Pub Makes Economical Offer for Gift Givers

The Economist, that champion of the free market, has begun a subscriber acquisition ad campaign targeting gift buyers and college graduates.

The May through mid-June effort coincides with college graduations nationwide. This is a prime recruiting period for marketers of credit cards, loan consultants, apparel and magazines.

"We know from history and research that readers started reading The Economist when it was given to them as a gift," said Susan Clark, New York-based global marketing director of The Economist.

The marketing push targets subscribers and individuals who have given gifts before, according to records in The Economist's database.

The Economist is using an integrated campaign that includes inserts, cover wraps and e-mail blasts to the internal mailing list. The ads were sent on a rolling basis that began with e-mails and will end with landing pages on the magazine's Web site at www.economist.com.

The gift offer is $77 for a one-year subscription covering the publication's 51 weekly issues. Regular subscribers pay $129. A single copy costs $4.95 on newsstands.

The Economist's rate base circulation surpasses 1 million worldwide with 569,336 subscriptions coming from North America.

Response will not be known until the campaign's conclusion.

Ms. Clark has served as global marketing director of The Economist for the past 10 months and works to develop The Economist brand and circulation in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"With our magazine, you need to read a couple of issues before you get hooked," she said. "One of the great things about gifts is that people pay attention to them."