Agency Insider: Daphne Caruana Galizia about Taste

This is the 9th Agency Insider blog post. In this post, we chat with Daphne Caruana Galizia about Taste.com.mt and the whole Taste project, conceived in November of 2004(4 years ago this month)

KG: Taste turned 4 last June. How has the project changed since 2004?

DCG: Taste magazine has changed a great deal, growing from 64 stapled pages to 144 burst-bound pages at its largest. We’ve changed the paper from matt to a high quality semi-gloss, and now have the cover laminated. We’ve got more cooks, more features, and lots of interesting information, but we’ve kept to the same policy of keeping an advertising-to-editorial ratio of around 60% editorial and 40% advertising. In the vast majority of magazines published in Malta, it’s the other way round. We’ve also kept to a policy of keeping overheads to an absolute minimum, which frees up revenue to invest in editorial content. After all, readers don’t care how many staff you have; they’re only interested in what lies between the pages.

KG: Taste is a magazine for those who love food and drink...Who loves food and drink (who are the readers of Taste)?

DCG: Taste readers, we were amazed to discover, come from all walks of life, all ages, both genders and several different nationalities. We’ve even had enquiries from people who’ve seen a copy while on holiday here and want to know whether we run a subscription service. We don’t. It’s not feasible as the postage is too expensive and the administration is cumbersome. That’s not our main area of business.



KG: 4 months ago Taste also evolved online? Why and what was the feedback?

DCG: People don’t throw Taste away. They keep it, use it as a reference because of the recipes and features, and try to source back copies – which, incidentally, have run out at our end. We were receiving repeated enquiries about an index, but then said – hang on, an index is the old-fashioned complicated way of doing things. It makes much more sense to have an on-line archive, and it’s easier for people to use, too. They just key in the recipe they’re looking for and it comes up. Once we were going to all that trouble, we thought we might as well add on features like facilities which allow people to ask questions about food and food products, and a ‘blog’ which would allow us to communicate news like publication dates and so on. Further features will be added. The feedback has been very good. Lots of people now keep a laptop in the kitchen, so you can read your recipe straight off the screen while preparing it.

KG: Taste as the printed magazine and taste.com.mt? What's the relationship between the 2? How do they complement each other? How has this changed the lifetime of your magazine's content and its consumption?

DCG: The two are very different. The concept is different. Many people thought that www.taste.com.mt would be an on-line version of the magazine, like the on-line versions of newspapers, but of cours,e it’s not. The internet is not a substitute for the print media. It’s a different medium altogether and not necessarily a complementary one. It has to be approached with a different mind – not in terms of putting your magazine on-line, which would be the equivalent of developing a company website by putting its corporate brochure on line. No, people don’t throw the magazine away because they have access to the site. If anything, the site has built more demand for the magazine. The magazine and the site were conceived differently and are used differently. Also, people like to keep magazines that are beautifully illustrated, and thanks to our wonderful photographers and designers, Taste and its sister magazines Flair and Town look very good indeed.

Agency Insider: Inside ME Magazine

Some time has passed since the last Agency Insider. In this issue we chat with Art Director Jon Banthorpe about ME design magazine, its local online presence and the local print industry...and promise this discussion will not end here!

KG: So ME was previously Modern Elegance and had been published for some time. The magazine worked and was one of the coolest around from the very beginning, but then there was a silent phase and a big come back which brought us the magazine as it is today...what happened?, what changed? What didn't?

JB: M.E. was initially a sold magazine based solely on Fashion. With the advent of more free magazines, local magazines with cover prices were very badly affected -even today not many people are considering producing a local magazine with a cover price.

The silent phase you are referring to was our redesign period. We wanted to broaden the magazine's base and take it away from just fashion, concentrating on design and lifestyle as a whole. If you compare today's issues to the past I think you'll find almost everything has changed apart from a few core elements. The main drive has been towards quality - of images, of editorial, and of journalistic content.

As with any changes, we made adjustments and responded to their success or failure, but magazines are very time based and changes must be gradual. The 2008 M.E. is the closest so far to our ideal publication, not that there aren't still adjustments to be made.

KG: The local print industry includes some 25 free magazines
distributed with established networks...does this worry ME magazine?

