On 7 February 2008 SanomaWSOY, the Group that Sanoma Magazines is part of, announced the annual results. Sanoma Magazines has had a prosperous year. In 2007, the Divisional net sales grew by 7.1% to €1,238 million. Sanoma Uitgevers contributed 44% of this, Sanoma Magazines International 23%, Sanoma Magazines Belgium 17% and Sanoma Magazines Finland 16%. The operating profit (excluding major non-recurring capital gains) grew to €139.7 million, an increase of 10.7%. In addition to these results the Group also announced a proposed name change from SanomaWSOY to Sanoma Corporation. The proposed name change will be decided on during the Annual General Meeting on 1 April 2008.

Aku Ankka takes another hurdle. In 2007 the Finnish Donald Duck reached an all-time circulation record, in 2008 he and the other citizens of Duckburg will enter a new online home. Akuankka.fi will be relaunched on March 10th. The site, running on a new technical platform provided by Sanoma Data, will be the first more professional, target-driven website from Sanoma Magazines Finland. Akuankka.fi should quickly gain a core audience of 50,000 unique users weekly. Features like Akupedia, where users can create and modify articles about Disney characters, and the ability to create Duck profiles where users can e.g. collect Junior Woodchuck merit medals, should help in reaching this target.

During the Dutch annual Magazine Gala Sanoma Uitgevers scooped up two Mercur awards. The Mercurs are named after Haagsche Mercurius, the first illustrated magazine of the Netherlands originating from 1697. Mercurs are awarded in categories like Magazine of the Year (women’s weekly Viva), Art Direction of the Year (Kek, the glossy about children’s fashion and home deco trends), and Launch of the Year (‘cultural glossy’ Hollands Diep from competitor Weekbladpers).

During the Christmas period Get in Shape magazine was launched. In the building of Sanoma Uitgevers a celebrity personal trainer gave an intensive work-out to lose the extra pounds gained during Christmas dinner. Get in Shape is the first magazine about weight-loss in the Netherlands. The glossy magazine is aimed at all women who want to feel good about their bodies. Get in Shape will be published quarterly and has a newsstand price of €4.95.

In December 2007 the 15th international edition of Good Housekeeping was launched by Independent Media Sanoma Magazines Ukraine. Good Housekeeping was founded in 1885 and has serviced women with beauty, parenting and home tips ever since. In Ukraine the magazine will be published monthly with an initial print run of 50,000 copies.

Two websites from newrulez, ilse media’s Youth Interaction Company, became ‘website of the year’ at the annual contest with the same name in the Netherlands. The Website of the Year contest is decided on by the general public in an internet election. Girlscene.nl , a platform for girls between 12 and 18 years old that offers fashion, beauty and lifestyle news, was chosen as Community of the Year. The best Dutch entertainment site of 2007 is Celebscene.nl . Celebscene offers entertainment news, celebrity interviews and film and music reviews updated daily.

Sanoma Hearst Romania has announced a true advertising innovation: in the March edition of Esquire a perfume sample will be sealed. But not like it has ever been done before. In this unique case the perfume advertisement will contain an actual (small-sized) glass bottle of Bvlgari Soir fragrance!

For Sanoma Uitgevers the New Year started with a renewed website. Sanoma-uitgevers.nl sports a fresh new look, is optimized technically and has more content than ever. Amongst the many features are a ‘target audience finder’ for advertisers and an overview of all Sanoma Uitgevers’ brands. The site also contains a few blogs; one is written by the Creative Director Rob van Vuure.

This year the Eurovision Song Contest Final will take place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The contest will be one of the biggest media events of the year. Adria Media Serbia (AMS), the joint venture between Sanoma Magazines International and G+J, operates from Belgrade. That is why our Serbian colleagues are offering all Sanoma Magazines titles the opportunity to cover the song contest with an insider’s advantage. AMS can provide titles with all kinds of information about Serbia, Belgrade, the venue, participants, etc. and make sure that they get good photographs, exclusive interviews, hot news and all sorts of information about participants, organizers, parties, and the main event itself.

After Vienna in 2007, where will Sanoma Magazines International’s Strategy Meeting take place this year? Last year’s moderator Joris van Heukelom recently became CEO of ilse media. Who will chair the Meeting this time, and what will his or her next career step be? And will the theme once more focus on ‘cross media’, or will it be something else completely? Sanoma Magazines International has officially announced that all will be clear on 20 to 23 May. (Because then the Meeting is scheduled to take place.)