The Nordic Courier, a tablet magazine, launched on June 25th. We spoke with its editor-in-chief, Anne-Britt Elvin Andersen, about its future prospects and the real Nordic lifestyle.
The Nordic Courier is a tablet magazine specially edited for Japanese customers. It is not published in the five Nordic countries. Aller, a leading Nordic media group that edits the magazine, decided to launch a tablet magazine in Japan after receiving numerous requests from Japanese magazine editorial staff to purchase articles about Scandinavia. They also felt that Japan and Scandinavia share similarities, such as minimalist and functional interiors.
The tablet magazine will deliver content specifically tailored to Japanese users in four categories: living design, travel, food, and being (Nordic lifestyles). Each issue will introduce the Nordic lifestyle by adding special content to the aforementioned categories. The inaugural issue's special feature is "crafts (handmade)." Ambritt, who is visiting Japan for the fourth time, said, "I'm not saying that the way Scandinavian interior design is used in Japan is wrong, but it's often different from how it's used in Scandinavia. In Scandinavia, Moomin is a character for children, but in Japan, it's popular with adults as well. In other words, the information Japanese people currently have about Scandinavia may differ in some ways from the real Scandinavian culture." The magazine is also set to launch an English version this fall. With the launch, he began by saying, "I felt we needed to give this magazine a clear DNA. In order to convey the Scandinavian lifestyle, I thought about what story was most important and what I really wanted to communicate." "Scandinavian design is often talked about for its simple, minimalist design, but I also wanted to talk about items that are practical and easy to use. For Scandinavian people, practicality is equal to excellent design." He also explained that there was a reason for launching the magazine in digital form. "One reason is that we wanted to have a stronger connection with users than we could with a magazine. Also, tablets allow you to choose the content you want to read, and they're interactive, allowing you to include videos and links. This allows us to expand on social networks and, in the future, connect to e-commerce, creating a magazine with a live feel." While digital magazines aren't mainstream in Scandinavia, a trend toward creating new platforms is emerging amid a decline in the number of magazines published. While the magazine started as a tablet magazine, its milestone goal is to build multifaceted connections, including pop-up displays in stores, online communication with users via social networks, and a focus on connecting users from the magazine to e-commerce. This attempt to directly convey the current state of Scandinavia, spanning 8,000km through the power of digital, suggests a new trend is emerging around the world.
