The iconic travel brand has a great first year with its new print magazine for the U.S. market.
Lonely Planet magazine isn’t so lonely after all.
Last fall, the iconic travel brand introduced an updated website, redesigned their popular guide and trade books, and rebranded their social media and mobile apps. Oh, and they launched a gorgeous print magazine aimed at the U.S. lifestyle-traveler looking for a more inspirational approach to travel than the typical industry fare.
What does the industry have to say about the magazine almost a year later?
“The move was a smart one,” writes Jameson Doris in MinOnline. “In fact, at min’s Magazine Media Awards in May, the brand beat out competitors including Gear Patrol and Roadkill magazine to take home one of the ceremony’s top honors, Best New Magazine.”
The brand has been catering ably and well to their key audience since 1972, “but over the last decade, the company has transformed its mission to keep its loyal consumers informed, regardless of platform or location. By translating the brand’s creative voice to a magazine, Lonely Planet hopes to continue meeting the demands of an increasingly sophisticated travel audience,” Doris explains.
That audience is particularly attracted to print, which has some unique properties not available in other formats.
“For us, the magazine offers a place to engage deeper with the community we’ve cultivated over the years, as well as the opportunity to reach a new reader base,” says Peter Grunert, group editor at Lonely Planet Magazines.
Advertisers proved the initial concept was a winner, with a strong show of support in terms of ad space purchases. Now, the concept is proven with the general public as well.
“Lonely Planet has since built a circulation of 450,000 paid subscribers and sell-through rates at newsstand are near 50%,” Doris notes.
It’s a powerful example of a brand taking advantage of the unique benefits of high quality printed magazines to engage a high-end audience. And their world gets a little less lonely…
Nice work, Lonely Planet, and congratulations on a great year.