The World: New Brule title Monocle puts print back in focus

But Brule is back, and just as Wallpaper* captured the zeitgeist of the

90s, with its elitist, intellectual views on fashion and design, his new
project, Monocle (a global title) is aiming to do the same when it
launches in February 2007.

By combining global affairs, business, culture and design, Brule is
hoping to reflect a world more concerned with global issues, such as
terrorism, climate change and poverty. But the world of print is
embroiled in its own crisis, with a poor advertising climate and the
rise of digital media making the launch of a global title
counterintuitive.

Or so you would think. But Brule is drawing inspiration from Asia, which
he says holds clues to the future of publishing.

"If you look at Asia, and in particular markets such as South Korea and
Japan, they are 36 to 48 months ahead of us in the digital revolution,"
he says. "But they've taken the decision to celebrate being in
publishing by producing confident, robust, tactile products. The quality
of print on newsstands in both markets is so high."

Brule's observations come from his globetrotting lifestyle in recent
years. He cites regular visits to magazine stands in airports around the
world, where well-heeled travellers buy The Economist, Conde Nast
Traveller and BusinessWeek.

"I thought: 'Why not combine all of them?'" he explains.

Monocle will have one global edition with an initial print run of
150,000 copies. It will be aimed at international travellers seeking a
global view. Priced at £5 and expected to run to 240 pages, it
will be distributed in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific
region.

Although yet to launch, advertising executives are excited about the
prospect of a large, niche global magazine that combines the elements
Brule describes, but also by another foray into publishing by one of its
most-admired mavericks.

For Brand Couture's managing director, Kirsten McNally, whose agency
specialises in the luxury sector, it is the reach promised by Monocle
into the affluent global market that will be its strength in appealing
to luxury brands.

"People want to read intellectually stimulating content, which Monocle
sounds like it is aiming to offer. For brands looking for access to
emerging markets, this would be a fabulous one-stop shop," she says.
"Luxury brands in particular have a smaller audience, but on a larger
scale. The alternative would be an ad in GQ in the UK and the US, but
getting global reach is hard."

Brule confirms he plans to offer advertisers the one-stop shop McNally
describes, as well as a look and feel unique in Western publishing.

Printed on matte paper, Brule says the magazine will follow in the
footsteps of the Asian "mook" publishing trend, where a combination of
"magazine" and "book" describes the production values and depth and
quality of relationship Asian magazines share with their readers. It is
this, he believes, which could save Western publishing.

"When they see Monocle, advertisers say it feels like a giant book,"
Brule says. Although untried in the West, the "mook" model has
potential, agency executives say.

The MindShare managing partner Vanessa Clifford believes that the
quality of the relationship between the reader and the brand will be
important in establishing a viable publication. She also thinks Brule's
plan to make Monocle's online presence the "broadcasting" arm of the
brand is essential.

Brule says: "We'll use the internet for broadcasting and for great
stories appearing in the magazine. But most importantly, we want people
to return to the Monocle brand. We want them to say things like: 'Did
you see that great mini-documentary on Monocle?' or 'Did you hear that
great music on Monocle?' or 'Did you read that great cultural essay in
Monocle?'."

Clifford says: "Brule is being smart when he talks about launching it as
a multiplatform brand. If he can create this new brand in different
shapes and forms, especially given his track record of creating great
products with beautiful designs - which is absolutely essential when
going after this audience - there is no reason why people won't follow
that brand."

The head of press planning at Carat, Jo Blake, agrees, and adds that
advertisers could potentially be very supportive: "There is certainly
room for something like this. There is such an explosion of luxury brand
spending untapped even by agencies, that a well thought-out launch in
this sector could work."

In order to tap into that spending, however, McNally argues Monocle
should be open to custom-made advertising that breaks away from a simple
page ad, in favour of a tailored, creative approach for specific brands.
"I think there is much more to be achieved with advertiser content that
is created with a bespoke feel," she says.

But with one global edition, McNally points out that some luxury brand
advertisers - fashion brands, in particular - may face obstacles given
the cyclical nature of fashion in different markets. She says: "Europe
is very much about discreet luxury, it's no longer about having lots of
possessions, whereas emerging markets are very much in the 'bling'
phase, which could pose problems for a luxury brand."

The combination of intellectually stimulating editorial on a variety of
subjects in a beautifully produced magazine will certainly be unique in
Western publishing. Whether or not it will be enough to save the sector
will be tested when Monocle hits global newsstands.