JB: There are a lot of free magazines, and we pay attention to all. But honestly I think there are only a number of magazines I would recognise. I would love to be in a position where we don't have to pay attention to anybody but that would just be complacency. Though I do think we lead the field in certain areas, and we plan to improve these and more.



KG: Who is in your opinion the typical ME reader?

JB: It's difficult to pin down a typical individual, we approach the magazine from so many levels. Ultimately our ideal reader is one that seeks quality in all things. This could be quality in products, but equally this would also be quality in ideas and execution.

KG: ME's editorial team includes contributions from around the world...is it the same with its readership, and how this fit in your online strategy (medesignmag.com)?

Our distribution is purely local, so other than foreigners in Malta that read the magazine, our readership remains locally based. We do send a lot of issues abroad to contributors, potential interviewees and others and always receive a positive reaction which is encouraging.

As for the website, all websites must have an international outlook, as is their nature. Our viewing figures tell us we receive a lot of foreign and local hits, and this is largely due to the breadth and quality of the subjects we cover. Ultimately I'd like medesignmag.com to be the most viewed site in Malta - once a month is not enough for the amount of material we generate.

BLAB (p)reviews the new Town Magazine

The first issue of Town magazine will be out on the 29th of June but Daphne Caruana Galizia of Proximus has kindly allowed us to preview it a week before.

According to the books, a business is like a person, with its ups and downs, struggles, achievements and moods. So when one tries to identify the people behind a particular business venture, their story is as personal as business can get. High level business knowledge falls by the side and makes way for real life stories about people.

According to Proximus, Town will focus on "new faces and changes in Maltese business, with a particular interest in people who have built up their own successful businesses". The magazine "aims to bring business and an entrepreneurial culture to the average reader, in a way that makes it interesting and far from tedious"

But will Town be just another free magazine distributed with a local newspaper? Judging from the teasers BLAB has been provided with, we feel that this 'personal touch' to business is not as popular locally and should attract a wider audience. Apart from that, Town is the latest addition to a range of successful publications which do not go unnoticed with a Sunday Read. In fact, Proximus already publish Taste and Flair magazines. Both magazines carry a similar combination of quality design, professional photography and fresh writing.


More info:
Town magazine is out on 29 June with The Malta Independent on Sunday, and the following Thursday with The Malta Business Weekly. It will be published quarterly at first, moving on to bi-monthly. Town is produced and published by Proximus.

eInterview with eBusinessMalta.com

'eBusinessMalta.com is a consortium of Malta's leading eBusiness organisations, namely company & fiduciary services providers, hosting & co-location facilities provider, e-payment solution provider and a recruitment agency / portal'

BLAB caught up with Jonathan Dalli and eInterviewed him about the whole idea behind this eVenture.

KG: It seems to me as the perfect one stop shop for any company in the eCommerce industry...how did it all come together and how do you ensure it really remains a one stop shop?
JD: The consortium, made up of Malta's leading eBusiness organisations, came together following the close business relationship that exists between the various consortium partners. The various partners within the consortium have been involved in e-commerce / e-business for the last 6 years, particularly since the inception of online betting / gaming in Malta. The aim of the consortium is to assist foreign companies relocating to Malta with a range of services enabling them to streamline their ebusiness operations. The main scope of the consortium is to have one single brand particularly when exhibiting in international conferences / trade shows / expos. However, the consortium is not limited solely to exhibitions but also focused on online marketing efforts and referral marketing.

Services offered include Company Set-up & Incorporation; Regulatory & Licensing Consultancy; Directorship & Management Services, Accounting & Secretarial Services; Back-Office & Support Services; Fiduciary & Trustee Services; International Trade Mark & Patent Registration; Personnel Recruitment; Relocation & Residency; Bank Accounts & ePayment Solutions; Internet Bandwidth, and Hosting & Co-Location Services. The partners within the consortium make sure that it really remains a one stop shop by means of periodic meetings that are both product development focused and also marketing / sales focused.

KG: The website lists various events where partners in the consortium attend and promote the brand but how do you ensure presence in key online websites/blogs/etc.?
JD: Key online presence is mainly ensured through Search Engine Optimisation, in order to ensure that the brand (also in the light that it is a .com brand) is present online as much as possible. Furthermore, such online efforts are also complemented by posting our press releases on a number of media / news sites on the net which also help to direct traffic to ebusinessmalta.com. Finally, advertising in various ecommerce publications (print and online) also complements online marketing efforts.

