According to Albert Lubbe, MD of Sappi Fine Paper South Africa, this advocacy program will promote the use of magazines as an advertising vehicle to marketers and advertisers with the aim of securing the sustained viability of the industry in South Africa.
Apart from Booyens, the evening's other big overall winners are
"All the winners demonstrate the exceptionally healthy state of the South African magazine publishing industry at the moment," says Ann Donald, the chief judge and former Fairlady editor. Of course they couldn't have anticipated the announcements of the closure of Style and Krew magazines this week!
Whether they have the guts to launch a world-first décor magazine for men, the creativity to introduce specially-sealed "must read" sections into the main body or the savvy to embrace a society in transition by finding ways to write for emerging farmers without losing the readership of existing ones - the winners of this year's Magazine Publishers' Association of SA's Sappi Pica awards indicate that SA's magazine industry is thriving.
During 2006, thirty-six titles have joined the Audited Bureau of Circulation. Many such as Lééf met hart & siel, which focuses on a providing a spiritually-based read for Afrikaans women, or American title Real Simple that aims at a clutter-free, solutions-driven editorial platform, are leading the trend toward new and viable niches.
"The increased competition brought about by the wider choice, is stimulating innovation and smart thinking. Winning editors and publishers are rising to the challenge by becoming fiercely reader-centric, which is of course the only sustainable way to deliver the audiences that advertisers expect," says Donald.
According to Donald, examples of proudly South African magazine publishing are the launch of the Men's Health Living magazine, a world-first with its' focus on décor and lifestyle editorial for men and which the international partner, Rodale Press, is monitoring carefully with a view to an international roll-out, as well as the phenomenal success achieved by Media 24's Weg!.
This outdoor leisure title has rewritten the publishing rulebook by securing a third of its circulation in subscriptions within two years of launching and against an industry norm of 10%. It has also become the market leader within 20 issues.
The success of Weg! secured editor Booyens the inaugural Jane Raphaely Editor of the Year Award against competitors such as Esmaré Weideman of Drum and Sumien Brink of Visi, who won highly commended in this category.
"This was a closely contested race with three highly commended editors vying strongly for the top spot. Any one of them would be a worthy winner, in that, their strengths lay as much in their business savvy as their editorial capacity," Donald says.
The full list of MPASA Sappi Pica Awards 2006 are:
Philip Tyler Award for the Best New Launch
Winner: Men's Health Living, Touchline Media
Award for Excellence in Magazine Design
Winner: Real Simple, 8 Ink Media
Best Customer Magazine
Winner: Plascon Colour, New Media
Best Business-to-Business Magazine: Watling Trophy
Winner: The Dairy Mail, AgriConnect
Best Consumer Magazine: Rossi Trophy
Winner: Seventeen, 8 Ink Media
Winner: Bun Booyens - Weg!, Media24 Magazines
Highly Commended: Esmaré Weideman - Drum, Media24 Magazines
Highly Commended: Sumien Brink - Visi, New Media
Home, Décor and Gardening
Winner: Tuis/Home, Media24 Magazines
Highly Commended - House and Leisure, Associated Magazines
Men's General Interest
Winner: Popular Mechanics, Ramsay, Son & Parker
General Interest News and Entertainment Magazines
Winner: Bona, Caxton Magazines
Highly Commended - Insig, New Media
Sport
Winner: Kick Off, Touchline Media
Highly Commended - Golf Digest South Africa, Touchline Media
Leisure Interests
Winner: Car, Ramsay, Son & Parker
Highly Commended - Drive Out, New Media
Travel, Wildlife and Conservation
Winner: Weg!, Media24 Magazines
Highly Commended - Africa Geographic, Africa Geographic
Parenting
Winner: Fit Pregnancy, Touchline Media
Spirituality
Winner: Lééf met hart & siel, Media24 Magazines
Business
Winner: Farmer's Weekly, Caxton Magazines
Highly Commended - Finweek, Media24 Magazines
Youth
Winner: Seventeen, 8 Ink Media
Highly Commended: National Geographic Kids, 8 Ink Media
Women's General Interest
Winner: Cosmopolitan, Associated Magazines
Highly Commended: Fairlady, Media24 Magazines
Women's Special Interest
Winner: Shape, Touchline Media
Annuals and Special Editions
Winner: Huisgenoot 90 Gedenkuitgawe, Media24 Magazines
Highly Commended - Eat Out, New Media
Supplements
Winner: WegSleep, Media24 Magazines
Highly Commended: Elle Supplement, Johncom Media Magazine Division
Highly Commended: Seventeen Diary, 8 Ink Media
CUSTOMER MAGAZINE AWARDS
Business-to-Business
Winner: Accountancy SA, SAICA
Retail and Consumer Goods
Winner: Taste, New Media
Highly Commended: Jet Club Magazine, The Publishing Partnership
Highly Commended: Lewis Club Magazine, New Highway Publishing
Hospitality, Tourism and Travel
Winner: Good Taste, Converge
Health, Fitness and Sport
Winner: South African Paddler, Atoll Media Magazine Publishers
Highly Commended: Heart, New Media
Entertainment, Leisure and Lifestyle
Winner: Obrigado, The Publishing Partnership
Highly Commended: ClassicFeel Magazine, Desklink Media
Annuals, Directories, Product Guides and Supplements
Winner: Plascon Colour, New Media
Highly Commended: Pezula/, New Media
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MAGAZINE AWARDS
Farming, Agricultural Produce and Equipment, Irrigation and Horticulture
Winner: The Dairy Mail, AgriConnect
Civil Engineering, Building and Infrastructural Development
Winner: IMIESA, 3S Media
Highly Commended: Leading Architecture and Design, Primedia Publishing
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Winner: Sparks Electrical News, Crown Publications
Highly Commended: SA Instrumentation and Control, Technews
Business Management and Communications
Winner: B®and, Brand Africa Media
Hospitality, Travel and Tourism
Winner: Southern Africa's Travel News Weekly, Now Media
Medical, Rescue, Safety and Security
Winner: TLC, Picasso Headline
Other Specialist Titles
Winner: RB Magazine, Lindiwe Communications
Highly Commended: Pursuit, Johncom Media Magazine Division
Highly Commended: De Rebus, The SA Attorney's Journal, Law Society of South Africa
Annuals, Special Editions, Product Guides and Supplements
Winner: MIMS Guide to OTC Products 2006, Johncom Media Magazine Division
Highly Commended: MIMS Desk Reference (MDR) 2006, Johncom Media Magazine Division
Highly Commended: Digest of South African Architecture, Picasso Headline