“We believe in print and the transportive nature that it can provide and disconnecting from the blue screen, from the noise, from the constant chaos of our screens in the digital world for just a little bit. And with that in mind, we really wanted to create this beautiful print product that reminds people and returns people to understanding that there is quality to be had behind those experiences and behind those products.”
“And that’s really what we’re aiming for with Full Pour. It’s not you get your subscription, you flip through it in the restroom and you throw it away after five minutes, having not really read or retained any information from it. This is a beautiful package that you see, and you just want to spend time with it. You want to give yourself the excuse and the reason to really dive into the stories, to the beautiful imagery, to the wonderful feel and smell of the paper. I still believe that there is something behind that smell that people love. (Laughs)
According to the world at large, beginning a print magazine in these days and times is a really bad idea. People want the digital experience; the instantaneous gratification they feel when they get something online in a matter of minutes, seconds even. Of course, most of you know how Mr. Magazine™ feels: the word baloney comes to mind.
To prove my point in a huge way, please allow me to introduce you to Full Pour magazine and Lauren Buzzeo. Full Pour is a new print publication about wine, beer, tea; all kinds of beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
I spoke with Lauren recently and we talked about this new magazine and her decades of experience in the business. Working at Wine Enthusiast magazine for 16 years was a position that she stepped away from knowing that she wanted to start her own magazine and do things her own way. And that she did. Full Pour is beautiful and informative. I hope you will get a copy ASAP.
Meanwhile, enjoy this Mr. Magazine™ interview with Lauren Buzzeo, editor and publisher, Full Pour magazine.
But first the sound bites:
On what she was thinking to start a print magazine in 2023: (Laughs) Obviously, I don’t know; it is a very questionable choice, I know. But honestly at the heart of it, print and magazines are my passion. It’s always been something that I’ve been incredibly passionate about. And certainly from a professional and educational perspective, that’s what I got my degree in, in terms of English and Journalism, and I’ve worked in magazines for nearly two decades now and in publishing production overall. So it’s a format that I know and love and believe in.
On her new business model and the partnerships she’s making: What I came up with is a program that we call our “Flow-Into Community” program. And what that means is our advertising partners, and we will work with only one advertising partner per category per issue. So there’s not going to be tons and tons of advertisements, that’s not the magazine format we’re looking for. We’re really looking for very specialized, high-quality partnerships with dedicated partners that we know and believe in and similarly know and believe in what we’re doing.
On what people have said about the first issue which is out: Issue one is out. It came into the world officially at the end of March, and the response has been so overwhelmingly positive. I’m so grateful for it. I think at the end of the day, I created a magazine that I really felt was needed in the space and that I selfishly, really wanted to read and see myself in. The hopes that there were other people out there like me that wanted to see the same. And the response that we’ve received from the first issue tells us that indeed we were not alone.
On the esoterica of the magazine and whether she is trying to save the world with its creation: You’re right, even down to the mailer that we ship our single issues in. It’s cornstarch-based, it’s not plastic. So it’s 100 percent biodegradable and compostable. Because again to us every little bit that we can do that makes a difference helps. We’re not going to save the world; we’re not going to really change the world, but we can change what we do.
On any challenges she has faced along the way: I don’t know any magazine that’s a walk in a rose garden. But I will say that I am incredibly passionate and incredibly happy and fortunate to have had this opportunity to create this magazine. I wake up and I work all the time, every day. But I am so energized and so happy to be putting that effort and that energy into something that I believe in so greatly. And that has received such wonderful feedback from other people who are appreciative of those efforts as well.
On the uniqueness of the cover, black and white on the front, color on the back: I think at the end of the day we take our content very seriously, and we very much believe in telling the stories behind the bottles in a very informative way. So I’m not necessarily interested in more surface-generated content, more quick takes, infographics, buying lists, things of that nature. We really believe in getting into the stories of the who, the why, the how, the history, the geographic locations, whatever it may be to really provide that information to consumers to empower them to make those purchasing choices on their own for whatever needs they may have.
