New magazine out for Blood

11 April 2006

New magazine out for Blood

A new annual publication aimed directly at driving fresh enthusiasm for magazine advertising is being launched tonight at Magazzino in Auckland.

The magazine, called Blood, is the brainchild of the Magazine Publishers Association (MPA) which was looking for a way to get the attention of possibly the most jaded target audience there is; the creative directors of advertising agencies.

"Our goal is to raise the profile of the magazine medium. We felt if we found a way of enthusing advertising creatives we'd be influencing the influencers," says Julian Andrews, deputy chairman of the MPA .

Blood is named for its editor, Andy Blood, Group Creative Director of TBWA/Whybin. Andy Blood will hold the position for this issue only, then the honour, and the mantle will be passed on to another advertising creative.

The advertising content of Blood was chosen from entries submitted to the MPA's 'Your Name On It' competition. Advertising creatives were asked to enter work designed specifically for the magazine medium. Andy Blood chose a winner, and that person will now go on to become the editor of next year's magazine, which will be named after them.

"Every year a new creative will try to top what the previous one did," says Julian Andrews. "It's a cool prize: Print immortality."

Andy Blood has had a colourful career producing work for adidas, the All Blacks, Absolut, ASB, Sony Playstation, Nissan and The Radio Network (TRN). He is also a big fan of the magazine medium with a personal collection of many years' worth of Black & White, Adbusters, American Esquire, and Face back-issues.

Blood's appointment as the inaugural editor of the magazine was always destined to cause a stir in the advertising industry. For Julian Andrews, Andy Blood is the perfect match for a magazine designed to inspire controversy.

"Everyone knows Andy. His peers either love him madly, or they hate his guts, but they all have an opinion. With the magazine Blood, they'll either love it or hate it but they'll all want to read it."

Julian Andrews calls Blood "a true expression of Andy's personality". In what is perhaps a testament to that personality the magazine has a section so contentious it has been sealed. "This magazine has very audience-specific content, it's certainly not for everyone," says Andrews.

Blood has a limited print run of four thousand copies. Half of these will be mailed out this week to advertising agencies and media. Another thousand will be held back until later in the year to be used as a platform to invite submissions for the next, as yet unnamed, magazine due out early in 2007.

Once the new editor has been appointed tonight, submissions will again be invited from local, international and student creative talent. Unpublished work will also be welcome.

"This is an opportunity for creatives to see work in print that they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to put out there. We are providing them with a platform for trying out some of their more edgy, risky work," says Andrews.

Blood is made possible by the support of PMP NZ (Ltd). Rodger Shepherd, CEO of PMP, says, "As a key supplier to the magazine industry we are delighted to be involved with the production of this publication. We brought to this publication expertise in printing and digital finishing that has enhanced what we can only term as a magnificent creative concept. We look forward to our continuing relationship with the magazine publishing industry in New Zealand and in particular with the Magazine Publishers Association."

ENDS

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