Recent Canadian Newsstand Award winner This Magazine recently jumped aboard the Groupon bandwagon with a one-day only deal for half off its regular subscription price.

The idea to promote the magazine through the Chicago-based group buying site was suggested by This Magazine editor Graham F. Scott, says publisher Lisa Whittington-Hill. “We haven’t seen any other Canadian publishers doing this,” says Whittington-Hill. “We don’t have a huge marketing budget at the magazine and are always looking for cheap and cheerful ways to promote.”

Groupon promoted the daily deal to its over 400,000 Toronto-area subscribers for one day and also kept half of each $13 deal sold. A year’s subscription, or six issues of This Magazine is usually available for $30.13.  The magazine sold 286 subscriptions during the promotion, surpassing Whittington-Hill's target of 100. 

This Magazine is published by the Red Maple Foundation, a registered charity. It has a circulation of 5,000 per issue, according to its website.