Marketing awards triumph for compact 'Independent'

The success of The Independent as a quality compact newspaper has been recognised by the marketing sector with prestigious awards at the industry's Oscars.

The newspaper was praised for "challenging the orthodoxy", defying the predictions of some media analysts by successfully switching to a smaller format that readers like.

Judges at the Marketing Week Effectiveness Awards 2004 were impressed how the product had been marketed on TV, radio and in poster campaigns to reassure readers "quality remained unchanged in a smaller format".

The Independent won the "Grand Prix", the event's blue riband award, and also collected the "New Product of the Year" award and the "Media Owners" award.

Simon Kelner, the editor-in-chief of The Independent, was named Marketer of the Year for pioneering the project to turn the newspaper into a compact. The judges said: "He was passionate about the change, willing to put his head on the block, such was his faith in the venture."

The first anniversary of the launch of the compact Independent was just a week ago, and it has been a year of accolades.

The Independent was named National Newspaper of the Year in the British Press Awards and Daily Newspaper of the Year at the London Press Club awards. Mr Kelner was named Editor of the Year at the What The Papers Say awards.