KG: Do you see other partners joining your Ebusiness shop in the future?
JD: This is not excluded by the present partners, as we're always on the look-out for prospective strategic collaborations with new partners, especially those in the financial and online banking sector.

Alexandra Pace's Top 5 Projects

It is not the first time that Alexandra Pace was mentioned on Blab, but this time I've asked her to choose her top 5 favourite works...a very difficult task for any artist. What follows is her contribution to Blab.

My Top 5 Projects

These are my favourite 5 projects. I wouldn’t say there is any order of preference; they all represent important and special parts of my life and career.



Slideshow of Alexandra Pace's works

1. Aquarium: Aquarium is a collection that was photographed at the start of this year. The Aquarium collection has just been chosen to be exhibited at EUROPEAN NIGHT – Photographical Identities of Europe, consisting of a night of photographic projections on a public industrial site in Arles, France. This event is being organised by "Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles" and will be held in July 2008.

The project is a series of photographs depicting urban life created using a plastic fish-eye lens film camera. This collection is made up of urban scenes, abstract creations and movement. The concept behind this project is that of pseudo fish bowls depicting different scenes from city life. As an outsider looking in, the viewer is invited to look into these little windows of other people’s worlds.

2. Reza Deghati: Last summer I had the pleasure of photographing National Geographic photographer Reza Deghati together with his wife and two lovely children. I met Reza at an exhibition of his works which he exhibited here in Malta. I invited him to visit my studio where I offered to do a set of family portraits for him to commemorate his visit to Malta. Unfortunately we had less than an hour to do this portrait session since he visited my studio on his way to the airport to fly back to Paris; although the result of this session was a set of lovely character studies of Reza and his family, all photographed on black and white negative film.

3. Niki Gravino: One of my favourite projects of 2007 was working with Niki Gravino on his album “Politics of Doublebeds” launched in November 2007. Besides designing all the artwork for the album itself as well as all promo material that went with it, we also did a photoshoot of Niki Gravino and his band The Vile Bodies.

The location used for this photoshoot was none other that the studio of the fantastic Maltese artist Raymond Pitre. The concept of this shoot was that of placing the band members “within” Pitre’s installations as if they were joined together.

4. London Eye Collection: The London Eye Collection is all about the interesting world of the London Underground. This project was done quite a few years ago but still remains one of my favourites. I literally spent the best part of two weeks hopping on and off trains and going from station to station on the Tube.

The collection was exhibited as a collection of hand printed silver gelatin photographs and consists of studies of the architecture, trains, people and details found in the London Underground stations and trains.

5. UNHCR assignment: When Dr. Katrine Camilleri, Assistant Director Jesuit Refugee Service Malta, was awarded the prestigious UNHCR Nansen Refugee award, I got a call from the United Nations office at Geneva requesting me to create a photo documentary of Dr. Katrine Camilleri, her family and her work.

This award, now in its 53rd year, is given to an individual or group for outstanding services in supporting refugee causes. One of the main functions of this assignment was visiting a number of refugee camps around Malta and amidst all the suffering and hardships seen in these camps there is nothing more beautiful than the happiness I saw appear on these refugee’s faces when they see Katrine and her crew coming to visit them.

more info: Alexandra's Website and blog

An interview about dreams, cars and Paqpaq

It has been a quiet week on BLAB but I found some time to get to know more about the Paqpaq initiative and its ever increasing popularity both with car enthusiasts and advertisers. In the next few lines, Tonio Darmanin, a Marketing lecturer by profession and the man behind this initiative, honored us with a few 'blabs' about Paqpaq:


Picture: Car review on Paqpaq; Source: paqpaq.tv

KG: Classic question: How did paqpaq begin? Was it the passion for cars or a community of car fanatics?
TD: Paqpaq started off as a dream. I always loved cars and used to watch foreign programmes but I was never involved in television. Then one day I sat down and scripted what I would include if I had my own car show. It developed from there, I tried to sell the idea to a number of people and finally convinced a production house and PBS to accept the programme. I distinctly remember the first filming sessions where I was provided with a cameraman and a mike and I had to improvise and learn by trial and error. This was six years ago and the technical quality at the time was quite different from what it is today. What was the same was the genuine passion for the subject, something that made Paqpaq acceptable even if not of the highest technical quality. Yes there are numerous enthusiasts here in Malta but what I have learnt over the years is that many are quite focused on their area of interest say, offroading, drag racing, hill climbing, classic cars, bikes, modified vehicles, the list is endless and in some instances are not bothered with anything else.

