Emap Teen Titles To Aid Sneak Launch

Emap is to promote the launch of its new weekly celebrity title for teens, previously codenamed “Monkey” but revealed as Sneak (see Emap To Launch New Teen Weekly), via a sampler edition distributed free with copies of J17 and Smash Hits.

The 36 page sampler will go into the 12 April issue of J17 and the 17 April issue of Smash Hits. The full version of Sneak, which will have double the pagination of the sampler, goes on sale on 30 April priced at 90p.

Sneak’s launch will be accompanied by a national poster, print, radio and TV ad campaign created by Mother.

Rory Bett, Emap Advertising’s head of youth magazines, said that so far the magazine had got a good reception: “[It] represents genuine innovation in a market so desperate for something new.” he said, adding that it will deliver “a well thought out, no-nonsense point of difference on the news stand and a new high frequency advertising option in the most valuable magazine market.”

It’s certainly true to say that the teen market is in need of the “shot in the arm” Sneak editor Jennifer Cawthron claims her title will be. The last set of ABC figures showed some dismal year on year falls, even from market leader, Attic Futura’s Sugar, which slid 8.8% (see Cosmo Girl saved the market as a whole from a serious dip in circulation. Emap’s stable of three teen titles have not been immune to tough times in teenland, having seen a gentle falling off in circulation in recent years (see graph, below). Bett claims that these titles “can only benefit from this exciting development.”

Emap certainly has the pedigree to launch such a project, with the experience of its existing teen titles under its belt, to say nothing of the celebrity mag phenomenon Heat. That said, the “celebrities and teens” combination was given an outing a couple of years ago by BBC Worldwide- remember Star?- only for it close within the year (see BBC’s Star Burns Out), proving that this isn’t necessarily a failsafe formula.

Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.co.uk

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