August issue will increase distribution from 200,000 to 500,000 copies
Vue, the free monthly film publication launched by Vue Entertainment in March this year is increasing its distribution from 200,000 copies to over 500,000 copies – making it the UK’s No.1 dedicated film title. From August, Vue will be the biggest title of any of the UK cinema exhibitors and have a circulation almost THREE times larger than the nearest paid-for specialist film title.
The magazine has been registered with the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), and the growth comes after just five issues (five months), signifying long term investment in the magazine by Vue Entertainment and publishers Publicis Blueprint, the award winning content marketing agency.
The move also highlights the growth and increasing appeal of the customer publishing sector, which is bucking the overall magazine publishing trend that is seeing many paid-for titles losing readers and circulation as sales decrease year on year. Four of the top five biggest UK consumer titles are now customer publications, including the No.1, while the new increase would see Vue sit in 14th position overall based on current figures.
Recent research by the Content Marketing Association (CMA) revealed that 25 per cent of all content now consumed in the UK is produced by brands, which together with the ABCs is an indication that consumers are increasingly turning to their favourite companies for information and entertainment. Overall this medium has enjoyed over a 300% increase in the rate of growth from 12 months earlier*.
Available in foyers at 80 Vue cinema sites across the UK and Ireland, including the newly opened Vue Cramlington and Vue Bicester, Vue combines a mixture of film previews, reviews, exclusive features and talent interviews all with a unique approach to ensure it’s fresh, interesting and stands out from the competition. With a core audience of families and film fans, the editorial content provides something for everyone in a convenient premium, A5 format.
The magazine also highlights Vue’s continued commitment in becoming one of the leading entertainment brands – from screening traditional blockbuster films to other content streams such as live theatre, opera, music and sporting events and even gaming and other live events.
Michael Kalli, Head of Sales & Advertising at Vue Entertainment comments: “The success of Vue amongst our customers after just five months has been phenomenal and shows that there is a big appetite for a quality title which both informs and entertains. As well as the magazine being snapped up from our foyers as quickly as we can put them out, none are being left behind in the auditoriums – people are taking it away to read in full at a later time, which is also reflected in our in-depth research of over 9,000 Vue readers**.
“The response rate was amazing and the results extremely encouraging. 94% of readers said they take their copy home to read while over a third of readers are spending 11-20 minutes reading it and another 23% are reading for up to half an hour, which shows that we have the right balance of content for our audience and a perfect fit for our commercial partners. To widen our reach at this point in our lifecycle is a big commitment, but on the strength of our achievements to date, we look forward to building on this success by growing the readership and popularity of the magazine even further.”
Claire Thansriskul, Editor of Vue at Publicis Blueprint comments: “We’re delighted at the success and growth of the magazine in such a short time and proud that the team have created an enthralling publication that has become a must read for film fans. We’ll continue to bring the excitement, glamour and fun of the movies in a fun and innovative format.”
While providing cinema goers with exclusive content the magazine has attracted significant support and investment from all of the major film distributors and provides brands with the perfect platform to target families and ABC1 consumers. The August issue will feature exclusive interviews with Alan Partridge on his forthcoming Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa movie and an ‘Ask the Expert’ slot with Hollywood legend and actor turned jet pilot John Travolta on his experiences of being a pilot and his favourite films about flying.
Formed in May 2003, Vue Entertainment is a world class operator and developer of modern state-of-the-art multiplex cinemas. Following the recent acquisition of the Apollo UK circuit in May 2012, the takeover of CinemaxX in July 2012 and the acquisition of Multikino in May 2013, Vue is now operating over 1,300 screens across 146 multiplex cinemas in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Portugal, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Taiwan.
*Based on release of latest ABC figures in February 2013
**CMA Vue Magazine SnapShot Summary content marketing report, April 2013
Publicis Blueprint, Oxford House, 76 Oxford Street, London W1D 1BS
Publicis Blueprint/ New business enquries, please contact
Geri Richards at: geri.richards@publicis-blueprint.co.uk
tel: 020 7830 3844; mob: 07958 511675
Graduate training enquiries, please contact
Human Resources at: hr@publicis.co.uk
Pingback: Research / Vue tops the box office to become the UKs ‘No.1’ specialist film magazine - Just Get Inspired