This weekend a relaunched Sunday People will be unveiled with a
new masthead, a new design, extra pagination and an innovative new
structure.
From Sunday (August 18th) the title will be renamed "The
People", and will include a brand-new stand-alone sports paper.
The SP - distributed free inside The People - will be Britain's
biggest sports newspaper.
The redesigned main paper will continue with its winning
combination of news and showbiz exclusives plus radical new features. But, in a
ground-breaking departure, it will no longer carry sports reports.
People magazine has also been revamped, with a new design, new
content and a new editor.
At a massive 48 pages, The SP will offer unrivalled, in-depth
coverage of all popular sports.
Uniquely to national newspapers, it will cover the entire
football spectrum, with full match reports and results from Premiership to
Nationwide to non-League.
There'll also be a huge racing section, plus comprehensive
coverage of rugby, motor-racing, cricket and all other popular sports.
The highly successful Hotline and Sports Confidential features
will be expanded to include more of the latest sporting news and gossip.
And The SP team will be bringing readers even more exclusive
interviews with the biggest names in sport.
The SP has also signed up TalkSPORT's popular and controversial
Mike Parry for his unique take on the major sporting issues.
Trinity Mirror will invest over £2m in the relaunch in the first
year alone. This includes marketing, editorial and the extra pagination required
to create the new sports paper.
A five-week TV advertising campaign focusing on football-related
media such as The Premiership, On the Ball and Sky Sports will back the new-look
paper.
The ad - directed by Brian Baderman - shows a reader carrying
out mundane Sunday tasks before becoming spellbound by a copy of The SP.
The price remains at 65p, which - with the new design, extra
pagination and free sports paper - represents tremendous value for the
reader.
People Editor Neil Wallis said: "This is the most radical
innovation in popular newspapers since the introduction of colour magazines. We
are redefining the way tabloid newspapers are made.
"As well as a fantastic new look, a new masthead, new editorial
ideas and a revitalised magazine, The People has created a unique product in our
industry.
"The SP is a totally new concept: a stand-alone sports newspaper
with its own editorial team, its own masthead and its own distinct
identity.
"The People has had a great year, holding its own in the
toughest of marketplaces. We are already in a strong position, and we decided
that now was the time to raise our game even further."
MGN Marketing Director Alisdair Luxmoore said: "This relaunch
has followed extensive reader research. In today's complicated world the Sunday
papers are all about escaping from life's challenges and Sunday's chores.
"The People is the ultimate escape with its celebrity news and
now, the UK's best sports paper. The People relaunch TV campaign dramatises this
feeling with a compelling public information film, complete with amateur actors,
starbursts and, of course, scantily dressed young women...."
Mark Haysom, MGN's Managing Director, said: "We have been
working on our plans for some months and we believe we have come up with
something very innovative. Certainly the results of research into The People and
SP are very encouraging.
"This has been a big year for new thinking in our newspapers. I
am pleased to say that we have received a number of plaudits for the major brand
relaunch for the Daily Mirror and the launch of M-Celebs - the new magazine for
the Sunday Mirror.
"We are not, however, content to rest on our laurels and we have
now turned our attention to The People."
Lee Clayton, People Sports Editor said: "It's not often that you
get the opportunity to create an entirely new paper.
"The People is already well-known for its superb sports
coverage: the SP will allow us build on that success and take it to an entirely
different level.
"This is a very exciting time for our hugely talented team of
sports journalists and top columnists, including David O'Leary."
