Source from luxurydaily

A new print magazine joint venture by Observer Media Group and China Happenings will launch Nov. 12 targeting the affluent Chinese tourist in New York .

The magazine’s content will be published in both Mandarin and English and will be targeted at high-net-worth Chinese consumers in New York. The inaugural issue of Yue magazine will feature advertisements from luxury brands such as Fendi, Ralph Lauren, Chanel fine jewelry, Christian Dior, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, Ermenegildo Zegna and Tiffany & Co.

“The interesting thing is more than 50 percent of Chinese luxury shopping is conducted overseas,” said Chui-Ti Jansen, publisher of New York-based Yue magazine. “We see it is a match made in heaven because overseas travel ranks as the No. 1 activity for the Chinese wealthy.

“So we wanted to bring the two together,” she said. “And there was a void in the marketplace to market New York experiences to China’s luxury travelers.”

The Observer Media Group publishes The New York Observer, The Commercial Observer, NYO Magazine and Observer Scooter. It also maintains the Web sites Observer.com, GalleristNY.com and BetaBeat.com.

China Happenings is a multimedia and consulting agency that focuses on the lifestyle and culture of contemporary China.

Bourne China
Yue’s content will focus on the New York lifestyle while taking into account Chinese cultural sensitivities.

The editorial content areas are fashion, shopping, art, culture, design, history, dining, nightlife, notable Chinese icons, real estate and investment opportunities.

The content will be presented in Mandarin on the left-hand side and English on the right-hand side of the page.

Yue will be distributed in luxury hotels favored by Chinese consumers, Chinese-focused tour and vacation operators in New York and China, Chinese cultural and business institutions in New York and the VIP lounges of major airline operators who fly direct between the two.

“We are more than elated by the overwhelming response we have gotten so far from advertisers,” Ms. Jansen said.

“We are particularly pleased because we have a lot of luxury brands who signed on before the launch,” she said.

For the first distribution, 8,500 complimentary copies will also be mailed to Mandarin-speaking, high-net-worth individuals in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The name of the magazine, Yue, is the second character of the Mandarin translation for New York and symbolizes invitation, promise and rendezvous, according to the companies.

Plans are currently in the works for a similar publications to be launched on the West Coast, targeting Chinese tourists in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

A Web site and mobile application for Yue are expected to be released early next year.

With the large amount of interest in China, this publication should be of interest to luxury brands wishing to enter the influential emerging market.

Indeed, China should be the foremost country on luxury marketers’ radar and will be the area in which they see the most short-term growth out of all emerging markets (see story).

Recently, digital has mainly been the focus for many luxury marketers looking to tap into the Chinese market (see story).

However, building up a brand’s reputation and explaining its history and heritage is important to sparking Chinese interest in a luxury label.

For example, Louis Vuitton held a museum exhibit in China over the summer to display and explain its long history and influence in the luggage and handbag world (see story).

Print advertisements in luxury lifestyle and fashion magazines have remained popular in the Western world and, therefore, may likely be successful into tapping the Chinese market as well.

Luxury brands are getting in front of Chinese consumers in a new way by placing their products into a print magazine.

Editorial coverage in the magazine would also likely be effective since it could further explain the brand’s story.

“New York ranks as the No. 1 preferred overseas travel destination for the Chinese for business, leisure and second-generation education,” Ms. Jansen said. “[Therefore], in our inaugural issue, we have an article about real estate because a lot of Chinese parents buy real estate for kids to come to the United States to study.

“So New York was a natural, objective destination for a Chinese-focused publication,” she said. “And the Chinese really love New York.” ‘)}