Former DDB Sydney and Anomaly New York staffer Richard Fogarty is set to launch a Sydney street press magazine called Concrete Playground, as he expands his website of the same name.
The Sydney Concrete Playground website launched at the beginning of 2010, and is expanding this month into Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland. The site previews art, music, film, performing arts, and general cultural events around each city its covers, with a strong focus on creativity.
A quarterly Sydney-based magazine will launch in May, showcasing interesting cultural events and stories regarding creativity in Sydney. The free magazine will have an initial print run of 10,000 copies, and will be available at "cultural and creative hubs around the city".
Fogarty told AdNews: "This is just a much more interesting, engaging way for us to market Concrete Playground to new readers than blasting the city with bill posters. For me there is still something incredibly compelling about well produced, tactile and tangible publications, regardless of the growth of mobile and digital. It just means you have to create a better product offline. It will be a magazine quality publication at street press prices [ie. free]."
The magazine will be paid for by advertising, although Fogarty would not be drawn on which advertisers have shown interest. The advertiser currently dominating the website is Lucky Drink Co, while Fogarty said that "partners" of the site include the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Theatre Company, the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Carriageworks.
The publication's primary competitor will be Time Out, in terms of content, and local street press like Brag and Drum Media, in terms of distribution channels.
"The main purpose of the magazine will be to build awareness of the brand, so people come to the website. The website is where the profit is made, through advertising and sponsorship brokerage."
The magazine may launch in other Australian cities, depending on the success of the first Sydney-based issue.
Fogarty is also looking at expanding his website into Singapore, Jakarta, Wellington and Perth. A Concrete Playground geolocation app is also in production stages.
Before launching Concrete Playground Fogarty worked as business manager at DDB Sydney and brand manager at Anomaly New York.
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