The Property Magazine, published by Media Nova, has been rewarded for innovation for the second time in six months, this time by the 2005 Sappi Pica Awards.
According to the judges, who bestowed the Philip Tyler Trophy for innovation, the magazine 'profiles dynamic people and their spaces, and reveals the places that get people talking.'
The judges also observed that 'most importantly, The Property Magazine uses a clever and innovative distribution and business model.'
Publisher and Managing Director Tony Vaughan commented, "The need for a high-quality, full-colour glossy magazine to profile property and property development has been recognised for a number of years, but previous attempts have failed. We therefore honed our business model to produce a publication that would have a 'keeper' quality to it - one that a homeowner would happily display on the coffee table."
Donald Paul was brought in as editor about a year ago to identify and implement clearly defined and consistent editorial pillars, which the magazine interprets as People, Places, Perspectives. "We strive to maintain editorial integrity by always providing informative, entertaining and original content. Consequently, we attract top freelance journalists and, with our large format canvas, we also attract some of the country's top photographers who use the magazine as a showcase for their work."
The Sappi Pica award followed an award in the print category of the inaugural brandhouse Media Innovation Awards in Cape Town earlier this year.
'Increasingly, publishers need to push the boundaries of innovation to be successful. To be acknowledged with the Philip Tyler Trophy - where the very premise of our business model forms part of the innovation - is indeed an honour, and the greatest endorsement of our product,' says Vaughan.
The Property Magazine is a large format, glossy month publication in three regional editions - Cape Town, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal - with a combined print run of over 130 000. By means of its free distribution model over 100 000 copies are distributed to households, airlines, five-star hotel, embassies and consulates, while it also enjoys a growing subscription base and is sold through selected retailers nationwide.
