We win again

‘Puzzler’ magazine came out top as Newsstand Magazine of the Year General Interest, at the Association of Circulation Executives’ National Magazine Awards in May 2023. It faced down stiff competition from ‘Country Life’ featuring Queen Camilla on the cover, and ‘Pony’ magazine, to win the prestigious prize.

Judges were impressed with the way that ‘Puzzler’ had capitalised on its 50th anniversary to drive a significant increase in sales. Promotional activity included innovative giveaways, a live puzzle installation in London, a celebrity editor and a packed activity calendar throughout the whole of 2022.

The 12 months of activity saw ‘Puzzler’ magazine rise in the national rankings, with a huge uplift in stores. Brand awareness and customer engagement soared – the special competitions run throughout the year received over 150K entries, and social media video views and impressions exceeded 200,000.

Making the award, the judging panel commented: “The 50th year was certainly a big year for ‘Puzzler’ and in a hugely competitive market, to constantly innovate and sustain its audience so effectively, is testament to the team at Puzzler. Achieving +26% (year-on-year) sales growth was a phenomenal result. This is a very fitting celebration of its 50th birthday.”