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Big Issue in the North appoints Momentum for ‘strategic research’ |
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Monday, 18 February 2008 |
The Big Life Company, the publisher of the Big Issue in the North, has appointed Momentum as its ‘strategic research consultant’ prior to an expansion programme planned for 2008.
The publisher intends to increase its readership base across the North with a focus on the larger conurbations of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield.
The decision to appoint an outside consultancy to help advise the company on its strategic direction is believed to have been initiated by the editor Kevin Gopal who joined the title last year.
Prior to Momentum’s appointment, the company previously employed in-house research support.
The magazine is understood to be keen to be seen addressing a wider range of social issues across the North than perhaps consumers currently associate with the title.
Among other initiatives, Momentum will be staging consumer research sessions as they seek to understand peoples’ motivation for buying the magazine and what editorial content is likely to appeal most strongly to the magazine’s current readership base.
Caroline Price, director of the magazine said: “The Big Issue in the North has been providing people with the means to earn a legitimate income for the past 15 years.
“We know that during this time some people will have bought the magazine regularly, some will have bought it once and others may never have bought it. We intend to find out why people buy the magazine and what they think of it and I’m looking forward to seeing what we find out.”
Momentum’s research & planning director, Ben Leonard, said: “We’re really excited to be working with the Big Issue in the North at this crucial time. There’s a great opportunity for the magazine to strengthen its readership. Everyone has heard of the Big Issue in the North but not everyone knows what to expect from reading it, so we’ve developed an interesting process to shed some light on this.”
The ABC audited magazine is currently sold by homeless people in towns and cities across the North and has a circulation of over 30,000.
The Big Life Company is a social enterprise. It was formed through a merger in 2002 of Diverse Resources and The Big Issue in the North. Last year it relocated the Big Issue office back to its original home in Swan Street in Manchester.
Momentum is part of the Interpublic Group. The agency employs 120 staff at two offices in the North West: one in Manchester and one in Cheshire.
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