Insight & strategy At the heart of the matter TI Media publishes some of the UKs best-read magazines, and insights are helping to shape its titles tone of voice, as well as keep them in touch with their core audiences. By Liam Kay P erhaps you are reading for lifestyle tips. Maybe it is to see what television to watch this week. It could be to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip and real-life stories. You might be a sports fanatic, or a keen cyclist. Whatever the reason, there is a good chance you have encountered one of TI Medias magazines. The company, formerly Time Inc UK, publishes more than 40 media brands across print and online, including Marie Claire UK, Horse & Hound and Womans Own. It has also now become part of fellow publishing firm uture, through an acquisition completed earlier this year. With each title comes a dedicated audience and fertile ground for market research. Richard Thomas is TI Medias insight director, setting the strategic direction of the companys research function. His role is, essentially, to integrate insight into all parts of the business, but predominantly to support the companys commercial objectives and income. Insight sits within a wider customer strategy team at TI Media, and the team has access to a broad array of data, such as subscriptions to third-party datasets, and also commissions its own research projects. Thomass team consists of three others, the insight division like many across industries having shrunk in recent times, from a headcount of 11 when he first oined four years ago. aving fewer staff has resulted in some projects deemed non-essential being dropped in favour of those that more closely match the companys objectives, he says. You really do have to be laserfocused, Thomas explains. We have an expertise that we truly think is valuable, and we can justify our existence, but we 34 Impact ISSUE 31 20_pp34-37 I&S TIMedia.indd 34 18/09/2020 11:47