On the name Full Pour: Honestly, I dreamed it. I created the logo as well. The Pour is my penmanship. The Full part is a font type, but before I designed that, I drew it. It was in my mind, came to me in a dream. And so it was always something around Pour. Singularly “Pour” didn’t really seem to, I don’t know, land or resonate the way that I really wanted it to.
On anything she’d like to add: I’ll say on a side note my favorite page to put together for the spring issue was the contributors page. It brought me such great joy to be able to work with so many wonderful writers, artists, illustrators, and talent from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.
On being her own boss: It feels great, but it feels scary. It feels liberating, but it feels empowering. There are so many emotions that go along with entrepreneurship that are intimidating and can cause apprehension sometimes, but at the end of the day are so infinitely rewarding that it outweighs to me any of the potential downfalls. So yes, it’s been great.
On what keeps her up at night: What keeps me up at night is finding enough hours in the day. I also have two small children. I have an eight year old son and a two and a half year old daughter. So I am a mom in addition to being a business owner. And sometimes finding the balance, the work life balance and the hours in the day to accomplish all of the things that I want to accomplish, is not an easy feat.
And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Lauren Buzzeo, editor and publisher, Full Pour magazine.
Samir Husni: First, congratulations on the new magazine.
Lauren Buzzeo: Thank you so much.
Samir Husni: My first question to you is what were you thinking to start a print magazine in 2023?
Lauren Buzzeo: (Laughs) Obviously, I don’t know; it is a very questionable choice, I know. But honestly at the heart of it, print and magazines are my passion. It’s always been something that I’ve been incredibly passionate about. And certainly from a professional and educational perspective, that’s what I got my degree in, in terms of English and Journalism, and I’ve worked in magazines for nearly two decades now and in publishing production overall. So it’s a format that I know and love and believe in.
The reason that I stepped away from my former position after nearly 16 years of working at Wine Enthusiast magazine was that for so many people over the last few years there was a lot of dialogue and consideration and retrospective thinking and realignment so to speak, in terms of priorities and what you want to leave your mark on in this world.
And to me I just saw that there was a need and a desire, hopefully beyond myself, for a new print product, specifically in the drinks media space that was really more of an organic and holistic view of the modern drinks landscape. I think a lot of legacy drinks’ magazines are very much beholding to either their namesake or their legacy audience. I think there’s a tie-in between the two.
But try as they might to sort of adapt and evolve and integrate other areas in the drinks and beverage world, it just never really lands or feels completely authentic or well-received from their audience that might be expecting something more singular from them, in terms of scope and coverage.
So to me, knowing how I consumed content and my passion for quality drinks and consumables across all categories, and just seeing other people around me: friends, family, co-workers, other professionals, and how they were enjoying beverages without this sort of dated notion of category exclusivity, to me just seemed like an opportunity for a fresh take from someone who can bring a comprehensive view to the modern drinks landscape.
So what that means is basically not focusing on one category exclusively, but really
embracing all of the different beverages that are available today, whether that’s traditional beverage-alc, wine, beer and spirits, but also encompassing the new cannabis-infused beverages, as well as non-alcoholic. And that could be in sort of that bev-alc proxy sort of vein, in terms of a non-alc Negroni or scotch, or whatever it may be. But also beverages like tea and coffee and Kombucha; again, things that we all know, love and consume in social settings with people we love at different circumstances and occasions, just equal opportunity consumption. So it’s really embracing all of those categories.
Samir Husni: Lauren, you’ve been in the business, for like you said, almost two decades. Yet your business model for the magazine is not the traditional. I mean you’re not depending on advertising, you’re charging $20 per issue, which you can subscribe to the legacy magazines for a year for that price. Tell me a little bit about this new business model that you are following and the partnerships that you are making.
Lauren Buzzeo: In addition to having this perspective of leaving my former position and thinking there’s got to be another way; there’s got to be a different way, that certainly correlates to our editorial mission. And in terms of the stories that we’re looking to share in each issue, it also extends to advertising and partnerships. And so with that thinking of what could be different, what could be better, what could be a new approach to something that honestly hasn’t seen a lot of change in innovation since the invention of a print advertisement, right? What could that look like, what could we do?
