The paper has unveiled a new name, new sections and seven new local editions. The paper, which has also upped its pagination by 52 pages a week, was known as the Birmingham Evening Mail. With the "evening" dropped from its title, the paper is reverting to the name it carried prior to 1967. The name also comes with a fresh looking magazine-style masthead.
The marketing campaign focuses on the line "What's new for you?" and uses the striking visual, on a white background, of a giant Birmingham Mail with people "walking into the pages" holding banners promoting new sections.
The promotional campaign includes posters, cut-outs, mobiles, doormats and T-shirts. The extensive direct marketing activity includes a door-drop drive and ongoing direct mail to direct delivery customers.
The advertising element incorporates two 30-second and one 10-second TV commercials, a series of 30-second radio ads, 96-sheet posters and AdVans. The whole campaign has been devised by WARL's creative director Tommy Adkins and deputy creative director Michelle Tuft.
At the heart of the revamp are the seven new local editions all based on geography to serve Birmingham's different communities. The local editions have been launched after extensive research among existing and potential readers, who strongly backed a community reporting approach.
The new paper sees the local editions prominently flagged on the front page, with a contents panel specifically for local news from within that area. Inside, there is a consecutive four-page section in the front-end of each edition.
There are more changes inside the paper including new and improved sections such as a 16-page sports pull-out on Mondays, and new eight-page shopping section, family life and travel sections on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Editor Steve Dyson said: "Birmingham is changing fast and it's time the Mail changed to reflect that. This relaunch is no tweak, and is more than just a modern new masthead, it's a radical transformation of look, feel, content and structure throughout the paper."
John Bills, regional managing director of Trinity Mirror Midlands, added: "We have a great team in place at the Mail, and they're absolutely determined to deliver a superb paper for our readers and a bigger audience for our advertisers.
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