The Week publishes a whole issue online, with single sponsor

“This is a wonderful time for advertisers. It feels like an explosion of creativity among our media partners. Their willingness to go to the next level has increased exponentially.”

That was Deborah Wahl Meyer, vice president for marketing at Lexus in Torrance, Calif., complimenting The Week newsmagazine for its decision to publish one of its issues online rather than in print. According to a story from the New York Times, The Week will actually publish an extra, special issue on the environment in digital format on April 20 and it will remain online for a week. Its sole sponsor will be the Lexus division of Toyota, at a reported cost of $500,000.

“Bringing our readers an extra issue in a digital format echoes the environmental issues we’re trying to highlight,” said Justin Smith, president and publisher of The Week in New York, which is part of Dennis Publishing.

The project represents the first time The Week has produced a themed issue as well as its first online-only issue. The bonus issue will also serve as a kind of Web-based sampling program for The Week, because nonsubscribers will be able to read it on the Web site.

Lexus has been pressing magazines and newspapers to come up with innovative ways of packaging and presenting their messages to readers, said Ms Wahl Meyer, saying they had been challenge "to help us use their media more effectively.”

The Week “jumped on it, by doing something in a very different way,” Ms. Meyer said. “We had not done business with them before, but we will now do a full schedule.”

The Lexus ads to appear in the online issue will promote three hybrid models: the RX 400h, a crossover sport utility; the GS 450h, a sport sedan; and the LS 600h L, a sedan that is to be introduced in the summer to compete with the most expensive sedans sold by BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The ads will direct readers to a Web site (lexus.com/hybridliving), Ms. Meyer said, offering “practical tips and ideas” as well as podcasts, video clips and a forum for owners of Lexus hybrids.