"Newspapers and magazines, in general, they all address adults. If they're not exposed to a media brand, why would they read it as an adult? We want to make it easy for them," says Dr Esser, the CEO of Die Zeit, Germany's leading weekly high-quality newspaper.

Die Zeit, which has seen its circulation grow 19 percent and its revenue increase 81 percent from 2003, follows an portfolio expansion strategy in which it surrounds its flagship publication with a wide variety of other publications, websites, events and more. "When it comes to readers, when it comes to advertising clients, we have a whole basket of products to offer them," says Dr. Esser.

In the case of children, these include a school guide, books, two dedicated pages in the newspaper, a nationwide reading day, dictionaries and encyclopedia, a guide for studies and scholarships, a magazine for young children, a magazine for family travel, a conference for students, and a Newspapers in Education programme that provides Die Zeit to more than 200,000 students for four weeks each year.

"So if you're an educated student, when you're 25 you have had a very good chance to have met our brand eight or 10 times. And when you're established with a home, with a job, you have a very good chance of subscribing to our paper," says Dr Esser.

Dr Esser said the Die Zeit strategy is based on constant innovation. "We have the mentality – it's in our genes," he says.

"It's not a matter of age, if you want to innovate, it's only a question of the right spirit."