EMPRISE NEWS: ADVENTURES TAKES DIGITAL FIRST ‘TACK’

Emprise Group — 27 July 2022
Leading outdoor & leisure publisher moves to digital first approach post COVID.

In an announcement to the market released today, Adventures Group Holdings (Adventures) signalled its focus will shift to digital content in the wake of changed market conditions post COVID. 

The 50 year old print masthead, Trade-A-Boat, will print its last regular issue in September 2022. The final issue (#554) will feature a wrap up of the Sydney International Boat Show (SIBS) which provides an insight into the transformation of the Adventures business. 

The release of the SIBS Show Guide this week coinciding with the announcement of Trade-A-Boat was more than just convenient timing. 

“The SIBs Show Guide is a content agency arrangement with Mulpha and the BIA where we can use our expertise to deliver exceptional value to our partners and clients. The amplification of the content via our digital channels broadens the reach of the content and delivers additional value - the USP of our business.” Adventures CEO Rob Gallagher commented.

The transition to a digital first publisher has been a process which has taken longer than planned. This change was exacerbated by the impact of COVID which saw the business focus almost exclusively on our own brands during lockdowns as the team focused on surviving rather than thriving. However, the  plan for Adventures always lay on a digital path. 

“We acquired Trade-A-Boat five years ago as a digital classifieds platform that also printed a magazine. The fact we ended up continuing to publish the masthead for so long is a credit to the strength of the brand and the quality of the product put together by the team, but it was never the long term plan,” Gallagher said.  

“Our focus as a business was always to create the best and most credible content within our chosen markets. Looking at the best ways to then distribute that content to maximise reach, and ultimately provide value to our partners, has morphed over time as market conditions changed and new technologies emerged. Trade-A-Boat will embrace these and continue to serve the Marine industry as a key marketplace seeded with news, content and reviews to engage the consumer. ”

In the last 12 months, figures released in the Are Direct - Australian Magazine Retail Sales & Insights 2021 report showed retail magazine sales had dropped 33.4% over the past four years and 11% during financial year 21. This highlighted the challenges for publications like Trade-A-Boat and Camper Trailer Australia to operate in a print form.

“Circulation is something we have been seeking collaboration with other publishers, printers and industry stakeholders to step up on. We still see print as such an important medium to communicate with consumers, however the traditional retail distribution model has been compromised for many years.” Gallagher added.

Countering that industry trend is Caravan World magazine which has grown its retail circulation 7% over the past two years. Supporting this growth is the fact Caravan World has embraced a digital first approach with the recent Caravan of the Year delivering over 1 million impressions across video and review content. 

Adventures Creative Director Tim van Duyl added “Caravan World continues to provide the consumer a source of quality, credible content while delivering an environment for advertisers which consistently delivers value. This is a credit to the quality of the content and the strength of the brand with its highly engaged customer base”. 

The Adventures media brands will continue to be supported by the major events, including Caravan of the Year and Camper Trailer of the Year, and complement the work done as a digital and content agency for our marketing partners. 

For further information and comment, contact:

Rob Gallagher, CEO, Emprise Group

Email: rgallagher@emprisegroup.com.au 

Phone: 0418 339 836

Tim van Duyl, Creative Director, Adventures Group Holdings

Email: tvanduyl@emprisegroup.com.au 

Phone: 0487 650 171

Dominic O’Brien, Head of Partnerships & Sales, Adventures Group Holdings

Email: dobrien@emprisegroup.com.au 

Phone: 0416 154 429

About Adventure Group

Adventures Group Holdings is a dynamic media and marketing business specialising in the delivery of content for the outdoor / adventure travel sector.

Adventures operates a number of industry-leading brands (including; Caravan World, Trade-A-Boat, Trade RVs and Camper Australia) which each engage with a niche industry segment to connect with and engage consumers. We also service a number of key industry clients including the CMCA (custom publishing The Wanderer magazine) and Hema Maps where we deliver agency services to drive value for our clients.

The content delivered by the Adventures business is distributed through a range of mediums including websites, magazines, navigation devices (inc In-Dash & PND units), books, mobile applications and social channels. These channels engage with over half a million active users each month.

Through our own channels, Adventures has generated over 3.8million pageviews on our websites, 250,000 video views and social reach of over 1.25 Million over the past 12 months.

The Adventures business is part of the Emprise Group which operates four key business streams across media (events, print & digital), mapping (GPS & printed maps and books), marketplaces and technology solutions.

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