So essentially, what I came up with is a program that we call our “Flow-Into Community”
program. And what that means is our advertising partners, and we will work with only one advertising partner per category per issue. So there’s not going to be tons and tons of advertisements, that’s not the magazine format we’re looking for. We’re really looking for very specialized, high-quality partnerships with dedicated partners that we know and believe in and similarly know and believe in what we’re doing.
So what the “Flow-Into Community” program encompasses is the traditional insertion of an ad space for the partner, a full page ad they’re sort of used to, but it also means that we work with. the client to identify a nonprofit organization in our space. So whether that’s food and beverage at large hospitality, that is improving our community in some relevant, tangible way.
So in the case of wine, you can look at organizations such as Wine Empowered or Wine Unify; in the case of beer, you can look at the Michael James Jackson Brewing Foundation. In the case of cannabis, you could look at the Last Prisoner Project. And in the case of food, something like World Central Kitchen or City Harvest. So we work with our partners to select a nonprofit that then gets a dedicated spotlight page about that nonprofit’s work that is sponsored by Full Pour and the partner to give visibility, promotion, and space to that nonprofit, in addition to the partner’s traditional full page ad. So both of those placements go into the issue, as well as we have a grapevine page, which is essentially think of it like Kickstarter, but for nonprofits and donations.
So the grapevine page Full Pour commits a $750 seasonal donation to, and we encourage all of our partners and readers, anybody who’s interested can also make donations into this grapevine page. And then at the end of the issue season, all of the donations received are disbursed to the nonprofit partners for that season’s issue as well.
So again, we’re talking about a traditional relationship and format in terms of print advertising. But it’s also extending to really try to do something that goes beyond maybe a more self-serving interest for that partner, for that client and really promoting, giving visibility and monetary support and contribution to nonprofits that are really working to make our drink’s world and our world at large a better place.
Samir Husni: So tell me what was the response of the first issue. The initial one is out. Did people say wow, or something else?
Lauren Buzzeo: Issue one is out. It came into the world officially at the end of March, and the response has been so overwhelmingly positive. I’m so grateful for it. I think at the end of the day, I created a magazine that I really felt was needed in the space and that I selfishly, really wanted to read and see myself in. The hopes that there were other people out there like me that wanted to see the same. And the response that we’ve received from the first issue tells us that indeed we were not alone. That people were ready and excited for something new, a fresh take on drink’s journalism, and ready to embrace all of these varied categories that really did not necessarily have a home. A consistent home in a print format like they’ve experienced before.
So it’s really about building that community. An equal opportunity drinking for everyone, no matter what fills your glass, whether it is wine or a cocktail or a non-alc drink or an infused beverage. We have the content and the space for all of it. And I think it also speaks to just drinking with that category, cross category. I like to say I’m a proud cross drinker, and I think many of us in this modern beverage landscape are. We are enjoying a cup of tea or a great cup of coffee at one point with friends or over a meeting. Whereas we might be sharing a bottle of wine or a special beer on another occasion or on a family outing. So I think it’s really trying to embrace that diversity and that varied landscape that’s out there today.
In the last question you had asked about the format of the magazine. I just want to touch upon that really quickly because you’re right. We did come out with sort of a different, not only a different model in terms of the editorial content and not only a different model in terms of what we’re striving for with our advertising partnerships, but a different model in terms of the product itself.
We believe in print and the transportive nature that it can provide and disconnecting from the blue screen, from the noise, from the constant chaos of our screens in the digital world for just a little bit. And with that in mind, we really wanted to create this beautiful print product that reminds people and returns people to understanding that there is quality to be had behind those experiences and behind those products.
I think a lot of newsstand publications, they are great and they are wide-reaching, but I think that they also have a certain connotation to them in terms of how they feel, the tactile experience the reader takeaway. Whereas if you think of something more in lines of a book that sits on a shelf or a coffee table or whatever it may be, there’s a little bit more staying power, there’s a little bit more impact, there’s a little bit more reverence for the content and the quality behind it.
