MONOCLE’s trademark design, global perspective and firm commitment to long-form reads are brought together in a three-section, 48-page newspaper that features essays, news reporting, commentary and fresh photography. Global-affairs coverage sits next to features on arts, design and lifestyle, providing readers with a smart summer companion for the beach, café, piazza or plane, says the publisher.
The Summer Weekly combines MONOCLE’s confidence in print as an exciting, desirable format with its belief in continuous product innovation. Devised as a seasonally targeted opportunity, the weekly newspaper reaches an audience of sophisticated, discerning consumers at a particular point in time – when they are on holiday.
MONOCLE has devised a targeted advertising concept to go with this: ads in the newspaper are restricted to full pages, on singles or double spreads, and are strictly sector exclusive. Premium brands including Rolex, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Peninsula, Pictet, Technogym and Beats are running creative across the four issues.
Confidently priced at EUR5/GBP5/CHF8, the paper will be available in key cities, airports, travel hubs and resorts in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. It is also available in key independents in London and at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Customers may also purchase the newspapers at Monocle Shops globally, including the online shop at monocle.com, and all four newspapers are available as a subscription (at GBP35 for Europe, and GBP45 for the rest of the world).
Developed in Zurich, edited in London and printed in Bolzano, Monocle – The Summer Weekly sets a new standard for the look and feel of a newspaper. MONOCLE is calling on bureau chiefs from its global network — spanning Toronto, New York, London, Zürich, Istanbul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo — to contribute to the paper, with its core editorial teams in London and Zürich. Specifically, James Chambers and Ed Stocker, our Hong Kong and New York bureau chiefs respectively, have been called into the London office to lend their editorial support.
Highlights from the launch issue include an interview with Margrethe Vestager, the tech-company-slaying EU competition commissioner, and reportage from Iraq, where MONOCLE reporters meet the residents rebuilding the city of Mosul. The former Tate Modern director Stephen Deuchar comments on the “museum-building bubble” and author James Hawes explains why few understand German chancellor Angela Merkel’s plans.
Tyler Brûlé, editor in chief and chairman of MONOCLE, said: “Monocle – The Summer Weekly is our latest adventure in ink and paper. Everyone is very down about newspapers but there is some- thing very exciting about this form. You don’t mind if it gets a bit of suncream on it, or if it gets waterlogged. It can follow you around for the day – or for the week. We thought that August was the perfect time to let people dive into this again.”
Andrew Tuck, Editor of MONOCLE, said: “We asked ourselves a question: how would you do a newspaper if you could start from scratch? Well designed and carefully curated, Monocle – The Summer Weekly features a good dose of opinion from the editors at MONOCLE, strong reporting and our usual global perspective. We are producing a smart, enjoyable read for August.”
Anders Braso, Publisher at MONOCLE, said: “Monocle – The Summer Weekly sits very neatly within MONOCLE’s sophisticated suite of editorial products, which ranges from the magazine to our 24-hour radio station, from seasonal publications to our range of bespoke travel guides. There could be no better way to capture a premium audience on holiday than a printed newspaper – and the world’s most luxurious brands clearly support this approach. Monocle – The Summer Weekly is testament to MONOCLE’s confidence in print and product innovation, and demonstrated an ongo- ing commitment to invest in the MONOCLE brand.”
