Time Inc.
Develop the Country Life cover to increase newsstand sales but not lose loyal subscribers as a result.
Country Life is one of the world’s pre-eminent media brands. Wielding huge political influence and social clout, it’s also extremely profitable, due to high-end property ads and a big subs base. But 50% of its circulation is still newsstand, giving a real chance to sample a wider audience. This development project was intended as a brand provocation. Tested on readers, it was designed to see how far the brand could go to attract a new audience without causing the colonels in the shires to cancel their subscriptions.
The work was well received in research, demonstrating that the readership was more robust than previously had been thought. After this project Country Life went on to record a breaking six consecutive annual ABC increases.