KG: There were/are many who review the latest in Car products and launches, but paqpaq has something different? Do you agree? Why?

TD: As a profession I lecture marketing and my involvement in the media gives me the opportunity to practice what I preach. The very essence of Paqpaq is to be different. Different from anything that happens on the local media and different also from what happens internationally. Apart from the passion for cars, bikes, boats, speed, travel and adventure, I strive on creativity. I spend hours with my close collaborators discussing, planning and generally dreaming then we try to turn those dreams into reality. What pride can you get out of copying others? Within the parameters and realities of the local scenario, I strive to create and be innovative. I am generally copied but I can live with that, I actually take it as a compliment. What distinguishes Paqpaq is professionalism, credibility, quality, experience and a genuine passion for what we do.


Picture: Christina Aguilera on Paqpaq; Source: paqpaq.tv

KG: Who makes up the Paqpaq audience? Is there a similar audience for the online website and magazine or are they different segments?
TD: Initially, Paqpaq was more of a niche programme aimed at the car enthusiast. These 6 years on air have seen an evolution and whilst still retaining the interest of the enthusiast, we have tried to widen the appeal even to those who are not keen about cars but, for example, are in the process of buying a new car or are interested in learning how to care for their investment. We are as inclusive as possible and rotate features to try and include as many different aspects of the motoring hobby as possible. We cannot satisfy everyone and often get told off because we are not including enough classics or do not give enough coverage to local motorsports, but we sincerely try our best. One message it took me a bit long to get was that sent to me by bikers and for a long time I gave little importance to this sector, primarily because I was not even licenced to ride a bike, having been brought up in a family where bikes were taboo. On the other hand, I do not know how to do things in half measures so less than a year ago I sat for my bike licence. I have since ridden every bike I managed to get my hands on, and I can assure you that the list is long and varied, I organized and filmed my first overland adventure on a bike, have covered and featured the biggest new bike show in Milan and the most prestigious custom bike show in the UK, and have generally set new standards in terms of quality to establish Paqpaq as the benchmark even in this sector. Incidentally my current ride is a beautiful Suzuki GSX 1400 with which I am madly in love.

Regarding audiences, I feel that the audiences for the TV show, the website and the new print publication are different. There will always be a percentage of viewers/browsers/readers that are common, and these will probably include the keen enthusiasts. On the other hand, there are people who visit the website regularly and are amongst the many thousands that receive our electronic newsletter every week but rarely watch the programme. The new publication will again hit a number of persons who do not watch TV or do not have access to the net, but will find the supplement interesting.

KG: What about the latest Paqpaq print initiative?
TD: The print initiative is the natural progression of what we have been building up to. We are a professional outfit that teams up only with other professional partners to make the best of the synergies available. In this case, Media Maker is an ideal strategic partner with the experience and expertise necessary to retain the perception of quality in the print sector which our brand already enjoys on TV and the web. In today’s business environment, it is important to offer our customer as wide a spectrum across all media as possible.

Today, Paqpaq is a force that cannot be ignored. Apart from offering our customers an interesting media mix, being involved in the different media helps strengthen our own position and cross-media exposure. The name we gave the publication, namely Paqpaq – Motoring and Leisure gives a clear indication of where we are heading. Cars and great but so are bikes, boats, the latest accessories and gizmos, travelling, a healthy lifestyle and adventure. This is what Paqpaq is all about.

Cool blabs: Interview with Director of YouTube's Best Short Film of 2007

I got to know about Shelton films whilst going through the winners of this year's YouTube awards. Shelton Films won the 'Short Film Category' and my curiousity led me to briefly interview Ben from Sheltonfilms.com, the producers of the award winning short (online) film 'My Name is Lisa'. The film placed third in 'YouTube project: Direct' and aims to raise awareness about Alzheimer Disease.