And that’s really what we’re aiming for with Full Pour. It’s not you get your subscription, you flip through it in the restroom and you throw it away after five minutes, having not really read or retained any information from it. This is a beautiful package that you see, and you just want to spend time with it. You want to give yourself the excuse and the reason to really dive into the stories, to the beautiful imagery, to the wonderful feel and smell of the paper. I still believe that there is something behind that smell that people love. (Laughs)
Samir Husni: (Laughs too) You’re preaching to the choir here.
Lauren Buzzeo: So this is what we’re trying to offer in terms of the experience of a print product. And it is very much in that sort of independent magazine or zine, which is very hard to define because there is such a variety in terms of formats and quality. But it isn’t that independent vein in terms of quality and that almost middle ground between a newsstand floppy and a hardcover book.
Samir Husni: You wrote a lot about the sustainability and the type of paper, and even the mailing envelope that the magazine is sent in. Are you trying to save the world? Or what are you doing?
Lauren Buzzeo: (Laughs) I would love to save the world, but I don’t think I could do it. But I think at the end of the day everything that I did in creating this magazine was with the question and with the frame of mind of there’s got to be a different way, there’s got to be a better way there’s got to be another way. What can that look like? What can that be? What can we do differently to make a better impact? And that is absolutely extended to production.
I think a lot of people might not necessarily know the impact that a lot of treatments, in terms of newsstand’s glossy magazines has on our environment, in terms of the laminates that are used for those covers, for those genes, the sourcing of the paper if they’re not environmentally friendly, if they’re not post-consumer waste.
So yes, we did very intentionally look for production partners that were in line with that thinking. So we do source 100 percent post-consumer waste recycled paper; we do use natural vegetable or soy based inks for all of our printing. There’s no chemical toners. There’s no plastic laminates or chemical laminates that will affect recyclability.
And you’re right, even down to the mailer that we ship our single issues in. It’s cornstarch-based, it’s not plastic. So it’s 100 percent biodegradable and compostable. Because again to us every little bit that we can do that makes a difference helps. We’re not going to save the world; we’re not going to really change the world, but we can change what we do. We’re not going to save the world. We can try to change the world. That’s what I’ll say.
Samir Husni: You’re so excited about the magazine and that’s great and you’re passionate about it. Tell me, has it been a walk in a rose garden or have you had some challenges?
Lauren Buzzeo: (Laughs) I don’t know any magazine that’s a walk in a rose garden. But I will say that I am incredibly passionate and incredibly happy and fortunate to have had this opportunity to create this magazine. I wake up and I work all the time, every day. But I am so energized and so happy to be putting that effort and that energy into something that I believe in so greatly. And that has received such wonderful feedback from other people who are appreciative of those efforts as well.
So no, nothing is a walk in the rose garden. And certainly as an independent magazine, and as a woman-owned, self-funded startup, nothing has been easy and I am wearing more hats than I ever thought I would have been.
But I am also a Taurus, and thank God for that because I love the challenge and I love to be stimulated. I love to learn new things and to have the opportunity to really dive into all aspects of print production. That part has been a pleasure and a joy and something that keeps me going every single day.
Certainly from a content perspective, that’s something that I was very comfortable and used to. And even from an overall direction, working with artists and writers was familiar territory. Things like setting up tax considerations. And to even sourcing some of those materials, like the mailing bag, which I did myself as well. There’s a lot of considerations, every step of the way that you don’t really know until you dive into it. But if you believe in it and if you’re passionate about it, it is infinitely rewarding.
Samir Husni: Tell me about your cover. It’s black and white on the front, but the same thing in color on the back. It looks like you want to enter the psychedelic word, but you don’t.
Lauren Buzzeo: (Laughs) I love that interpretation of it. I think at the end of the day we take our content very seriously, and we very much believe in telling the stories behind the bottles in a very informative way. So I’m not necessarily interested in more surface-generated content, more quick takes, infographics, buying lists, things of that nature. We really believe in getting into the stories of the who, the why, the how, the history, the geographic locations, whatever it may be to really provide that information to consumers to empower them to make those purchasing choices on their own for whatever needs they may have.
This isn’t something where we want to dictate what we believe people should be drinking. Because I don’t think that’s the way to go. I don’t think that that’s what people are generally interested in. And I think that in building our community we want to empower them with the information.
