PR chief sought for restructured NatMags team

The National Magazine Company is restructuring its PR department

and is looking for a new head of PR to work under the director of

communications, Siobhan Kenny.

Kenny, who joined the organisation in July (PR Week 18 June), wants to

give the in-house operation an agency feel and improve targeting and

evaluation.

’We are going to define our targets more carefully and go ruthlessly for

the people we want to influence,’ she said.

Kenny has split the department in two so that two teams of four service

five and six magazine titles respectively. Titles include Esquire,

Cosmopolitan, Zest and Good Housekeeping. ’The idea is that if you work

in a team across a portfolio of titles you are more likely to come up

with good stuff because you can pool ideas,’ she said.

The deputy will also assist Kenny in devising a long term strategy for

the development of the magazine brands. For example, next year, men’s

magazine Esquire is moving away from its reliance on front covers

featuring women.

Kenny, who previously had a role advising the Government on how to work

more closely with women’s magazines, said that PR was being recognised

as more important in magazine publishing. ’Magazines are in a very

competitive market now. The communications strategy each adopts will be

critical in deciding which ones survive. We have to make sure we are

saying the right things to the right people,’ she said.