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O.K. Einstein

"For an idea that does not , at first, seem insane - there is no hope"
Albert Einstein

Do you realise how much is involved in developing a paper and ink magazine? It is an enormous undertaking. I am creative director and co-publisher of the forthcoming Idealog(tm) (in conjunction with HB Media and AUT press). It is a thrilling and terrifying prospect at the same time. My greatest anxiety comes from the likely willingness of advertising agency media planners and buyers to book space in the book. In the past I have heard (time and again), 'we love the idea, but we will support you in issue two'.

In many ways it is a familiar scenario to the launch of Family Health Diary (FHD). Though my partners and I had a significant underwriting commitment from a large international pharmaceutical marketer other brands seemed sceptical.

At first.

Now FHD is the biggest single advertiser on TVONE, the biggest channel in the country. The product is the benchmark, not only for the pharmaceutical category, but also in the area known as masthead marketing - a term coined by the current owners of BrandWorld (I sold my stake some years ago and now work as consulting creative director on other properties being developed by the company).

It doesn't take a genius to realise that without innovation you will be eaten alive by competitors - and not necessarily in large, quickly fatal chunks either. The process might well be subtle, but being overrun by parasites has the same ultimate affect as being jumped by a great white shark.

In fact the need to innovate is the foundation of Idealog - the knowledge economy is dead - welcome to the creative economy. More on this follows.

Comments

  1. Anonymous10:32 pm

    Pharmac is bulk buying of drugs. FHD is bulk buying of advertising. Big pharma hates one but loves the other - isn't there a contradiction in there somewhere???

    ReplyDelete

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