Over 500,000 copies of the 60-page sampler will be distributed to a targeted audience of upscale 30something men. The magazine will be circulated via relevant parts of Bauer Media’s portfolio, key partnerships and targeted newspapers from October 26, 2010.
Project Rex will be available through selected distribution with Bauer titles including Q, Mojo, Empire, Car, Golf World and Grazia (which will ask its upmarket female audience to pass the sampler on to an appropriate man), plus targeted distribution through Reiss, Top Man, www.matchesfashion.com, and to City AM newspaper readers in London. The pilot will also be distributed to upscale men using Metro newspaper’s street teams in selected key cities.
The arrival of Project Rex’s pilot issue coincides with the forthcoming launch of a male version of Bauer Media’s invitation-only fashion e-commerce site Cocosa, whose membership grew 179% over the last 12 months. Cocosa members will also be able to sample the pilot issue.
The pilot issue of Project Rex will provide, says Bauer, successful men with a unique combination of the key news stories of the week with all the latest lifestyle trends and products. Project Rex's mission is to identify, decode and contextualise the key stories that are driving the world they live and work in.
This “innovative” new magazine will also aim to tap in to a new generation of men for whom style is not only about fashion. Whether it is the car they drive, the technology they use or the way they assemble their own personal style, there is a growing number of British men who now expect good design and quality in all aspects of their life. Project Rex will deliver the latest innovations, trends and products worthy of this demanding audience in an elegant, must-have package that reflects the readers’ own high standards.
Project Rex will also build a digital presence through its own website, blog, newsletter and Facebook page.
Project Rex is edited by Andrew Pemberton, former editor of US magazines Spin and Blender (which won a prestigious Advertising Age Award for Launch of the Year) and previously Q magazine. Art Director is Car magazine's Art Director Andy Franklin. Former Heat editor, Julian Linley, is Executive Editor of the title. Jonathan Clayton-Jones is Creative Director. The editorial team is comprised of Bauer Media journalists and designers plus a strong team of currently freelance talent, including Style Director Tom Stubbs. Jane Bruton is Editorial Director, bringing her extensive experience of fast frequency, upmarket magazines to the project.
Ella Dolphin (pictured), who joined Bauer Media in June, is over-seeing the pilot issue of Project Rex as Publisher. The sampler issue has been strongly supported by advertisers, with space sold to clients including BMW, Moschino, Harrods, Calvin Klein, Tag Heuer and Galliano.
Ella Dolphin commented; “We believe Project Rex has the potential to give successful men a news digest that doesn’t just edit the news but gives them the inside story on what’s really happening. It’s ambitious and that’s why we are testing it. Likewise, these are stylish men who demand quality in their life - whether it’s the car they drive, the technology they use, the music they listen to, the sport they play or the clothes they wear. Project Rex will give them the latest on all these things.”
Paul Keenan, Bauer Media’s Chief Executive, added, “We have a proud heritage of award-winning innovations and created more than 40 of the 53 magazines we publish. We are seeking here to create a new brand, with a strong magazine at its core. By working in this way, we believe that we will build our products with the audience. Over the coming months we will be trialling the multiple ideas and concepts we have created for this man – making sure that we fashion something new and original rather than an improved version of what’s already out there.”
