Who says all print publications belong to a dying breed? WIRED magazine is looking sexier than ever in the UK

I I was walking through a Tesco market near Bishops Stortford in England earlier today and the latest issue of WIRED UK on the newsstand caught my eye. It’s been 10 months since the premier issue of WIRED hit the newsstands in the UK in April in what the magazine modestly proclaims was the UK Magazine Launch of the Year (er, make that re-launch huh guys?). That said, I have to admit that the magazine is looking better than ever. Editor David Rowan and his team should be congratulated on their great work making every issue exciting and fun to read with one’s tea and biscuits. 

Who says an archaic paper-and-ink format publication can’t be sexy? While other less up-market magazines and newspapers have folded, publications like WIRED stand out for their understanding of what their readers want to read, brilliant writing, stylish photos, and paper stock that you just want to touch.  The texture of the cover paper stock used on the February 10 issue is a tactile sensation that hopefully won’t disappear entirely when WIRED reinvents itself again with a portable screen-based experience in the near future. One thing I think the publication might want to work on is generating more awareness among the general public and a more widespread understanding of its content. It appears that the newsstand shelf stockers at Tesco have never looked beyond its cover since WIRED was strategically positioned among its much racier UK magazine brethren like Nuts, Front and Viz!  

I read this issue of WIRED cover to cover and particularly enjoyed the interesting cover article about the new iPhone app that Jamie Oliver, one of my favorite British chefs, has developed. Now here’s a guy who knows how to develop his personal brand. He’s come a long way from his early days learning to cook in the kitchen of his family’s pub called Cricketers in Clavering, just a few miles away from where I’m staying now. From his cookbooks and his Naked Chef television show and other spin-off shows to his restaurants and his websites and his blog, Jamie Oliver lives his brand with every breath and communicates it in what appears to be a 360 degree way.

 Cheers to WIRED and Jamie today!

Author: Megan McKenzie

Megan McKenzie provides strategic leadership to McKenzie Worldwide and the agency’s work with technology companies in enterprise, consumer, wireless, networking, & cybersecurity.