Picture: Ben Shelton

Interview follows below:
It actually started with a flair for film making but the web took it to another level?

Yes. When I was 13 years old, I started making short movies and I knew immediately it was what I wanted to do. It may be seen as an unrealistic "dream" to become a filmmaker for some, but my uncle was a filmmaker, so I knew it was a possibility. My uncle Ron wrote and directed Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump and Tin Cup.

Now, if I wanted to be a professional basketball player, that would be somewhat unrealistic, but that's because none of my relatives are in the NBA... Except for my dad's cousin's husband's nephew, but I've never met him.

When I was a kid making movies, the internet didn't exist yet, so I had no idea HOW I was going to get my movies shown, but I knew that it was what I wanted to do. After college I started submitting short films into film festivals, but I got no response. Once YouTube came around, the internet became a place to share my movies to millions of people without having to go through all the film festivals or mailing out DVD's. It's all one click away now. It's great!

What is the most important...a well-produced & well scripted movie or a strong presence in a successful online network?

The most important thing to me is to create something I'm proud of. I want to tell stories, make films, and share my art with an audience, and the internet has allowed me to do that. If your question is: "How do I get my work shown by millions?" The answer is to create great work. Now, there are always cheap tricks and gimmicks to create an online community. I'm sure if you make "shock" videos or "nude" videos, you will get more views, but there's no integrity in that, and I'm not a fan. At the end of the day, great work will get noticed, but you have to work hard and get it out there.

What about the MySpace Deal and the Paul Brogan character?

What about it? We made the first Paul Brogan video after about 100 takes. We wrote it, re-wrote it, and all the focus was on making it great. After we finally enjoyed it, we posted it on YouTube and it just started to grow in popularity. Next thing you know, we're in the MySpace offices signing a deal. Since then, we've made 5 more videos that have been featured on MySpace.com and one of them was shown on the Super Bowl pre-game show. But it all started with us being perfectionists and making sure the first video was as funny as it could be.

"My Name is Lisa" is one of your latest successful productions which again has made it big on established online networks. Was this production specifically made for the online audience?

I made the film for YouTube Project: Direct, so I knew it was going to be seen on-line first. It was in my consciousness, and so I added the video-log to the story because I knew that that was what people are used to looking at. That's the only thing that was related to watching it on-line. And I probably would have had the video blog anyway, because that's just the world we live in today.

How does an online video become so popular? Is it just posting it on the net?

It's never just one thing. It's always a combination of a compelling story, great acting, good writing and just the right amount of luck.

Watch the film:


Get to know more about SheltonFilms

Get to know more about 'My Name is Lisa'

Agency Insider #2: ChooseMalta.com

Just at the beginning of March, allow me to post the second of the 'Agency Insider' series of posts. This time, BLAB got in touch with Jonathan Shaw, agency insider and founder of the ChooseMalta.com brand (which over the past years has triggered a number of other ChooseToTravel sites). Below is BLAB's email interview.


In brief, what did kick-start ChooseMalta.com and how did it develop to become a global initiative – ChooseToTravel.com?

I was working and living in New York when I realised that the way forward for any business is the internet and also that Malta lacked a real-time, Malta specific travel portal. I recall flying to LA for a meeting and spending 4 hours writing potential domain names. ChooseMalta.com was eventually available and I registered it. That same night, I woke up at around 3am and decided to register other available countries. We now have over 60 country domain name with the Choose branding.

Having no IT background, teaming up with one of my partners Chris Knights proved to be instrumental to our development plan.

How important is the users' experience on your online websites, and hence how important are analytics and statistics that measure that?

The user’s experience is crucial. I don’t come from an IT background so I always automatically think like a customer would do.

Chris Knights then has the difficult task of creating an output which is workable for a customer yet solid and functional from an IT point of view.

Analytics and stats are important yet they are only a tool in the whole business. How one can interpret these results to generate a competitive advantage for the business is another issue and it’s not always easy.

What is the feedback you get from hotels and other advertisers on ChooseMalta.com / ChooseToTravel?

We sell hotel accommodation online and real-time and different hotels have different performances. In just 3 years we have become Malta’s leading travel website and we are still experiencing huge growth.

