The Sweet 16 Issue: Connect and Integrate
Sunday, April 1, 2007

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Only Connect
Anyone who is a fan of E.M. Forster (or Merchant Ivory films) has heard the line in Howard’s End where Margaret says: "Only connect." In the book, it refers to the responsibility individuals must take for their actions. In publishing, however, it rings a whole other bell. Making the connection is what it’s all about, whether the link is between consumers and magazine brands, or companies and elusive purchasers. So, even if you’ve never heard of Forster or hate the Merchant Ivory oeuvres, the idea of making connections should resonate like a...well, like a bell.

Unique Relationships
Bill Hebel, svp and media director at Slack Barshinger, talks about the personal relationship readers have with magazines. He says, "Even my daughter reads magazines. She won’t go anywhere without her laptop, but she gets magazines and curls up in a corner with them to read." Maggie Knoll, print director and senior partner of MindShare Chicago, talks about the "inspirational medium" of magazines. MindShare did a study on the moods various types of media inspire. Magazines ranked well above the Internet and radio when it came to creating a relaxed vibe, with more than 30% of respondents saying they feel "very relaxed" when they read a magazine. Mediaedge:cia’s partner and associate director for print Joanna Havlin notes, "Readers have a trust in magazine content, and editorial credibility is paramount."

...and Integrate
Scott Berg, worldwide media director at Hewlett-Packard, adds, "Advertisers look to media partners as the smartest people in the room." If the three-legged stool of advertising includes media or creative agencies, media partners, and advertisers or the company advertising, then on top of the stool is the consumer we are all trying to reach. Kraft Foods’ Patricia Gliniecki, senior manager of media buying, says, "Integration is definitely a theme – integrated media. The way we use mega brands runs the gamut from placing a single page to sponsoring events."

Drew Schutte, vp and publishing director of Wired Media, says Citi "gets it that magazines influence and move the needle." Mark Ingall, Citi’s managing director of global strategic media, says, "We are looking at the whole relationship with different media."

Barbara Borg, director of eastern print investment at OMD, says the evolution of the publishing industry will result in many changes, among them fully integrated media groups. "When we get integrated packages...we pull in experts in digital or out-of-home. It would be ideal if that lived under one group."

• Total Integrated Program: ESPN, ESPN The Magazine's Next 2007
• Platinum Winner: People, People's Sexiest Man Alive Series
• Platinum Winner: Bonnier Corp., Field & Stream's Heroes of Conservation
• Print/Online Bundle: WIRED Media, Xerox Custom Cover Project
• Sweepstakes: SmartMoney, "The Fantasy Portfolio Manager Challenge"
• Top Integrated Marketer: Yung Moon, Executive Director of Creative Services at SELF Magazine
• Event/New Event Programming: National Geographic Magazine, Experience Parks and Conservation
• Custom Publishing Project: MindShare/Time Warner/American Express, The Ticket
• Advertorial: Reader's Digest, "Service Stars" -- Four-Part Advertorial Series for U.S. Army

1. min's Special Issues — April 19, 2011
2. Brenda White - Vice President, Director of Print investment, Starcom — April 1, 2007
3. Print/Online Bundle: WIRED Media, Xerox Custom Cover Project — October 1, 2007
4. Maggie Knoll - Print Director, Senior Partner, MindShare Chicago — April 1, 2007

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