Lucy Mowatt, Founder of Method Marketing, has just launched a new independent travel magazine to reflect her love of travelling to places near and far. Here, Lucy explains why Norwich features in the first edition
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Lucy Mowatt and I’m the founder of Method Marketing, a content marketing agency based in Norwich. I started the business in 2018, and we specialise in written content, from articles and case studies to reports, magazines and other publications.
What is the background to Method Marketing?
I started my career in magazine publishing, which I absolutely loved, but it’s a very competitive industry and one that has changed enormously over the years. I’d also held several marketing positions between publishing roles, so eventually I took the skills I’d developed as an editor and moved sideways into content marketing.
Method Marketing came about partly because I was frustrated by the quality of the content I saw businesses paying for: poorly researched, badly written or thin. I felt there was room for an agency that treated business content with the same editorial care you’d expect from a good publication. I also wanted more control over the way I worked and the clients I worked with, so, in 2018, I decided to build that myself.
When did you first have the idea for DINK magazine and what’s the thinking behind it?
The idea has been at the back of my mind for years. Even when I was working as a magazine editor, I wanted to create something of my own and I always knew I wanted travel to be at the heart of it. I just hadn’t quite worked out what that looked like.
Then, around 18 months ago, I decided to stop thinking and start doing. I realised that the perfect moment to launch a magazine didn’t exist, so I might as well start now!
DINK came from feeling that there wasn’t really a magazine that reflected the way I travel. I don’t have children, so family-friendly facilities and kids’ entertainment aren’t on the itinerary for me. I’m more interested in exploring independently, finding great food, wandering around a city, getting out into the countryside and discovering places off the tourist trail.
At the same time, I wanted it to feel realistic. I love beautiful travel magazines, but sometimes the hotels and experiences they feature are completely outside my budget. DINK is for people who like nice things and interesting experiences but have normal budgets, finite annual leave and jobs to come home to.
There’s also a business reason behind it. At Method Marketing, we can create magazines, brochures, reports and other publications for clients, so DINK is a way of showing what we can do rather than simply telling people.
We’re all bombarded with so much digital content every day, so print has started to feel special. A magazine can sit on a coffee table for weeks or be kept for years. It’s tactile, tangible and memorable, which means it’s an interesting opportunity for brands that want to create something with staying power.
What do you love about travelling? If you had to name your favourite place on earth, where would it be?
I love the sense of discovery when travelling. You never know what you might find wandering the narrow streets of Genoa, canoeing in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, or exploring the food and art of Oaxaca in Mexico.
Choosing one favourite place is almost impossible for me. Costa Rica is very high on the list because of the wildlife, nature, beaches and how easy it is to explore. But if I had to choose one place – and I’m allowed to name a whole country! – I’d probably say Italy. I love the culture, the history, the importance placed on food and family and the way so much life takes place outdoors. I also love that Italy can feel like lots of different countries. You’ve got cities like Rome and Milan, the rolling hills of Tuscany, seaside towns in Puglia and incredible beaches in Sardinia.
Where is featured in the first issue and why?
There’s a broad mix. The main feature is about Nicaragua, which I’ve visited twice in recent years. It’s an incredible country that flies under the radar. There are volcanoes, colonial cities, lakes, beaches, wildlife and fantastic food. I felt it deserved more attention.
Genoa is another of the destinations featured. I’ve been several times and love it precisely because it isn’t one of the obvious Italian tourist destinations. It’s a real, lived-in city rather than somewhere that feels like it exists for visitors, with a maze-like old town full of tiny streets, bars and shops.
There are also destinations closer to home, including Norwich. One of the things I wanted DINK to show is that travel doesn’t necessarily have to mean flying halfway around the world. There are interesting places to explore much closer to home.
How important was it to include Norwich in the first issue? What do you love about the city?
It was very important to me. I’ve lived in Norwich for 25 years and I’m still not bored of it. It has a lot of the things I look for when I’m travelling: brilliant independent shops, a fantastic food scene, fascinating history and lots of character. It’s small enough to explore on foot but there’s always something new opening or somewhere you’ve somehow never noticed before. Because DINK is about looking at places with a curious traveller’s eye, it felt important to apply that to my own city as well as destinations further afield.
How often will DINK come out and how can people get hold of a copy?
The plan is for DINK to be published quarterly. Issue 1 is very much the starting point. I’d like to keep growing it, make future issues bigger and longer and gradually build a community of readers around the magazine. There are both print and digital editions, and people can request a copy through the Method Marketing website.
Request a copy of DINK magazine
Featured image of Lucy Mowatt – supplied
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