero issue: not only did it result in several dozen subscription orders within three days, but it also triggered lively interest among advertisers from the car and boat sectors as well as the furnishing, watch and banking sectors, confirms the advertising manager.
No fear of shipwreck
Even if there are currently rumors of an upswing, Seesicht is being launched at a time when the print media are struggling with a persistent advertising slump. Nevertheless, von Babo is launching his new flagship because he believes "that our advertisers tend to be resistant to economic cycles".
Mackenzie is also confident: "We have a real USP with our mix of topics and our sales concept. Michael von Babo wants to break even in two to three years. After all, Seesicht is on a secure footing thanks to the specially founded publishing company with share capital of CHF 250,000.
Set to make big waves: The new Lake Zurich magazine Seeblick.
Simone Keller

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