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IPC Media, publisher of Cycling Weekly, MBR, Cycling Active and Cycle Sport is undertaking a wide-reaching digital development programme for its cycling media business.
The first stage – the appointment of a digital specialist and a redesign for CyclingWeekly.co.uk – will be followed by an array of new advertising products for cycling brands and retailers to be rolled out this year, with further developments in 2013.
As part of the development, IPC Inspire has hired digital consultant Ed Marriage, previously group publisher at Immediate Media (formerly Magicalia), the digital publishing and ecommerce specialists, and commercial director at Anquet, the digital mapping provider. Marriage has worked with IPC Inspire’s cycling teams to help devise their digital strategy since the summer, and will stay on board for the coming months to deliver plans and accelerate the growth in the digital side of the business.
“We’re delighted to have Ed on board," said Keith Foster, publishing director of IPC Media’s cycling portfolio. "He is digital through and through, and his wealth of experience will help us accelerate our digital growth.”
As well as its cycling print mags, IPC’s digital portfolio includes over 60,000 Twitter followers for its cycling brands and tablet editions for each of the print titles. IPC said that it’s cycling websites attract over 700,000 unique visitors in peak season (Omniture July 2012).
Marriage added: “There’s a huge opportunity for brands and retailers to be working with IPC across their digital marketing. We have a loyal and incredibly responsive audience, the best content in the business and, in Cycling Weekly, the biggest cycling media brand there is. It’s a great position from which to be growing the digital part of the business."
IPC’s portfolio beyond cycling includes key evolved digital and cross-media brands like NME.com and Goodtoknow.co.uk.
“There’s a rich pool of talent and experience in IPC and we’ll be drawing on the best of this to help us deliver our plans in cycling”, says Keith Foster.
