Wallpaper founder ventures into advertising consultancy market

launch of a Wallpaper website.

Brule, who last week announced that he would launch Project Tart, a new

quarterly sports magazine in March, has landed work on the Selfridges

brand as well as the US retail brand, Banana Republic, through his

in-house agency, WINK. The agency has already created a brand campaign

for Selfridges and has completed work for the retailer’s spring

campaign.

WINK is 20 per cent owned by Brule and 75 per cent owned by Time Inc,

which bought Wallpaper in 1997. Wallpaper’s staff have a 5 per cent

stake in the company.

Brule said: ’We don’t take the traditional agency approach to things.

It’s a take it or leave it one. It’s almost an editorial approach.’

Towards the end of last year, WINK pitched for and won the US contract

publishing account for RJ Reynold’s Camel brand, against Playboy’s

contract publishing division. It has published the first in a quarterly

series, which has a circulation of more than 120,000.

To build on the success of Wallpaper, Brule is launching a website next

month called wallpaper.com.

As well as news, reviews, travel and entertainment guides for Wallpaper

readers, the site will bring together and sell products specifically

selected for the magazine. Puma, for example, has created a trainer for

Wallpaper.

An auction site will allow web visitors to bid for goods.

Brule explained: ’There are readers seeing stuff in Wallpaper who then

want to buy it, so it would be a missed opportunity not to launch a

website. We want to make this an exclusive experience.’

Headliner, p20.