RS Plc, a local entertainment-content provider and media company, is consolidating its publishing unit's sales and marketing departments.

Two publishing subsidiaries - Poema Co Ltd, publisher of Front and Fame magazines, and News Generation Co Ltd, which publishes Dara Daily and Dara Daily Weekend newspapers - will be merged into a single business unit under RS Publishing.

The sales and marketing staff will be consolidated into one team that handles all four brands.

Executive director Chakrit Pichyangkul said that the move would create synergies among its sales and marketing staff, which were totally separate previously. The consolidation will be completed by early next year.

"Our sales and marketing staff are now able to sell any of our four major publications. Based on the different requirements of advertisers, they can offer newspapers or magazines, which cover wider segments of an audiences," said Chakrit.

He said that four product managers would be promoted to look after one publication each. They will report directly to sales and marketing directors.

While Dara Daily focuses on up-to-date entertainment news and show business investigative articles, Dara Daily Weekend enters into the private and exclusive world of stars and celebrities as a weekly "paparazzi" magazine. Front is positioning itself as monthly lifestyle magazine, while Fame is a quarterly magazine which focuses on the lifestyles of the rich. Starting in January next year, Fame will become a monthly magazine. Pornpan Rungruengbangchan, deputy managing director of RS, said that the move would follow the company's new business strategy to improve the work between its business units and departments.

The group will also focus on speeding up the launch of new products and services into the market in order to meet fast-changing consumer behaviour and demands.

All products, particularly with entertainment content, should be stylish and up to date.

"Today, advertisers have many more requirements beyond just buying advertising space," Chakrit said.

"And as a seller, we need to give them a total package of good advertisements, plus marketing events and campaigns. RS, moreover, has good assets including its musical artists, radio stations and television programmes. All those assets can be utilised and 'synergised' to provide maximum benefits to our business clients."

Pornpan said that RS Publishing expected its revenue to reach Bt140 million this year, of which advertising income would account for 80 per cent and sales of its publications 20 per cent.

The company expects revenue from the publishing business to reach more than Bt250 million next year.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation