min magazine 2008: Hottest Reinventions
Friday, November 7, 2008

Comment Print Email Archives Del.icio.us Digg LinkedIn Twitter Reprints

Bon Appétit

Published by: Condé Nast
VP & Publisher: Paul Jowdy
Editor-in-Chief: Barbara Fairchild
Rate Base: 1.3 Million
Frequency: Monthly

Mission Statement: Bon Appétit celebrates the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. Every issue engages readers into a hands-on experience, engaging them in all aspects of the epicurean lifestyle—cooking, dining, travel, entertaining, shopping and design.

Target Audience:
Affluent readers 25-54.
Barbara fairchild,
Editor-in-chief

Why did you think the time was right for a reinvention?
We live in a rapidly expanding era in both the media and the epicurean worlds. We come from a position of strength, and I wanted to make sure our message was getting across in the most effective and contemporary way.

How is your magazine different from five years ago? To succeed these days, it’s essential to go with the flow. The fundamental mission of our magazine is the same as it has always been. We celebrate the world of great food and the pleasure of sharing it with others. We deliver the right mix of sophistication and accessibility, indulgence and simplicity—and quality. That is what has earned us the loyalty of our readers, and we take our responsibility to them seriously. What is different is that we have a new logo and that we have pioneered a new way of looking at and presenting food in magazines.

Was the change radical?
Everything is gradual. We’re still changing in subtle ways all the time.
In February, we reorganized the front-of-book and introduced new monthly columns and content.

What’s been the constant?
Staying true to the mission and having the design reflect readers’ wants—accessible, delicious recipes they can make with confidence.

Ebony

Published by: Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
CEO:Linda Johnson Rice
VP/Editorial Director: Bryan Monroe
Rate Base: 1,250,000
Frequency: Monthly

Mission Statement: A place for African-Americans to celebrate, honor and acknowledge the successes and struggles of their people.

What motivated your reinvention this year?
The need to reinforce our position as the world’s largest African-American-owned-and-operated media company. This ongoing evolution is part of our larger strategic plan to continue to strengthen our brands in the marketplace.

How is the magazine different?
Ebony has transformed itself with the addition of prominent contributing editors and photographers and a renewed focus on securing exclusive cover stories and in-depth features.

Can you cite any brand-building programs?
We have the Ebony Fashion Fair—that has raised over $55 million for U.S. charities since its inception. The show visits over 170 cities annually, and the beneficiaries are community-based. We also have the Ebony Escape Tour, which provides health and beauty info and activities for college students.

What’s worked?
We’ve expanded the brand outside our magazines. Our Web site, EbonyJet.com, has become increasingly popular. We have deals that incorporate our brands into the film industry. Our licensing division has made impressions with Ebony Inspiration greeting cards, branded products, artwork and more.

What’s your editorial goal?
To introduce to a general market audience a truly unique, modern, center-right news and opinion magazine.

How important is the election to the success of the magazine?
It’s the season when our readers are really tuned in to the issues Townhall covers every day. As a monthly, we aren’t covering the daily back and forth or horse race of the campaign, but we are covering the issues behind the speeches—what exactly is the energy reform that the candidates are discussing, did tax cuts really help the economy and individual households?
Is there a strong community aspect to the brand?

The community of Townhall.com is a major part of Townhall magazine. We have a host of issues that readers are used to reading and blogging about on the site, and we use their comments to accompany in-depth articles. We feature in every issue articles from our community of bloggers, and we’ve worked to make the entire magazine have an interactive feel.

In 2012, your magazine will be…
The leading conservative news and opinion publication in the United States and the place to go for the best possible access to political insiders and elected officials.

Post a Comment

Name:

Email:

Comments:

Please enter the letters or numbers you see in the image.

Comment Print Email Archives Del.icio.us Digg LinkedIn Twitter Reprints