Harrowsmith magazine, a decades-old resource for Canadians who enjoy gardening, living off the land, and gaining inspiration from a sustainable lifestyle, was given new life by Moongate after our acquisition. The result? An iconic Canadian media brand that has never been more engaging in print, digital, social and experiential channels.
THE SITUATION
Harrowsmith Magazine is a decades-old resource for Canadians who enjoy gardening, living off the land, and gaining inspiration from a sustainable lifestyle. Despite a dedicated following and marketplace demand, the brand was not readily available to audiences in a convenient, cross-platform format. As a result, the brand faced challenges in serving its engaged, passionate audiences.
THE SOLUTION
Moongate acquired this iconic Canadian media brand in 2013 and relaunched it as a modern, engaging resource across print, digital, social, video and experiential channels. After extensive audience development initiatives and reader workshops to ensure the brand served the needs and gaps of stakeholders, Harrowsmith was relaunched as both an indispensable resource and an effective advertising channel for brands that coveted sustainability-minded Canadian consumers. Within two year of relaunching, Harrowsmith quadrupled frequency—from an annual title to four times per year.
THE RESULT
As a result of Moongate’s audience development and retail distribution expertise, Harrowsmith magazine boasts industry-leading newsstand results, with an average of a 44% newsstand sell-through. It also ranks in the top percentile of all Canadian magazines sold individually and via subscription, at 46,000 copies annually.
The title also provides marketing services for advertisers and clients beyond effective display advertising. Due to Harrowsmith magazine’s trusted editorial and multi-channel audience engagement, marketers are able to reach an affluent, discerning demographic with meaningful engagement and complementary content – from social media contests to Moongate-produced podcasts and webisodes weaved seamlessly through the editorial environment.
And the brand keeps growing. A new online presence was launched in Fall 2017, and a half-hour radio show on community stations featuring Harrowsmith and partner content will follow shortly.
Audience engagement continues to spike as well, with a Summer 2017 subscription initiative yielding a 3.5% conversion rate, more than triple the industry average.