Volkswagen magazine
How to follow up a top-class global magazine when you don’t want to compromise on quality but have limited resources and limited geographical scope?
In 2013, Porsche Praha decided to enrich the Volkswagen brand’s customer magazine, which was translated from German, with original local content. The symbiosis worked brilliantly and the content resonated with readers. In 2017, however, the German head office stopped publishing the magazine and we at Boomerang were faced with a question: how to match the quality of the outstanding translated content and fill up a whole magazine when local budgets are more restrictive?
Local content
We found excellent photographers who aren’t afraid of a bit of improvisation: they don’t always have the most expensive and best-equipped studio, but what they lack in technology they make up for in creativity. We found illustrators who can place an ordinary product photo in a fictitious environment that adds panache. And we found people who do interesting things – collecting agates, fishing or photographing trains – and want to share their experiences with us.
We focused on finding places that have photogenic potential of their own, without needing major production costs or postproduction. Instead of Mallorca, we went to a campsite in Rataje nad Sázavou; instead of Iceland, we chose an organic farm in North Bohemia. The upshot of this approach was that we localised our content even more and brought it closer to readers. In this way, we have succeeded in the Golden Semi-colon competition every year since 2013.
Our Solution
So, how do you follow up a top-class global magazine when you don’t want to compromise on quality but have limited resources and limited geographical scope? Don’t be afraid to compare yourself to international magazines. Find affordable but attractive places with atmosphere and interesting people who will help you create content.
“Boomerang has won so many awards for our magazine and such love from its readers that I can recommend the agency to anyone preparing a demanding project emphasising the highest possible production quality.
