Ovato Publishing Solutions will soon become a part of “the likely change in the magazine publishing landscape”, according to Ovato New Zealand managing director Paul Gardiner.
The country’s largest print and print distribution company, Ovato, has launched Ovato Publishing Solutions (OPS). The initiative comes in response to the exit of Bauer Media Group in New Zealand.
Gardiner believes that the Bauer NZ titles will probably end up in the hands of a number of small to medium sized publishers and could even see new entrants move into the space. He says, “The New Zealand magazine market will be fragmented going forward and there is an opportunity for new and smaller magazine publishers to leverage back end publishing services by partnering with OPS, maximising efficiencies for their business.
“This full service model for magazine publishing is centred around enabling publishers to do what they do best, which is to create great content, while at the same time being able to tap into a non-competitive shared support network that makes it easy for them to get their content to market and in the hands of consumers.”
Edwards to head up OPS
Tony Edwards, general manager of Ovato Retail Distribution, will head up OPS. The well-known industry veteran brings a wealth of experience to the magazine retail market.
The one stop shop services that OPS will cover include:
• Magazine Research and Insights
• Advertising representation (Print and Digital)
• Magazine Printing and Production
• Circulation and Marketing services
• Retail Distribution including Demand Forecasting and Allocations
• Retail Merchandising and Brand Activation
• Subscription Management and Mailhouse services
Edwards says, “We are actively responding to change and anticipated demand in the magazine market. Ovato NZ is the only print, distribution and marketing company that has the ability to offer this total suite of services to provide New Zealand publishers a cost-effective publishing solution. We are excited about what the new NZ magazine market will look like. During Covid-19, even with the reduction in magazine availability due to Bauer’s exit and limited retail, we have seen strong sales in supermarkets. New Zealanders continue to have a strong connection with magazines.”
