The Western Mail has appointed an advertising agency to promote its relaunch, which is planned for next month.

The Cardiff-based newspaper is planning to unveil a new look on March 20 and local agency Golley Slater & Partners has won the £250,000 contract to publicise this.

Under the positioning "For new Wales, read The Western Mail", the redesigned title will become full-colour throughout for the first time and its new daily supplements will move from tabloid to broadsheet, thanks to a new £18m state-of-the-art press.

Celebrity Welsh columnists, including television and radio presenter Lowri Turner, designer David Emanuel and rugby legend Gareth Edwards, have also been signed up.

And an integrated campaign developed by Golley Slater & Partners will be used to encourage people to try the paper and boost circulation.

This will include advertising via regional television and radio, and a major direct mail campaign targeting key media agencies across the UK, which will drive traffic to a dedicated relaunch microsite via an online prize draw to win tickets to this year's FA Cup final in Cardiff.

A new CD-Rom and printed media pack have also been produced, and a series of breakfast seminars are planned to reveal details of the title's relaunch to regional advertisers.

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