Discover Norfolk Magazine

Discover Norfolk is the culmination of several years of developing publications for the Norfolk Island visitor. At the heart of the publication is the sharing of Norfolk Island’s unique and colourful history, its fascinating culture and traditions, its wonderful people and pristine natural environment. Norfolk Island is a remote oasis in the South Pacific that is home to some 1800 residents. The island’s economy is Tourism dependent and the Discover Norfolk publication is a refined marketing tool which retains visitor engagement through a balance of features, articles and advertising. It is the modern manifestation of a publication that we released in 2008 called 2899 magazine which we have published continually in some form since then for over 30 consecutive issues, giving away over 350,000 publication and publishing hundreds of articles and features. The outcome is a coffee table publication around 56-60pp with an approximate 50%/50% content to advertising ratio, which is robust and reusable to ensure multiple user interactions though an elongated life-cycle where the publication will also travel back with the visitor to become an onward marketing tool for future island visitors. Using striking imagery and colourful design we bring the island and its stories to life for the Norfolk Island visitor.

DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES

As well as the balancing of over 50 advertisers, plus authors, and working together with a sales representative, and on-island distributions personnel, the main challenges revolve around the actual physical production and delivery of the publication. The logistical challenges of bringing goods to Norfolk are constant and take considerable lengths of time. Shipping issues for several years have created bottle-necks with air freight, especially at different times of year when passenger loads are high. This means that evaluating the best time to freight accordingly while adhering to a sustainable budget is tough. Airfreight to Norfolk Island costs approximately $4.00 per landed kilo and we publish about 8 tonnes of magazines a year. Conversely, sea freight is cheaper though it is limited and routed from Australia to New Zealand and then to Norfolk Island where there are challenges in offloading freight due to the lack of a large shipping port. So, together with coinciding publications with shipping schedules, sea freight is a process that can regularly take up to 6 months. We design the publication in such a way that it is as timeless as it can be in its content to help offset the long delivery times that might outdate each publication, though the advertiser‘s products and services inevitably change which we have to be mindful of, and we ensure everything is always designed in such a way that it can be relevant for as long as possible.

IMPACT AND OUTCOMES

What this publication has done to keep Norfolk Island’s stories alive and connect and engage with the Norfolk Island visitor on a continual basis for over a decade is Insprint’s greatest achievement. Over the years we have had so many people reach out to us to tell us how much the publication means to them from a cultural point as well as a way for island businesses and operators to offer their products and services. I’ve learned so much from the publication and never tire of learning, and so do locals and visitors too. The magazine has become a major marketing tool for the island because of its timeless design and balance of content, and all the marketing boxes it manages to tick for each of its stakeholders.