So in terms of the imagery we’re hopefully supporting a tone that is informative and serious with our content, but still fun and approachable. And I think our cover extends to that intent in terms of wanting to give a wide representation of all of the categories that we cover. So you’ll see representation of all the various main categories in that illustration and in every color illustration to come as well. But again in a very playful, vibrant, energetic format that we hope engages people to dive in, regardless of how serious the content might be.
Samir Husni: How did you come up with the name Full Pour?
Lauren Buzzeo: Honestly, I dreamed it. I created the logo as well. The Pour is my penmanship. The Full part is a font type, but before I designed that, I drew it. It was in my mind, came to me in a dream. And so it was always something around Pour. Singularly “Pour” didn’t really seem to, I don’t know, land or resonate the way that I really wanted it to.
So after a lot of deliberation with a lot of words to combine with it, I sort of landed on Full because that’s what we’re about, embracing the full category of drinks, beverages available to us. And also living a full and satisfying life. And the way that the beverages intertwine with our lives to give us that feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
Samir Husni: Is there anything you’d like to add?
Lauren Buzzeo: I’ll say on a side note my favorite page to put together for the spring issue was the contributors page. It brought me such great joy to be able to work with so many wonderful writers, artists, illustrators, and talent from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.
And that is something that I am so keen and happy to continue doing with every issue of Full Pour, which is working with a wide range of contributors who bring different perspectives and energy to all of these different stories because we all come into various drinks and opportunities at different points and from different experiences and perspectives in our lives.
And I think that it’s important to give platform to all of those various capabilities and potentials in terms of entry points. So I love working with so many diverse voices and talents, and I really can’t wait to share more in the issues to come.
Samir Husni: How does it feel to be your own boss?
Lauren Buzzeo: It feels great, but it feels scary. It feels liberating, but it feels empowering. There are so many emotions that go along with entrepreneurship that are intimidating and can cause apprehension sometimes, but at the end of the day are so infinitely rewarding that it outweighs to me any of the potential downfalls. So yes, it’s been great.
And that is also largely reason why I did want to do this as an independent, self-funded project. I did want to just answer and speak to myself. I had a very clear vision. I didn’t want it to be compromised in any way, whether that was editorially, financially, or partners commercially. I really wanted to be true and authentic to what I believe this should and could be. And will work my hardest to keep that up for as long as I can.
Samir Husni: My typical last question, what keeps you at night?
Lauren Buzzeo: What keeps me up at night is finding enough hours in the day. I also have two small children. I have an eight year old son and a two and a half year old daughter. So I am a mom in addition to being a business owner. And sometimes finding the balance, the work life balance and the hours in the day to accomplish all of the things that I want to accomplish, is not an easy feat. But I think that those are the struggles that we all live with day to day in terms of finding our balance and staying true to ourselves and trying to be our best selves as possible. So I try not to keep myself up too much or for too long at night worrying about that and just do the best I can to meet all of those needs as best as I can.
I recently was heard on Steve Tarter’s podcast, Read Beat (… and Repeat). What follows is what Steve wrote followed by the link to the podcast. Hope you will enjoy and thank you Steve Tarter:
Show Notes
Samir Husni has the distinction of being known as “Mr. Magazine,” a title bestowed on him by a grateful student in 1986. Having made magazines his focus as a professor at the University of Mississippi for 37 years before retiring last year, Husni is now the founder and director of the Magazine Media Center. Husni told Steve Tarter that he picked up his love for magazines in his native Lebanon as a child, developing a love for publications involving ink and paper that has never wavered. Husni recently donated his extensive collection of magazines–two truckloads worth–to his alma mater, the University of Missouri where they will be stored and maintained to serve students and those with an interest in media, he said. Magazines, like newspapers, have gone through numerous changes in the digital age, said Husni. Consolidation of the companies that publish magazines has resulted in fewer titles coming to press, he noted. While 535 new magazines hit the market in 1996, only 74 new titles appeared in 2022, noted Husni, pointing out that newsstands are also disappearing from the American scene. Husni wrote the obit for the old-fashioned newsstand in 2014. That was the place that usually sold tobacco products along with magazines and newspapers. At that time he pointed to the new newsstands springing up in groceries and bookstores. Now those outlets are shrinking while the average price of an individual magazine (now at $11) continues to climb, he said. While the pandemic wiped out reading material in waiting rooms and airline magazines, subscription sales for a number of periodicals went up during that time, he said. One of the trends in magazine publishing today is the bookazine, said Husni. “This is a book made to look like a magazine,” he said. Subjects are chosen to grab public interest. It might be the Titanic or a rock group like Journey, anything that people might be willing to spend $14.99 on, Husni added.
