MEDIA: THE MONTH - AN EXPERT'S VIEW. Would The Month live up to its advance publicity? In fact, it's a triumph, Peter Mitchell says.

An expert's view? Possibly. The views of a young media managing director still in the target market of this product by the skin of his teeth? Definitely.

When I was asked to review the product by Campaign, my initial thought was to re-title the review 'cynic's view', especially having read Times Newspapers' managing director Clive Milner's original statement.

'The Month will extend our youthful reach base and provide advertisers with an exciting new vehicle to promote their product.'

I felt I had heard this all before.

However, I reckon Milner and his team have cracked it, finding a way to build relevant and beneficial reading value within a well-worn promotional model (if you think the format is innovative, talk to Future Publishing which promotes its PC magazines like this all the time).

Quite simply, I believe The Month is a triumph, from the design of the CD-Rom packaging, to the content, which ranges from Pavarotti to Dido.

What is innovative is the move from a pure promotional tool for the publisher to the opportunity for advertisers to have a very real sales opportunity.