We also just launched ChooseItaly.com, we have a Sales Representative in Milan and we are currently signing up hotels in Italy, it’s not easy but feedback is positive.

Any plans to grow further and who shall I speak to if I have a related innovative idea to put forward?

The plan is to launch all of our choose destinations and have substantial online traffic and bookings. The model has worked for some of other destinations and it’s now a matter of time & resources until we launch and manage all of our domain portfolio.

What in your opinion makes you different from other travel websites?

In my opinion we have 3 main criteria that make us different from the big travel sites: The Choose branding is rather catchy; We focus on one destination (per site) and provide concise travel info; Our system is easy and very transparent to use, no hidden fees, etc.

Nonetheless, the internet offers a huge platform to reach a huge market with no boundaries. Our aim is to have quality traffic and a consistent clientele that use our services for the various travel sites. We plan to focus on delivering a good product and service and we are confident that the numbers will add up in due course!

Agency Insider #1: BMA

In this first edition, agency insider Richard Muscat Azzopardi speaks to us about his experience in BMA ltd., a media venture he co-founded. Recently one of BMA's publication has joined TheTimes distribution network. Curious as we tend to be about media we emailed BMA to get to know why after 74 issues they decided to change the magazine's distribution.

How long have you been working on print products?
We, as BMA (and previously as MB Creations) (www.bma.com.mt) have been working on print design since 1999, but it was only in 2004 that we entered the hectic market of publications. A publication is the mother of all print jobs for many reasons, but in this case we were handling the publication from inception to print. This adds a completely new dimension to the job and involves much more than pretty lines on a page. From commissioning articles and writing them in house to chasing advertisers at all the different stages of the process to the complete design and export of the final product, no amount of experience in design can prepare you for the whirlwind that is a publication. We had no one in house who had ever published magazines, so we made loads of mistakes and paid for them, sometimes dearly. By one year later, though, we had arrived at a winning formula which gave us one of the best publications on the island.

Why Boats & Yachting (www.boatsandyachting.com)?
It all came about from a chance meeting between Matthew and Mario Psaila, the previous publisher, who had a dormant magazine. Half jokingly he offered it to us since it hadn't been published for over a year. Matthew took him up on the offer, and with Richard's boating background it seemed like a logical publication to start off with. In time we bought out the magazine and turned it into the successful venture you know today.

Why did the magazine move to The Times (distribution wise)?
With the previous format & distribution of B&Y we had 6,000 happy readers but we were finding that the scope for growth was quite limited. The magazine was always supported solely by advertising (our previous cover price of EUR 3.5 hardly covered the printing cost, let alone all the other expenses) so we thought we'd move to a medium which can attract a wider base of advertisers related to the boating and luxury industry. The change was much more radical than simply moving distribution to The Times as the change was a major conceptual upheaval. B&Y lost its news and brokerage (boats for sale to landlubbers) completely and was turned into a feature magazine, with longer articles which are not time sensitive in nature. This was backed with a change in frequency, which went down from bimonthly to quarterly. A new product was launched together with B&Y's first issue in The Times - On Deck. This is a newspaper supplement printed on thick white paper which will cover current boating news and brokerage more frequently and with very flexible advertising options.

Any plans for your agency and other work you do?
Our agency is currently growing and changing at the same time. We are focusing our sights on 2 main fields: publications and web media. In the field of publications we currently have 3 regular ones and are working on some others. The first two are Boats and Yachting and On Deck, which we've spoken about already, while the third is Nitro ( www.nitro.com.mt) - Malta's first free motorsport magazine. We've been publishing As for web media, we are specialising in rich media content - interactive games and software to enhance web advertising and the web presence of clients who want something more for their visitors.

What to expect from BMA in 2008?
A lot. We are currently working on two brand new publications - Nomads (A travel magazine) and InPulZ (a health and wellbeing magazine) to be published first in March and April respectively. These shall be distributed with The Times and will be similar to B&Y in production values and size. In addition to these magazines which have already been confirmed, we're closing in on deals to publish another couple of magazines, while we also aim to put Drive (our own new car magazine - there was a 16 page preview in Issue 76 of B&Y) into gear (excuse the pun) and publish it throughout the course of this year. That is not to mention expansion in the rich media design business thanks to some major international clients we are currently courting, a probable move to a larger office and further recruitment.