My friend and co-panelist on the Pandemic Round Table Joe Berger, who is founder and president of Joseph Berger Associates Magazine Marketing and Consulting, also publishes a weekly newsletter every Tuesday. Included in this week’s edition there was an interview with me. Thank you Joe, and thank you for giving me permission to repost the interview. You can find a link to the entire newsletter at the end of this blog.
But now, for Joe Berger’s interview with Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni:
Five Questions With: Samir Husni, Ph.D. AKA, “Mr. Magazine™”
It’s the second Tuesday of the month so let’s go and meet someone in the magazine media world that you should know. Who is Samir Husni and why should you know him?
The Chicago Tribune called Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni, Ph.D. the “man who loves magazines.” What started as a hobby at the age of 10 turned into an education and later, a profession. Samir is an expert in the field of magazine publishing and has extensively traveled the world preaching the love and importance of magazines in a digital age. Fun fact: Husni has spoken and consulted on six of the seven continents. He’s still waiting to go to Antartica to help launch Ice Quarterly.
Samir is an expert on new magazine launches and re-launches. His experience is based on years of studying the magazine industry and collecting publications. In fact, his hobby led to a collection of more than 40,000 first edition magazines and over 125,000 other notable publications that he recently donated to his alma mater, The University of Missouri-Columbia.
When Samir is not in his home office studying magazines, he’s out at the newsstands buying them.
Note: This conversation was lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Samir Husni (Photo by Robert Jordan)
Here’s our conversation with Samir Husni
#1: When and how did you begin working with magazine media? Did you have any specific training that helped to prepare you for your first job?
I started working with magazine media at a very young age. As far as I recall it was as early as the age of 10. I fell in love with the art of storytelling after purchasing the first issue of the Arabic edition of Superman in my birthplace Tripoli, Lebanon in 1964. The idea that you can capture a story on the pages of a magazine, illustrate it, and read it at your pace was a transforming moment for me. The powerful impact that had on me at that young age, led me to start my own magazines with the concept that I later used in my consulting career, “the audience of one.” I would create a magazine, using sheets of paper, crayons, pens and pencils, write, edit, and design, and at the end of the day sit down and read it. I was the publisher, editor, designer and reader all in one. All my training came from imitating other magazines, studying their content, their design, their audience. Magazines were my candy and any time I visited a newsstand, I was the kid in a candy store. So when I applied to my first job, I had a lot of passion to add to my resume, and that passion with my resume gave me the opportunity to work in the field that 60 years later I still love and practice.
#2: What are some of the big challenges you see the industry tackling this year? What do you foresee as the big challenges coming at us over the next few years?
The magazine media industry is an industry of challenges, big and small. This year is not any different. Finding a willing and capable audience who wants to and can afford the price of the magazine. Ensuring that you can find a way to put the magazine in front of its intended audience is still a major challenge.
With the disappearance of many newsstands and the shrinking of available space to display your magazine, it is harder than ever to find the title of your choice. Simply stated, if you can’t see it you can’t buy it.
#3: Do print magazines have much of a future over the next decade? Will there be print magazines twenty years from now?
I always say: There are only two people who can tell you the future: God and a fool. I know, for sure, I am not God, so here we go…
Print magazines are here to stay. And, by the way, I do not believe there is any other kind of magazine. If it is not ink on paper it is not a magazine. Folks must find a new name for all these fancy digital entities, maybe “telezines” or such. We never call television radio with pictures. We created a new word for it. So, are we going to have magazines 20 years from now? Yes we are is the simple answer. As long as we have human beings, we are going to have magazines that people can hold, touch, flip through, relax with and enjoy their “me time” with. Human beings thrive on three ships that cruise through them: ownership (you can’t own virtual), showmanship (you can show off what you own and carry) and membership (a sense of belonging that you know has its benefits, think AARP).
