Opinion
Media Choice: Waitrose Food Illustrated
08.08.2007Zara-Jane Cobb, Press Planner/Buyer Waitrose is 100 issues old, but it still looks good!
This month, Waitrose Food Illustrated reached its all-important milestone of 100th issue. Since it’s inception in 1998 as Food Illustrated, it was subsequently bought by Waitrose in 1999, it has been positioned as the foodies’ food mag for the affluent AB market, and as it enters its 100th issue this position hasn’t changed. In true Waitrose style the celebration of this milestone is understated and simple; a quirky gatefold, illustrated by Andy Ward, celebrating the many and varied contributors to the magazine is one of just a few self congratulatory additions to an otherwise unchanged issue.
As with Waitrose itself, Food Illustrated has always prided itself on being an ‘agenda setting byword for style and quality’ and this issue doesn’t disappoint. With contributors such as Gary Rhodes, Marco Pierre White, Skye Gyngell and Shaun Hill, the line up perfectly reflects the quality and sophistication that has marked Waitrose Food since its launch into the market. To mark the centenary, articles such as the ‘100 Greatest Moments in Food’ is a nice, albeit understated, look at the history of food appreciation, while the £20,000 book deal winner talks about the life changing opportunities awaiting her as she strives at becoming the next ‘big thing’ of food writing.
Other than a small price cut on the newsstand, to thank readers for their loyalty and continued support, the issue maintains its successful content formula with the usual detailed look at what is new in food and in store. All things considered I would have expected nothing less from Waitrose than this reserved pat on the back for a job well done!
