The FINANCIAL — Kakhi Kaladze, AC Milan defender and owner of Max Ukraine, intends to start issuing the magazine in Georgia. The first edition will be available from March 2008. As for Max Ukraine, Georgians can enjoy reading the magazine from January.
Kaladze’s business interests go as far as opening Progress Bank, hotel Kolkheti in Adjara, and restaurant Janino in Milan.
Max is issued in 8 countries worldwide. At least one nude photo session is included in Italian and German editions. Georgian Max will be more like the Ukrainian one, with less erotic features.
“Besides the sexual photos of models there will be lots of interesting material to look at in the magazine. The Georgian version of Max will be a purely exclusive magazine,” Giorgi Sharashidze, Max co-Publisher in Georgia, told P.S Courier.
Representative offices in Georgia of the top international clothing brands: Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Prada have already received confirmation on their placing ads in Max. It’s the very first precedent for these world brands promoting their products in a locally published magazine.
“The main factors these international brands take into account while placing ads in magazines is the spectrum of other companies promoted on the particular magazine’s pages,” Nona Machavariani, representative office of Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Prada in Georgia, told P.S courier.
“Playboy has its readers, as other magazines have their own audience, so we’re not concerned about the competition. It is good if other editions will also be published in Georgia,” Zaal Gachechiladze, Playboy’s Marketing Office in Georgia,” told The FINANCIAL.
According to Gachechiladze, considering the strength of the Cosmo and Playboy brands and their uniqueness in Georgia, the sales were about 70-80% in 2007. Further growth is expected in 2008.
“As for last year’s significant news, in December 2007, we published the 3rd international Italian magazine – BRAVACASA – in Georgia, which costs GEL 8. The circulation is 5 000 copies monthly. The ad sales are good too, so we can say that these brands are successful in the country,” stated Gachechiladze.
Playboy and Bravacasa magazines in Georgia are published by Ramishvili and Company and Comsopolitan by Independent Georgian Press.
In Gachechiladze’s words, Playboy has somewhat greater sales compared to Cosmo, but the latter is leading in ad sales.
“We printed 5 000 copies of Cosmo’s first issue, and it was not enough. For the second issue – 10 000 and it was still not enough, but when we printed 15 000, the market was satisfied, so we are holding on to it. For the first 6 months we were putting expensive gifts in the magazine, so the sales were nearly 100%,” said Gachechiladze.
The monthly circulation of Cosmo is 15 000 and of Playboy – 20 000.
‘We have compared worldwide prices considering household incomes and lifestyles, and decided to price Cosmo at 6 GEL, Playboy at GEL 5 and Bravacasa at GEL 8,” noted Gachechiladze.
Playboy Georgia’s list of models includes: Nina Tskrialashvili, Kate Kipshidze, Shorena Begashvili, Iana Kokoulina, Tamta Tchelidze, Irina Kiriakidi, Sofia Kenchiashvili, Neli Nachkebia, and Elene Kakabadze.
As for the honoraries paid to the models, the company claims that information is confidential.
Mulatka, one of the Playboy models, the participant of the GeoBar4 live show appeared to get some remarks from the magazine about her behaviour. Playboy’s representatives even visited the TV show in order to take some precautions and avoid hurting the magazine’s image.
“As for the Playboy model Mulatka, she’s a Playmate, this term has some limitations regarding how she appears on TV,” said Gachechiladze.
The main obstacles international magazines happen to face in Georgia are, in Gachechiladze’s words, maybe nudeness, no other problems so far.
Ads are most expensive on the Georgian print market. For Cosmo it varies from EUR 2 990 to EUR 580 depending on whether it’s an ordinary page, special position, back cover, half a page, or a quarter of a page.
Ads in Playboy are 20% cheaper. Ads in Bravacasa are the same as for playboy.
“These brands are the biggest ad targets because they are world brands, considering their circulation, quality, awareness. We are looking to expand our brands by using their potentials in other businesses, like accessories, clothing, events, advertising projects with our advertisers and much more,” said Gachechiladze.
Playboy: Financial highlights
Playboy Enterprises, reported net income for the third quarter ended September 30, 2007 of $2.6 million, or $0.08 per basic and diluted share, versus $1.1 million, or $0.03 per basic and diluted share in the same period last year. Third quarter 2007 revenues were essentially flat at $82.8 million compared to $82.3 million last year.
Publishing Group reported a segment loss in the 2007 third quarter of $1.4 million, compared to a loss of $0.8 million in 2006 on a 6% decline in revenues to $23.1 million.
Despite a 4% increase in third quarter 2007 advertising revenues versus in 2006, Playboy magazine revenues were down in the quarter due to lower newsstand and subscription. circulation. A reduction in paper and printing expense during the quarter helped offset some of the year-over-year revenue decline.
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