Editor’s Note
This feature explores the strategy behind a targeted regional advertising campaign. We spoke with Tomoko Kayama, Editor-in-Chief of *World of Wristwatches*, about the creative aims of a 24-page area-specific advertisement produced in partnership with The Asahi Shimbun.
Feature
Using area-specific advertising to precisely target distribution regions and generate highly accurate promotional effects. We spoke with Tomoko Kayama, Editor-in-Chief of World Photo Press’s “World of Wristwatches” magazine, about the aims and creative aspects of the 24-page area advertisement jointly planned and published with The Asahi Shimbun in December 2007.
Tomoko Kayama
“World of Wristwatches is a specialist magazine for watch enthusiasts, first published in 1991. From an editorial perspective, while the watch market is said to have been booming in recent years, I felt the number of people actually making purchases was declining. Indeed, mechanical watches cost several hundred thousand yen even for mid-range models, so they are not easy to buy. Moreover, an increasing number of people don’t wear watches because they can tell the time on their mobile phones. Based on this situation, I thought area advertising could create a new opportunity to generate broader interest in wristwatches among non-enthusiasts.”
“One aspect was the mapping system that extracts information such as household income to narrow down the target demographic and distribution areas. Another was the volume of distribution—800,000 copies in Tokyo and 300,000 in Osaka—which is a scale not seen with magazines. Also, advancements in printing technology made it possible to beautifully reproduce the texture of watches, including their color tones and forms, which was a major attraction. Furthermore, I believe the inclusion of ‘The Asahi Shimbun’ masthead gave readers a sense of trust.”
“To make people feel that ‘watches can be this much fun,’ we were careful not to let it become just a catalog. Utilizing our network and reporting resources within the watch industry, we structured the content around substantial articles, such as an interview with the watchmaker known as a genius, Franck Muller, and a report on a Ferrari event sponsored by Officine Panerai.”
“We plan to cover the Baselworld and SIHH watch and jewelry trade fairs held in Switzerland in April and publish the second and third installments from late June onward. We aim to convey the true allure of wristwatches to a broad readership by preparing features with a different angle from the magazine, such as reports on new models launching after summer and coverage of areas around the fair venues.”
