TAKING PC BACK TO BASICS
A magazine in the era of social media... is it possible?
Practical Classics battled through the second decade of the 21st century with a new editor and a new challenge. How to keep enthusiasts reading, and paying for, a print product in the era of social media. The first challenge for the magazine was to keep profitable by going multi-platform.
As well as the digital editions and website Practical Classics galvanised its social media platforms and introduced new products. The special editions, the Skill Shack video channel, the Practical
Classics Classic car and Restoration Show have all been huge successes and have helped maintain its finances. But the magazine has also changed tone.
Hello everyone
Today, Practical Classics isn't just packed full of cars, it is also full of people, most importantly you lot, the readers. The most important change that has happened in the last ten years has been the connections made between the magazine team and our most important resource, the readers.
The clearest examples of this have been our big reader projects, not just the PC Resto Show at the NEC, but also our giant gathering of 100 classics at Millbrook for the second Britain's Favourite Classic jamboree. Then there are the biggest bashes of all.
For the last three years we have, every summer, put on Britain's biggest classic car show. Three different themes, Britain's Best Cafe, Destination and Club have inspired you to vote for a shortlist and to come out to meet us when we go and visit them. Every round Britain jaunt has been amazing and we are always stunned by the numbers who turn up. We estimate, over three years we have driven 6000 miles in our classics and met that many people on the road with their cars. Truly humbling.
We are also more proactive now as a campaigning magazine than we have ever been. We
were, behind the scenes, working hard to get rolling tax exemption reintroduced. We alerted the world to the plight of Bluebell, the Standard 10 that was about to fall victim to Ford's scrappage scheme. With help from those in power we put stop to that. From E10 to ULEZ, we are working to keep our cars on the road. So the upshot is that Practical Classics magazine is still going strong, still the biggest seller on newsstand, ready for the next 10… 40 years!