For those of you who don't know I work in marketing and have done for a few years now. I am sure you all know that I am very passionate about books and I think they get a pretty bad rap from society. They are not seen as cool as music and not as cultural enriching as films and to some people books are seen as downright stuffy and boring. Let's face it reading a book takes a bit more effort that watching a film and listening to an album so I can see why they are not as appealing. One of the ways to deal with this is by promotion and good old PR. The medium of PR may be a pain in the arse to some but when done properly it can be very powerful and not to mention beneficial. Therefore I am always interested when I come across new marketing campaigns to promote books especially collaborations. I love to see collaborations with books whether it is a tie in with a film, or a competition such as the Costa Book Awards and the Galaxy British Book Awards.
So I was quite excited when a press release from Harper Collins hit my in-box yesterday informing me about an exciting project that they are working on with asos. Hot Reads focuses on six new titles that are aimed at sassy young and stylish women. The project is a media partnership between the two companies pushing titles like The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell, I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk, Candypop by Lauren Laverne, I Remember You by Harriet Evams, Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe and Fortune by Megan Cole. A brand new website for Hot Reads has been created where each book will be highlighted every two weeks. Each book will have a themed page where readers will be able to find out more about the book and author. There are also various competitions and giveaways up for grabs. Hot Reads will be promoted on asos.com, the newsletter and the magazine. It is very apt that they are kicking off the campaign with The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell and with the new Sex and City film on the horizon it is only just right. Well I love asos and now I have another reason to visit their website.
I was delighted to get home and see one of my favourite magazines, asos on the doormat. On the cover is Mischa Barton looking kind of kooky wearing a boho suit with a top hat. The look which is a far cry from her sophisticated one, works very well. In the interview she talks about her style influences, British fashion and her new bag collection which is sold on asos. Mischa also fills us in on her new show, The Beautiful Life in which she plays a character far removed from Marissa Cooper. She makes her return to the small screen in the shape of Sonia, a catty and neurotic model who will stop at nothing to keep her place at the top. Produced by twitter fan, Ashton Kutcher this glossy drama is about a group of male and female models sharing a home in New York and shows the cut throat world of modelling. According to Mischa, The Beautiful Lifeis based on Ashton's experience as a model before he went on to become a successful actor as well as Mr Demi Moore. With a stellar 'model' cast which includes Elle Macpherson, Corbin Bie, (a former model and actor from High School Musical) as well as Mischa who has done a spot of modelling; the show may lack originality but few will doubt it's credibility. The trailer looks amazing; I was hooked from the word go and my first impression was how sharp it looked. I am totally ecstatic to see Mischa playing a character with a lot more bite and backbone than the emaciated Marissa who face it was the eternal victim. The show strikes me as a fiction version of America's Next Top Model or Make Me a Supermodel. Check out the trailer above and tell me what you think.
The Beautiful Life airs on The CW Television this autumn. Also check out Mischa's cool website where she spills the beans on the entertainment industry and her new handbag line.
A glossy magazine is just what any lady needs to cheer her up, something to read in the bath or curled up on a sofa. Take a look in a newsagent and you will see magazines that cover the walks of life. There are consumer magazines aimed at a particular niche like Marie Claire, Vogue and Elle and there are business publications like Estate Gazette, Media Week and Accountancy Age. There is also the customer magazine; this is where a business like BT or IKEA contract a specialist publisher to produce a magazine that they will send out to their customers or distribute inside their store. Thousands of titles are published every month such as The AA magazine and SKY-The magazine. The ones I like the best are Desire which is produced by Debenhams, Dare from Superdrug and the new ASOS magazine. Dare which was formerly known as Spirit was distributed free in the Superdrug stores every month and kept us up to date with the latest in beauty news. However since early this year it has been revamped, buffed up and now goes under the new name of Dare. Oh and also has a new price of 50p. The ASOS magazine has taken the lead of Glamour and gone for the mini me size; it is cute and packed with news and features on fashion and beauty. These magazines are very top notch and very inspiring.
