Online magazine adds interactivity, doubles readership

About 18 months ago, FremantleMedia, the international TV production company behind “The X Factor,” “American Idol,” “The Price is Right,” “Britain’s Got Talent,” and many more huge hits, brought its hit-making approach to television internal.

The company took ConnectMag, which had been a PDF newsletter, and enhanced it with employee features and a ton of interactive elements. The move has paid off.

In June, the Institute of Internal Communications, the United Kingdom’s only professional institute for internal comms, named ConnectMag the best digital media at its annual awards. It was one of three gold award winners for 2011. That distinction came six months after the magazine was named Europe’s best internal digital publication.

“The magazine meets our strategic internal communication goals and objectives, including increasing employee engagement,” says Gene Cleckley, senior vice president of corporate communications at Fremantle. “ConnectMag does all of this by generating a buzz within the FremantleMedia family, delivering a greater sense of community and pride amongst staff that makes it very different from other e-newsletters.”