Kennedy's Blog

I had no idea that the Kennedy’s Confection ABC audit would be a year in the making but now that we have it, it really has been worth the wait!

But, why are we making such a fuss about it when there are more interesting things for me to tell you. Like, me swapping my old cheap and exceedingly nasty mountain bike for a mid-range rather tasty racing bicycle to see if I could get to my office quicker over 11 miles.

Well it’s like this. Straight up. When you look at a potential magazine for marketing purposes and ask for their circulation figures, do you actually believe what they say? Have you ever questioned their figures? Well folks, I think it’s about time that you did. You see, anyone can supply a circulation figure about their magazine. In confectionery and food publishing there are many magazines for you to choose from... did you know that only two in the confectionery sector (to the best of my knowledge) have been independently audited.

An ABC audit proves that the publisher does actually post the copies it says it does. I am not saying that non-audited magazines don’t do this. But if you are a publisher and you mail 6,500 copies a month it is expensive (the audit is not expensive by comparison) so you should question why the publisher has not taken this simple auditing step to give you that peace of mind. Why refuse to shout about a benefit that you can clearly prove! Or, is the lack of an audit a cause for suspicion? A media pack can say anything it wants to. But, in the end, these numbers are meaningless unless they can be proven. An independent audit does just this!

Now Kennedy’s is firmly saying that we can prove our circulation figure of 6,500 copies – end of story. For many years we have said that Kennedy’s Confection is the number one magazine. Bold claims indeed... So we felt it was about time that we backed up our claims with a guarantee. It costs a lot to mail 6,500 copies of a magazine and it is a big print bill too... So, the next time someone tells you that they have a very high circulation and they can offer a really cheap price for an advert, you should be a bit careful. ASK THEM TO PROVE IT! You can now choose between a guaranteed magazine, such as Kennedy’s Confection, or something that can offer you no proof of their figures. Enough said... We are pleased to provide an ethical product for the long-term future.

Now then, back to my new bike! I decided this morning to cycle to work. I ate so much chocolate over Easter that I had to give it a whirl. It’s 11 miles door-to-door. A long way, so it’s the sort of thing that you should not think about and just do! Especially at my wise age. What I was interested in was to see if a rather nice lightweight racing bike would be quicker than my old heap of junk – I was pleasantly surprised. Not only does my knee feel OK after the ride this morning (I have had three knee operations) but I knocked a good 20 minutes off my average time. It was actually 30% faster with less effort. A real result that proves that good equipment works better. Well you all know that... you use it and sell it almost every day. So it is worth investing in quality equipment. Anyway it’s lunch time and I am extremely hungry, but oddly not as hungry had I not cycled? I think the reason for that is the shock to my body.

Luckily, I have been saved from starvation by a large box
of samples from our friends in Greece – Tulip Confectionery. Thank you, thank you Tulip! As I write I am eating a tasty piece of rose Turkish delight which is renewing my energy levels so
I might even be able to make it home on the bike too!
Tulip Confectionery are very nice people and are planning
to come to the LICC Conference this December in London. I hope to see many more of you there too. (Tulip can be emailed on tulip-sa@otenet.gr)

Goodbye my friends until next month. I’ll report on the blog if I get any quicker on my bike... Modern equipment is better than the old stuff. It’s as easy as ABC!