#4: If you hadn’t had a career in magazines (or journalism), what would you have wanted to do? Is that still something you’d want to do?
When your hobby turns into your education, into your profession, you never work a day in your life. I can’t see myself outside the world of magazines. That’s why after I retired from teaching, I did not retire from my studying and working with magazines. In addition to magazines, I always enjoyed photography and taking pictures (needless to say, an essential part of magazines), so I am now honing my skills in taking pictures and focusing on God’s beautiful creatures: birds.
#5: Did you have a mentor when you started out in your career? What was a good piece of advice that they gave you?
I was blessed to have too many mentors in my life. Almost every professor in my undergrad and grad school was a mentor. But two, way back in my days in Lebanon were truly my mentors. My editor in chief of the first newspaper I worked for in Beirut, Walid El-Husaini, who took me under his wings and showed me the art of making sense of what you write and design. Also, my university professor Walid Awad, who was a practicing journalist who helped nourish my career and asked me to work with him on many projects. There are too many to name, but one advice from them all: always remember your audience and remember you are never the audience.
Samir regularly publishes a blog with incredible interviews of magazine leaders. You can find it here.
To read or subscribe to Joe Berger’s newsletter please click here
“”While some may view print magazines as a luxury item, we believe that AARP The Magazine is a necessity for our readers and a net value add to their lives. Many of our readers rely on AARP The Magazine for guidance on health, finances and wellbeing, and they appreciate the depth and quality of our content.” SDM
At a time where everything is aimed at generation Z or the millennials, AARP The Magazine, is doing just the opposite. You have to be at least 50 to access this mass-circulated publication that makes no apologies for its print prowess and passionate nature regarding ink on paper. The magazine is the largest-circulation publication in the United States with over 38 million readers and its AARP Bulletin reigns supreme with almost 33 million in readership. Combine the two together and the numbers are a staggering testament to the power of print and its relevant audience, while never ignoring the reach and information the brand’s digital extensions offer.
I thought it was time to revisit with Shelagh Daly Miller the Vice President, Group Publisher, AARP Media Advertising Network who has been with the brand for 23+ years. Coming from a background rich in advertising and publishing, she is a woman very much at home in the world of magazines and magazine media.
I interviewed Shelagh and asked about AARP and the world of magazines and magazine media. As always, the insights you will read about this 50+ audience are as intriguing and exciting as the content of the publications. So, I hope that you enjoy this very inspiring and print-positive Mr. Magazine™ interview with a woman and her brand that make no apologies for their faith and commitment to all platforms, print included, Shelagh Daly Miller, Vice President, Group Publisher, AARP Media Advertising Network.
But first the sound-bites:
On AARP The Magazine: AARP The Magazine is America’s #1 most-read magazine. It celebrates key 50+ life stages and lifestyles through three demographic editions, tailored to readers in their 50s, 60s and over 70+ years.
On diversity, equality, and inclusion: We understand that the experience of aging is universal, affecting people of every background.
On challenges facing AARP The Magazine: Many large print magazines are facing challenges with declining readership and engagement. We’ve been fortunate, however, to see all-time highs in readership and engagement, giving our advertisers confidence in our publications.
On magazines becoming luxury products: While some may view print magazines as a luxury item, we believe that AARP The Magazine is a necessity for our readers and a net value add to their lives. Many of our readers rely on AARP The Magazine for guidance on health, finances and wellbeing, and they appreciate the depth and quality of our content.
On goals for 2024: To empower 50+ Americans to live their best lives and help them make sure their money, health and happiness live as long as they do.
On the 50+ demographics: 50+ adults continue to be the financially dominant demographic. Over the past five years, 50+ households have contributed $1.8 trillion more to the U.S. economy than younger households.
On what keeps her up at night: One thing that keeps me up at night is the need to educate more marketers around the critical importance of the 50+ audience to their brands.
