Mr. Magazine

Publishing During A Pandemic (6)

“In times like this people want the familiar and they want the comfort. Sitting back and reading a magazine about gardening or cooking gives you a really good feeling. Everyone is inundated with the news and a lot of worry and I think magazines are a really great way to relax and remember what’s important to you. I think they’re very relevant.” Bonnie Kintzer…

“There’s nothing here that says that our business model needs to change. In some ways, quite the opposite, you could say that out business model is strongest during times like this where we have the direct relationship with the consumer. And the consumer wants to get these products in print and also digitally. As I said, the digital traffic is exceptional. These have been the strongest days, outside of Thanksgiving and Christmas, for Taste of Home, for instance. People want to know how to bake bread or tortillas, and what to feed their kids. For Family Handyman, they’ve been breaking records, in terms of DIY projects  and landscaping. People need to keep busy. I think we’re on the right track with content and that’s what we do well.” Bonnie Kintzer…

This sixth installment of the Mr. Magazine™ series: Publishing During A Pandemic features Bonnie Kintzer, president and CEO, Trusted Media Brands. Bonnie is a person who feels the tragedy going on in the world deeply, while trying to retain her sense of optimism that is an integral part of who she is and how she does her job.

Bonnie said that while there are challenges for all media companies during these uncertain and devastating times, Trusted Media Brands will remain the consumer-driven company they’ve always been and sees no reason to do anything differently when this pandemic is behind all of us: “We are not rethinking our magazine business. We think that our consumers very much enjoy getting their product in print and our digital business will continue to expand.”

The faith she has in her teams and in the content of Trusted Media Brands is inspiring. And the message of support she sends her employees is stalwart.

I hope that you enjoy this next installment of Publishing During A Pandemic with Bonnie Kintzer, president and CEO, Trusted Media Brands.

But first the sound-bites:

On how Trusted Media Brands is operating during this pandemic: We’re operating 100 percent from home, everyone is working from their home environment. I was just looking at some numbers; in the last two weeks we’ve printed six magazines and 13 books. Our digital content is doing really well, our traffic is up. We’ve actually been hitting records because of our food content and our DIY content. Reader’s Digest has broken records too, so I think from an operational perspective, we haven’t missed a beat. It’s really an incredible tribute to our team.

On why it seems that every article written or every topic talked about by media critics, when it comes to magazines and magazine media, paints a picture of doom and gloom: Well, it’s certainly not our case. Our circulation efforts are up – we’re primarily a DTC (Direct-to-Consumer), so our magazines response rates are up, which is obviously great. Our DTC books are on track; our subscription box orders are up, so I think a lot of the doom and gloom is obviously advertising-related. We have been hit unproblematically, but in total for us, most of our revenue comes from the consumer and that consumer revenue is holding strong thankfully.

On whether the work-from-home directive was an easy one for them: We did a lot of planning, with half of our business being in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They were about two weeks or a little bit less, just a little behind, the New York and Northeast shutdown. We ended up having planning time, which really helped obviously, because most of our, except for Reader’s Digest, all of our products are really created in the middle of the country.

On whether she feels that after the pandemic is behind all of us, she may rethink the way the business is run: We are not rethinking our magazine business. We think that our consumers very much enjoy getting their product in print. Our digital business will continue to expand. We launched a health website, we did a quiet soft launch a few months ago, and it’s doing quite nicely during this pandemic. So, we’ll be looking at more vertical launches, which we had already said was our intention. It’s been great to see the subscription box business doing well during this time. Maybe that will expedite additional launches in the box space.

On whether she ever envisioned something as catastrophic as the pandemic happening: I was actually on vacation in Hawaii with my kids on a very remote island and I got back on March 11. That first 48 hours was like being shell-shocked, because even though I had been reading while I was away, it’s obviously not the same as coming back to the Metro New York area in real life. In the end you have to rely on your team and have a lot of communication. And we had that. We did two Town Halls this week. We had 200 employees on each of the Town Halls, all over the world. We have people in Europe and our Canadian employees, and I think that was very important and we’ll do another one of those in a few weeks.

