30 November 2023
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Louis Eksteen
Poultry Bulletin magazine, the official mouthpiece of the South African Poultry Association (SAPA), has won silver in the prestigious International Content Marketing Awards 2023, which were announced in London on Thursday.
Editor Melinda Shaw of Shaw Media expressed the significance of winning an award in such a competitive field, in which Poultry Bulletin fought off fierce competition from over 30 countries, to stand alongside international brands such as Qantas Think Event Series (gold winner), Porche Post Magazine (bronze) and Barclays Avios Rewards – A connected journey for Barclays and British Airways (shortlisted) in the category Best Use of Monetised Content.
“The importance of the poultry industry for South Africa’s agricultural sector and indeed the country’s food security cannot be overstated, and getting international recognition for its dedicated publication is a thrilling achievement. We are very proud indeed,” said Shaw.
The only publication in South Africa that is exclusively aimed at the poultry industry, Poultry Bulletin has been under Shaw Media’s custodianship for almost three years and is monetised through advertising for self-sustainability without any funding from SAPA. Audience research and advertising income has proven the success of the editorial content solution created by Shaw Media and design partners Twisted Toast Digital, with most issues increasing in size to accommodate advertising demand.
The most recent audience research (conducted in November 2023) shows once more that advertising in Poultry Bulletin is recognised as both valuable and influential and that the magazine is an indispensable platform for reaching its readership of senior decision-makers in the poultry industry.
Reader testimonials include:
“Please keep up the excellent magazine”; “Thank you for a valuable magazine and for being on the poultry industry side”, “What a fantastic publication, you have a winning team and formula, keep at it!”
In line with growing advertiser demand a new monetisation strategy was devised and Poultry Bulletin published its first sponsored brand extension this year, a supplement to commemorate a high-profile industry event. The supplement generated enough advertising to cover its production costs and generate additional income for SAPA. It proves advertisers now have enough confidence in the brand to commit to additional investment and further brand extensions, including around finance and transport solutions, are planned for 2024.
Says SAPA’s Izaak Breitenbach: “The award is extremely good news at the end of one of the toughest years ever in the poultry industry’s century-old history. In between the impacts of loadshedding, avian flu and service delivery issues, ours remains an internationally competitive industry and Poultry Bulletin’s global triumph underscores that fact without a doubt. Our hearty congratulations to Shaw Media for bringing this award home.”
