Italianicious Acquisition
Melbourne-based independent publisher, Prime Creative Media, this week announced the acquisition of specialty Italian food and lifestyle magazine Italianicious. The purchase is the latest of 6 titles the company has acquired in the past 18 months, which displays a big vote of confidence in this niche consumer publishing sector. Originally a purely B2B publisher, Prime Creative Media is making some big moves to grow the consumer side of the business and is concentrating it’s energy and resources on becoming a major player in this area.
Prime’s Managing Director and Publisher, John Murphy, says the latest masthead holds special significance for him. “We have strong ties with Italy and it’s culture and have been regular readers of the Italianicious magazine for many years. Our business has been actively pursing titles for acquisition that fit our criteria which includes strong subscription and readership interaction and a community of involved stakeholders. Italianicious passed the due diligence with flying colours. The previous owners drove the magazine on love and passion for this culture and what it stands for and we will not change that part of the formula. What we bring to the table is a commitment to devote increased resources and energy and take the title to the next level”.
Prime Creative Media is a unique publisher in a constantly changing publishing landscape . As the global financial downturn has increased the pressure on both large and small publishers, resulting in cutbacks and a scaling back for most players, Prime is investing to become a major force as an independent. Its unique business model is totally integrated from sales to print and binding. The business has several family owned printing plants renowned for producing some of the highest quality magazines in the business such as acclaimed coffee title Beanscene and the outdoor adventure title Outer Edge. The company is no stranger to introducing new media platforms to existing titles with the roll out of events and complementary online mediums to play a big part in the future direction of the business.
“We see the existing publishing landscape as an exciting opportunity,” Mr Murphy commented. “There is a need for innovation and development in the current market, but the big players seem to be more concerned with pulling back and rationalising their internal structures. It is the publishers that look outwards to their advertisers and readership that will be better placed to deliver what the developing markets are demanding and that is information that addresses their individual needs and preferences. Publishers need to engage all their stakeholders in a competitive market or run the risk of becoming irrelevant”.
Developments with the new Italianicious magazine will be rolled out immediately including increased page numbers, change to a larger print format, perfect binding and becoming a bimonthly versus the current quarterly offering.
It will also take the approach of ensuring that Australia’s love affair with all things Italian has an accessible edge for consumers. It will not only celebrate the rich culture on our domestic doorstep by steering the audience to the best that’s available on the market in terms of cuisine, design and style, travel and culture, but will also blend the traditional with the contemporary.
www.italianicious.com.au