Beginnend mit der kommenden Ausgabe, Spex #322 (ab 21. August erhältlich), bildet die Spex-Redaktion das Logo des italienischen Pasta-Herstellers De Cecco im Impressum der Printausgabe ab. Im Folgenden erläutern De-Cecco-Export-Vertriebsleiter Luca Ruffini und Spex-Chefredakteur Max Dax die Details der strategischen Partnerschaft. Weitere Informationen finden sich im taz-Interview sowie auf Sueddeutsche.de.
Berlin/Pescara, July 28th 2009
As of today, De Cecco Export Director Luca Ruffini and Spex Editor in chief Max Dax want to inform media Germany that in times of crisis, quality has to stand its ground. On the kitchen table and in journalism.
Spex and De Cecco agreed on a very tasty partnership. De Cecco logo will appear on the masthead (i.e. Impressum) while Spex staff will enjoy the best Italian quality pasta in their cantine. The masthead is and has ever been the holiest page in a printed magazine.
By allowing a product placement in the Spex’ masthead, Spex speaks for all print magazines in Germany and Europe, thus spearheading a movement that wants to call attention how hard it is nowadays to guarantee quality, autonomy and independency in the world of journalism.
De Cecco is Italy’s premium pasta brand, serving ca. 10% of the daily pasta consumption in Italy, Spex is Germany’s opinion leading magazine for popular culture.
Based on the thought that in the digital age, there will still remain some aspects that will and can never be digitized, we realized that cooking and, as paradox as it may seem, a print magazine are things that have to be tasted or otherwise haptically felt.
To act in an anticyclic way is our goal: Where everywhere everything becomes cheaper and faster, Spex and De Cecco believe in decceleration and high quality standards.
Spex has respectable figures to announce: Since the day the Spex editorial office moved from Cologne to Berlin in the first quarter of 2007, Spex saw an increase in the sold circulation of +20,29% (from 15.797 to 19.002 copies, first quarter of 2007
compared to the second quarter of 2009; all sources: ivw). These are extremely good figures, especially in times of crisis. Even
in the 90ies a success story as recently written by Spex would have meant a solid turnover in terms of advertisement sales. But the contrary is the case: The EC banned advertisements for tobacco and cigarettes in print magazines starting in January 2007. And as a result of the free fall of the music industry, Spex continually lost a number of advertisement pages on behalf of the German music industry. Fortunately enough, most of the writing offs were outbalanced by newly acquised customers, for example by brands from the fashion industry who believe in the success and the opinion leadership of Spex.
1 ton of De Cecco pasta that will be delivered to the Spex offices in Köpenicker Straße, Berlin Kreuzberg, during the next weeks, will of course be delightfully cooked. One plate after another. Day after day, week after week, month after month.
Max Dax and Luca Ruffini will be available for statements regarding the strategic partnership between Spex and De Cecco.
Kind regards,
Luca Ruffini and Max Dax