Awakening People to Become a Catalyst for Change

>> OVERVIEW

Created: operational, marketing and sales strategy, revamped brand, logo identity, magazine redesign, sales support collateral, social media community building, website strategy

In its tenth year of publishing, Change magazine remained a small, local monthly journal distributed only in the Clear Lake area south of Houston with articles aimed mostly at women.  In order to grow, it needed to expand appeal to a much larger, more diverse audience in a larger market.

The publisher did not have a clear plan of action and the brand image was dated.  Both the traditional printed and online versions of the magazine shared an aging image and format without well-defined editorial themes, departments or sections. They needed to be completely updated.  The website also lacked interactive features and was cumbersome to navigate with slow-loading Flash animations.  Additionally, there was no strategic marketing or operational plan in place to increase advertising sales and readership.  In short, the entire business needed to be restructured.

>> SOLUTION

forGreen provided a complete solution designed to bring the magazine fully into the 21st century.  The firm began the process by conducting a thorough analysis of the business to develop a solid vision / mission statement and to clearly define a brand message.  From this, a marketing strategy and plan to completely retool the publication were created.

forGreen helped implement an aggressive expansion program to reach a bigger, broader audience with improved editorial content, better organizational procedures and more effective advertising sales tools.  The firm also updated the masthead logo and brand identity package, revamped the print magazine layout that aligned with eco-friendly design as well as added an interactive component and designed an all-new website based on an efficient content management system with easier navigation and more interactive elements to better engage readers.  When overall economic conditions stalled growth, the plan was quickly scaled back to a more manageable, realistic set of goals.  But the major improvements were already in place and Change magazine is now poised for even greater success in the future.