LaunchPAD: Rolling Stone India Edition

The Indian Edition of Rolling Stone magazine launched at Hard Rock Cafe, Mumbai last night.
Priced at Rs 100, the local edition will feature sounds of Bollywood as well as old fashioned rock and roll. The launch issue features five different cover shots (Four international stars like Led Zeppelin and Jay-Z, and one Indian musician).

This Wenner Media publication is brought to India by Mumbai-based MW.Com (publishers of Man's World)

LaunchPAD: Outlook Profit

Outlook Profit, a fortnightly magazine for serious investors, is the newest offering from the Outlook Group.

On the newsstands now, the magazine is priced at Rs 50. The inaugural issue comes with '1 for 1 bonus' offer under which 1-year and 3-year subscribers get 50 percent off the cover price.

Article: India- The Next, Great Magazine Frontier?

MediaBistro article 'India- The Next, Great Magazine Frontier?' talks about how the ongoing ad recession in the western magazine market and increased online competition for readership has forced magazines to step up their international game. Following luxury brands, like Armani, who are chasing after the rising Indian rupee, are magazines like Rolling Stone (first issue expected on newsstands tomorrow with Saif Ali Khan on cover!), Child (launch scheduled for April 2008) Glamour (later this year), Vogue India (launched in 2007) and the Economist Indian edition (already in the market).
Read the story from livemint.com quoted in the mediabistro article:
Global players zero in on India
Related links: Magscene.com-Launchpad

LaunchPAD: Child Magazine-India Edition

Media Transasia India announces the upcoming launch of Child, a monthly parenting magazine, with a promotion titled ‘That Special Something Child Cover Hunt’. 'Child' addresses urban progressive parents who want to raise happy, healthy kids and is expected to be on newsstands by April 2008.

The magazine is being brought to India in agreement with Meredith Corporation, USA.

LaunchPAD: The Economist

The Economist, global weekly on politics, business and culture, will be published in India starting February 21. The magazine priced at Rs 200 will hit the newsstands every Friday. Although the magazine’s content will be largely global, the Indian edition is also expected to be locally relevant.
The Economist launch is accompanied by an outdoor campaign bearing its signature colours--red and white.

Advertising: Ads that readers can taste

Another frontier in interactive print advertising— ads that allow readers to taste the product being advertised!
In the latest issue (Feb 18) of PEOPLE magazine, Welch's 100% Grape Juice features full-page print ads that allow readers to sample its grape juice by licking the ad. The front of the advertisement shows a huge bottle of the juice, while the back has a strip that peels up and off, with text: "For a TASTY fact, remove & LICK". Readers are supposed to peel off the entire sticker on the Welch's ad before licking, says First Flavor, the company that developed the technology used in the ad.

The ad has caused many debates about hygiene and the 'ick' factor of licking a magazine page. Some related links:
Lickable magazines may not be sweet success
Welch's salivates over lickable ads

LaunchPAD: WindowsWorld

Bangalore-based IDG Media's latest magazine WindowsWorld is positioned as 'An independent resource for I.T.Managers'. The magazine will be published every two months with a qualified, controlled circulation of 20,000 copies.
The companion website, http://www.windowsworld.in/ provides useful patches, tools and software aimed at IT professionals.