World History

Last week, Slovenian history buffs got a treat when ČZP VEČER d.d., publisher of Science Illustrated, launched World History. With an initial circulation of 6,500, the magazine will be published monthly. History Illustrated is licensed from Bonnier International Magazines.

"The market is tough in Slovenia because of the small size," says Dejan Rebernik, chief marketing officer at ČZP VEČER d.d. "We have only 650,000 households and 2 million inhabitants. And the ad market is down, especially for magazines, so all planning needs to be based on subscription income." It's taken courage and determination to start under such circumstances, says Rebernik, but they're proud they've dared to take the step. "There's good potential in a project such as World History and its high quality content is a good base for a successful start."

Initially, the magazine will primarily feature material from the international magazine - a calendar and some short news items will be local. But plans are to expand Slovenian content. "We're discussing with local historians to prepare World War I articles, because the war started in Yugoslavia- our former joint state," says Rebernik. "We are already preparing stories about WW2 on Slovenian soil - we bordered the western allies and Russian occupied territory, between Italy, Austria and Hungary. So, it's lots of content potential and we're just warming up."

Marketing for the magazine already started with a planned bus promotion, print and web, and the next big push will start with TV ads in March. "We'll also use the Science Illustrated subscription base with nice incentives, like combination subscriptions, games with awards, summer promotions at pools and the beach, etc.," says Rebernik.