New lifestyle magazine launched

A new lifestyle magazine, Jade, has been launched by the Vartha group of publications.

Priced at Rs100, the magazine will focus on trends, people, food, travel, fashion, beauty and events. The first issue has Deepika Padukone on the cover.

Amy Fernandes (ex- The Times of India) will head the editorial team as editorial director and  Sugatha Menon has been appointed as executive editor, while Suchitra Rao is the art director.

Speaking on the launch of Jade, Gaurav Sanghi, executive director, AGA Publications Ltd, said, ''Jade is a national magazine with an inclination towards South India. South is fast taking to a modern lifestyle and Jade is going to provide a platform to this upcoming modern society. The magazine will, however, continue to be projected as a national magazine.''

Elaborating on the magazine's marketing strategy, Sanghi said, ''We are looking at a lot of innovative marketing as our audience will be the high-end urban professional class. Instead of investing heavily on print and other mainstream communication, we will concentrate more on events such as fashion shows, charity concerts and so on.''

Considering South to be a relatively untouched market, Jade is planning to make headway into the virgin markets of South.