On her message to the advertisers during this pandemic: With advertisers we are communicating that we are here for them and as they’re revisiting their marketing messages and their plans. And for us it’s business as usual, in terms of our content creation. I’m really partnering with them on what comes next, because I think obviously advertisers are trying to figure out what’s the best message that they need to have and where do they want that message to be.

On what makes magazines and magazine media relevant today: In times like this people want the familiar and they want the comfort. Sitting back and reading a magazine about gardening or cooking gives you a really good feeling. Everyone is inundated with the news and a lot of worry and I think magazines are a really great way to relax and remember what’s important to you. Magazines are very relevant today.

On any words of wisdom: I think it is good to be optimistic during these times. I always say keep your feet on the ground, but be optimistic. And be honest about what’s happening. You cannot solve a problem that you haven’t accurately identified. So, if there’s a challenge, name it and deal with it. People are incredibly resilient and I see that with our employees, just an amazing amount of resilience. And that inspires me.

On what keeps her up at night: What doesn’t, who’s sleeping well? I worry about my employees’ health; I worry about a vendor having to temporarily shut down a facility. I think all of our vendors have backup plans and we’ve certainly reviewed them all. And I worry about how many people are going to be sick and die. In the New York area, it’s happening now. I think there’s a lot to worry about, but there’s also a lot to look forward to.

And now the lightly edited Mr. Magazine™ interview with Bonnie Kintzer, president and CEO, Trusted Media Brands.

Samir Husni: How is Trusted Media Brands operating during this pandemic?

Bonnie Kintzer: We’re operating 100 percent from home, everyone is working from their home environment. I was just looking at some numbers; in the last two weeks we’ve printed six magazines and 13 books. Our digital content is doing really well, our traffic is up. We’ve actually been hitting records because of our food content and our DIY content. Reader’s Digest has broken records too, so I think from an operational perspective, we haven’t missed a beat. It’s really an incredible tribute to our team.

Samir Husni: Why do you think that almost every article we pick up, everything from the so-called media critics, paints such a picture of doom and gloom for the industry?

Bonnie Kintzer: Well, it’s certainly not our case. Our circulation efforts are up – we’re primarily a DTC (Direct-to-Consumer), so our magazines response rates are up, which is obviously great. Our DTC books are on track; our subscription box orders are up, so I think a lot of the doom and gloom is obviously advertising-related. We have been hit unproblematically, but in total for us, most of our revenue comes from the consumer and that consumer revenue is holding strong thankfully.

Samir Husni: When you hear things like, avoid paper, the Coronavirus can stay on paper; do you think fears like that will have a lasting impact on the industry? What’s Plan B for you should you need it?

Bonnie Kintzer: For businesses like ours that are consumer-driven and not ad-driven, it won’t change the health of our magazine business at all. For companies that are advertising-driven, it’s obviously a different set of economics, but I’ll let them comment on that. But I’m not seeing that at all for us.

Samir Husni: As you made the move from office to home, was it an easy one and seamless? Or have there been challenges?

Bonnie Kintzer: We did a lot of planning, with half of our business being in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They were about two weeks or a little bit less, just a little behind, the New York and Northeast shutdown. We ended up having planning time, which really helped obviously, because most of our, except for Reader’s Digest, all of our products are really created in the middle of the country.

For the New York team, I would say, Bruce Kelley is our chief content officer at Reader’s Digest and he did an amazing job of getting everyone on his team together. He put together a planning calendar of how they were going to make this work. I’m sure it wasn’t without its challenges, but I will say that we haven’t missed any dates at all when it comes to our schedule.

And thankfully, with technology, it makes an enormous difference. And our vendors have all been deemed essential, so that also makes a big difference. I can’t say enough good things about all of our vendors, whether it’s LSC or CDS, they’ve been in constant contact with us. They have done an incredible job making sure that it is business as usual from a consumer perspective.

