Seven Squared

Magazine gets to work for Government department

05 March 2007

The Department for Work and Pensions has appointed Square One Publishing to relaunch the Jobcentre Plus magazine - a quarterly publication for jobseekers, called Inspire.

The Central Office of Information managed the appointment of Square One.

Launched in February, Inspire will play a key role in Jobcentre Plus’ communications by motivating jobseekers to secure jobs. As well as delivering key information about Jobcentre Plus services, the magazine will highlight the lifestyle benefits of getting a job, presenting success stories and real-life experiences in an engaging and accessible format.

Square One’s approach delivers a solution for engaging Inspire’s extremely diverse readership in terms of age, cultural origin, work experience and level of literacy, and encompassing target groups such as the over-50s, 16 to 24-year-olds, lone parents, ethnic minorities, hard-to-help groups and people with disabilities.

The magazine will have an emphasis on choice, empower the reader through inspirational features to encourage a will-do (rather than a can-do) attitude, and encourage people to focus on their strengths.

Some 195,000 copies of each issue will be distributed free throughout all 850 Jobcentre Plus offices, as well as in libraries and Citizens Advice Bureaux nationwide. Group Editor Steve McGrath was responsible for the launch issue of Inspire.

Sean King, Commercial Director at Square One, said: “Delivering Government communications in an informative yet engaging way is one of the most challenging but rewarding briefs. Steve McGrath and the team here have done a great job to build a strong public-sector portfolio which is second to none in the industry and we are delighted to bolster it further with the addition of Jobcentre Plus.”

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