28 April 2023 (G.T.) - Double birthday for the Piaggio Group magazine. It went digital 10 years ago, in April 2013, and it has been a journalistic periodical for almost 30 years (registered on 15 May 1993).
A brief history: The first corporate magazine was "Piaggio", published from January 1949 until the '80s. Subsequently, the "Piaggiornale" (means ‘The Piaggio newspaper’) magazine was published from 1993 (the year the periodical was registered with the Court of Pisa, editor - Piaggio & C. Spa), with further updates to the name of the magazine as "P&Co. Piaggio and Company Group Edition" and then as "Wide Piaggio Magazine", quarterly, printed until 2011 (distribution of 20 thousand copies). Since 1993 the magazine was distributed in Italy and abroad, to customers, dealers, importers, subsidiaries, institutions, and the media.
Hard copy version, quarterly, March and December 2011 numbers, the last year of the printed version.
From paper to the web. In 2012, the Company’s choice to abandon the printed page and transform Wide into a digital magazine, with what was then the cutting-edge innovation of videos and social media channels inserted in the articles, defining the new editorial project as in-house, thereby further expanding its worldwide readership, which made its début on the web in April 2013 as an online magazine with the dedicated URL:
It was initially a quarterly magazine, and it was divided into two macro sections: Scooters and Motorcycles.
‘Wide collection: article archive and previous editions’: wide.piaggiogroup.com/archive
Five years later, in April 2017, Wide evolved further, surpassing the concepts of set periodical distribution and division among the businesses. In fact, the new editorial project (also conceived and realised in-house), marked the switch from a quarterly digital magazine to an online news magazine (public, always free of charge, and constantly updated), and it anticipated a cover + 12 columns + archive.
‘Wide collection: article archive and previous editions’: wide.piaggiogroup.com/archive
The periodical therefore grew into the “Wide Piaggio Group Magazine” (WEB), in line with the Piaggio Group’s long-standing tradition in corporate publishing, namely continuing to be bilingual, Italian and English (highlighting the company’s strong international vocation), all brands and all businesses. Targeting the vast and undifferentiated readers who surf the Internet for 10 years, astonishing and intriguing them with news on our brands, product ranges, events, markets, innovation, travel, and characters, stories, and communities... An avalanche of articles and images, sometimes sent in by the readers themselves… around the world.
‘Wide collection: article archive and previous editions’: wide.piaggiogroup.com/archive
Wide magazine today. Recently updated (revamped graphics, share and search features, quick language change…), it is optimised for all devices (it can be read on a PC, a smartphone, or a tablet), and, being constantly updated, it holds a high search engine position (SEO). In addition to the direct web address, there are links to Wide: on the Piaggiogroup.com website home page (and in the Press section), on the home pages of the Brand websites (bottom, Corporate sections).
30 years of events. The last 30 years of news and images published by the house organ are still accessible and available to the public. In fact, all the hard copy editions of the Group’s magazine have been transferred to the Piaggio Foundation’s Historical Archive (consulted by students writing their university theses, researchers, authors, editors...). And all the online editions – Wide collection – are also available for consultation in the archive located under the masthead, constantly updated:
‘Wide collection: article archive and previous editions’: wide.piaggiogroup.com/archive
March 2023 data (‘absolute’ data recorded by the magazine server on 31 March 2023). Total accesses1,424,485 (general total from April 2017: over 75 million); 76,216 pages visited (from April 2017: over 4 million); 26,158 visits (from April 2017: over 2 million). This data is also consistent with other analyse systems, as Google Analytics. The YouTube channel (video archive): from registration (30 Sept. 2014) to the end of April, has recorded over 1 million views. Fun fact: the magazine is read in more than 30 countries worldwide.
A big thank you, or rather two. A first ‘thank you’ for appreciation and contributions goes out to our constantly growing external readership, who contact the Group’s online magazine to report news or for various requests. From American reader Nathan who wants to order an Aprilia Tuareg 660 in Martian Red, and he asks if it can be delivered to his home (request promptly granted by the Piaggio Group Americas team) to the numerous travellers who tour the world astride Piaggio Group scooters and motorcycles, sending in great reportages. The second ‘thank you’ goes to colleagues, importers and subsidiaries of the Group who equally report news which is then transformed into articles published on Wide magazine.
For info, and proposals, write to Wide: wide@piaggiogroup.com