Samir Husni: If we look at history, especially with Reader’s Digest, DeWitt Wallace started the magazine right after World War I from his hospital bed in Paris in 1920. Once this pandemic is behind us, what do you think the future holds for magazines and magazine media? Are you rethinking the business in any way at all? Or will it be business as usual?

Bonnie Kintzer: We are not rethinking our magazine business. We think that our consumers very much enjoy getting their product in print and our digital business will continue to expand. We launched a health website, we did a quiet soft launch a few months ago, and it’s doing quite nicely during this pandemic. So, we’ll be looking at more vertical launches, which we had already said was our intention. It’s been great to see the subscription box business doing well during this time. Maybe that will expedite additional launches in the box space.

There’s nothing here that says that our business model needs to change. In some ways, quite the opposite, you could say that out business model is strongest during times like this where we have the direct relationship with the consumer. And the consumer wants to get these products in print and also digitally. As I said, the digital traffic is exceptional. These have been the strongest days, outside of Thanksgiving and Christmas, for Taste of Home, for instance. People want to know how to bake bread or tortillas, and what to feed their kids. For Family Handyman, they’ve been breaking records, in terms of DIY projects  and landscaping. People need to keep busy. I think we’re on the right track with content and that’s what we do well.

Samir Husni: Did you ever envision the situation we’re living with today, even in your worst nightmares? And do you think you can prepare for something like this?

Bonnie Kintzer: I was actually on vacation in Hawaii with my kids on a very remote island and I got back on March 11. That first 48 hours was like being shell-shocked, because even though I had been reading while I was away, it’s obviously not the same as coming back to the Metro New York area in real life.

In the end you have to rely on your team and have a lot of communication. And we had that. We did two Town Halls this week. We had 200 employees on each of the Town Halls, all over the world. We have people in Europe and our Canadian employees, and I think that was very important and we’ll do another one of those in a few weeks. I’m sending letters out every week, my head of HR is sending out notes. So, I think we just have to really connect with as many people as possible, because nothing could prepare anybody for this.

Samir Husni: What’s the message you’re communicating with your staff, and your advertisers?

Bonnie Kintzer: With advertisers we are communicating that we are here for them and as they’re revisiting their marketing messages and their plans. And for us it’s business as usual, in terms of our content creation. I’m really partnering with them on what comes next, because I think obviously advertisers are trying to figure out what’s the best message that they need to have and where do they want that message to be.

To the company, I’ve been communicating about what’s happening with business and also just sharing information about things, whether it’s working from home or some of the challenges, both personally and professionally. And to my leaders, we are meeting every week on video and making sure that all my leaders are in touch with all of their people. And that everyone gets contacted, that we make sure that all of our people are safe and healthy, and that we identify if there’s a need we can help somebody with. I do think that our employees feel connected, which is very important.

Samir Husni: What makes magazines and magazine media relevant today?

Bonnie Kintzer: In times like this people want the familiar and they want the comfort. Sitting back and reading a magazine about gardening or cooking gives you a really good feeling. Everyone is inundated with the news and a lot of worry and I think magazines are a really great way to relax and remember what’s important to you. Magazines are very relevant today.

Samir Husni: Any final words of wisdom?

Bonnie Kintzer: I think it is good to be optimistic during these times. I always say keep your feet on the ground, but be optimistic. And be honest about what’s happening. You cannot solve a problem that you haven’t accurately identified. So, if there’s a challenge, name it and deal with it. People are incredibly resilient and I see that with our employees, just an amazing amount of resilience. And that inspires me.

Samir Husni: My typical last question; what keeps you up at night?

Bonnie Kintzer:  What doesn’t, who’s sleeping well? I worry about my employees’ health; I worry about a vendor having to temporarily shut down a facility. I think all of our vendors have backup plans and we’ve certainly reviewed them all. And I worry about how many people are going to be sick and die. In the New York area, it’s happening now. I think there’s a lot to worry about, but there’s also a lot to look forward to.

 Samir Husni: Thank you.