Spy, the magazine “that puts its nose in other people’s business”, launches in Italy

On newsstands from tomorrow, Friday 23 June, Spy, a new magazine that will reveal the secrets of the Italian star system.

This new launch will expand the Mondadori Group’s portfolio of brands with a popular weekly characterised by a distinctive formula and positioning compared with what is currently on the market. Spy will be the only magazine to reveal the un-confessed and un-confessable secrets of celebrities, in a tantalising and biting style.

“The recent months have been a very exciting period for our magazines. We are the market leader, with a market share of around 32% and our portfolio of brands is continuing to expand,” declared Carlo Mandelli, the Mondadori Group’s general manager of Magazines Italy. We have launched a new magazine – Giallo Zafferano – re-launched others, alongside growth in digital where we are now Italy’s leading publisher with around 17 users per month. Spy will further extend our offer with a new product, aimed at a broad base of readers, interested, as the magazine’s claim clearly states, in “a magazine that puts its nose into other people’s business”, and discovering, in a tantalising and biting style, what goes on behind the scenes in the lives of TV personalities, the stars of TV series and the protagonists of reality and talent shows.

“Spy is the result of a project that we have developed with the aim of offering, in addition to Chi – Italy’s leading people magazine –  an innovative new weekly with a strong identity, but always faithful to the editorial quality that characterises all of the Group’s brands,”  Mandelli concluded.

Spy is based on an idea by Alfonso Signorini, the editor of the weekly Chi: “Spy has a dual mission: to inform and entertain. It is a decidedly well informed magazine, thanks to an editorial team and collaborators that have spent their lives behind the scenes or working also, though not only, in the entertainment world, though not only,  and hearing, every day, news and “rumours” from the inside. The news and rumours that fill the magazine, from the first to the last page. And doing so in an entertaining way, not taking itself too seriously and not being the fountain of absolute truth, clear in the knowledge that the world is never just black and white, but an infinite range of colours,” said Signorini.

Edited by Massimo Borgnis, Spy digs into the life of celebrities, revealing unexpected stories that focus on the personalities of the moment who most enthuse the Italian audience. Among the topics in the first issue: Stefano De Martino is the new sex symbol of the summer and Kate’s red light friendship that is making the Queen tremble. But also: The media war between Maria De Filippi and Stefano Gabbana and Corona is released from prison, marries Silvia Provvedi and changes his life.

In addition to the news, inside Spy, readers will find columns and features dedicated to cooking, fashion, beauty and TV programmes.

A massive launch plan has been put together to support the new magazine: for the first four weeks, Spy will have a total print run of 2 million copies, alongside a communication campaign starring Alfonso Signorini.

The TV commercial – which will be aired throughout the summer – with a surprising and ironic tone, sees Alfonso Signorini during an original “confession”, that he feels the need to reveal, in the new Spy, all of the VIPs’ most hidden secrets.

The campaign, developed by Twin Studio, is articulated across various media.

Spy will enjoy major communication support with a multi-brand approach on all media: in addition to TV (Mediaset channels), an important radio campaign (R101, Virgin, Radio Italia, 105) is planned, as well as the Mondadori Group’s print titles, and promotion at points of sale, on the web and social networks.

Digital communication is strong with a video strategy with a display campaign on Mondadori’s women’s websites with 24 million impressions and buzz marketing activities on Facebook with a number of celebrity teaser videos.

Videos, revelations, and previews will be shared on the Spy fanpage www.facebook.com/SpyMagazineIT

After the launch. at €0.50 €, the cover price of Spy will be €1.

“With Spy, Mediamond, the advertising sales company, will extend its offer also to the most popular product categories, which occupy a highly active segment,” said Davide Mondo, chief executive of Mediamond. “The market has responded very positively to the launch of Spy. The first issue has collected 54 advertising pages and we already have a great response for the 3 subsequent issues. This confirms our idea that Spy is the right product to complete our already extensive portfolio,” Mondo concluded.