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Emap Elan is investing in a new marketing campaign for its

entertainment and listings magazine Heat in an effort to push sales

through the crucial 100,000 barrier.

The campaign, which is being handled by Starcom Motive, will use Emap’s

national radio brands - such as Kiss and Magic - and its regional

stations, including Manchester’s Key 103.

A four-week TV campaign will break on 3 May on ITV, Channel 4, Channel

5, Sky, Bravo, UK Gold and Living. The target age group is 16- to

34-year-olds. The drive will have a female bias and use programmes such

as ER and Friends.

The creative executions will be topical for each week of the campaign

and will not feature celebrities. Quiet Storm is handling creative

responsibilities.

The struggling title set itself a minimum sales target of 90,000 at

launch.

It recorded an ABC for July to December of 72,510, an increase of 10.7

per cent over the previous period. However, only 55,683 of the

circulation were sold through the newsstands. Of the remainder, nearly

7,000 were free copies and almost 10,000 were discounted subscriptions -

1,263 being sold at less than half price.

In the recent reorganisation, the weekly title was moved from Emap’s

male music and lifestyle group and brought under the management of Emap

Elan’s female dominated magazine portfolio.

Heat’s publisher Mark Williamson was moved to FHM and the former

executive publishing director of Elan’s young women’s titles Louise

Matthews was brought in to replace him.

Emap believes it can grow Heat’s sales by targeting more women through a

celebrity and gossip approach. To assist in this process, Escape Routes

editor Sharon Ring, former edited OK! magazine, has been drafted in to

help out. Elan editor-in-chief Ian Birch is also helping to target

female readers.

A spokesperson claimed the title had almost reached its 90,000 target

and expected to see another double-digit percentage increase in the next

ABCs.