And now the lightly edited transcript of the Mr. Magazine™ interview with Shelagh Daly Miller, Vice President, Group Publisher, AARP Media Advertising Network.
1. AARP is better known as a lobbyist association on behalf of its members, the over 50 population, yet they publish the largest circulating magazine in the country today. Tell me more about AARP the magazine: its concept, mission and audience. Also what about its sister publication: The Bulletin…
Both AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin are part of the AARP Media Advertising Network, which also includes AARP.org, special publications, native content, newsletters and more. Our network delivers an average of 151 million monthly in-home and digital impressions.
AARP The Magazine is America’s #1 most-read magazine. It celebrates key 50+ life stages and lifestyles through three demographic editions, tailored to readers in their 50s, 60s and over 70+ years. Its contextual relevance drives high engagement and its massive audience of 38+ million readers is more influential than any other.
AARP Bulletin spotlights the news and policy-driven content that matters most to the lives of Americans age 50+. Its timely focus on critical information ignites a sense of urgency and consumer action among 32.6 million readers.
2. Since we last spoke (2016) lots have happened in the country: what impact did the pandemic have on the publications?
AARP Media Advertising Network was ahead of the curve in understanding the changing behaviors of the 50+ audience. Having already established a relationship built on trust with our members, we were perfectly positioned to provide them guidance and information during the pandemic. Every issue of AARP The Magazine in 2021 was among the top 10 for all time reader satisfaction, and AARP The Magazine had the largest gain in readers among the top 10 magazines according to MRI Simmons Fall 2021 data.
3. What about diversity, equality and inclusion? Almost every media company has tried to play catch up. What about AARP?
At AARP we understand that the experience of aging is universal, affecting people of every background. Across the organization, we work to combat ageism in society, including research we continually conduct to make sure we understand the needs of our members and are providing those insights to advertisers to give them the opportunity to be inclusive in their marketing.
4. What are some of the challenges facing a large print magazine?
Many large print magazines are facing challenges with declining readership and engagement. We’ve been fortunate, however, to see all-time highs in readership and engagement, giving our advertisers confidence in our publications.
AARP The Magazine, for example, saw readership reach a new all-time high of 38.7 million last year, up 3.2% – more than 1.2 million new readers – from six months prior (MRI-Simmons spring and fall 2022 data). That’s the highest six-month gain in the magazine’s history. We’ve increased readership across all our demographic editions.
Readers turn to us for the information they need to fuel every aspect of their lives – including trusted information to help them make purchase decisions. Eight of ten readers (78%) tell us they’re doing more research than they were just five to ten years ago, according to our 2022 AMAN Purchase Path Study. Nine of ten readers (89%) say that AARP’s media properties help them research new products and services they are interested in buying.
Greater reach and engagement among the powerhouse 50+ demographic – which drives more than half (53%) of all consumer spending each year – means a stronger value proposition for advertisers.
5. Some say print magazines are now a luxury item, you and I may disagree that AARP The Magazine is a luxury item, what say you?
While some may view print magazines as a luxury item, we believe that AARP The Magazine is a necessity for our readers and a net value add to their lives. Many of our readers rely on AARP The Magazine for guidance on health, finances and wellbeing, and they appreciate the depth and quality of our content.
AARP has built a reputation around connecting members to incredible discounts and benefits – ranging from travel to insurance – and our publications are a great guide for members to learn about those benefits. Our members look forward to receiving AARP The Magazine and many readers have developed a strong emotional connection to our informative and inspirational coverage.
6. As we look towards 2024, what are your goals and thoughts for the publications?
Our goal across our publications and the larger organization is to empower 50+ Americans to live their best lives and help them make sure their money, health and happiness live as long as they do. Providing that insight and direction has always been our north star and it’s the reason AARP The Magazine and our other publications aren’t facing the same kind of challenges other print publications are.
7. Is there anything you would like to add?
Many brands are finally starting to realize just how massive and dominant the 50+ demo is. 50+ adults continue to be the financially dominant demographic. Over the past five years, 50+ households have contributed $1.8 trillion more to the U.S. economy than younger households. They represent 53% of all annual consumer expenditures and generate 51% of all annual household income.
8. My typical last question, what keeps you up at night?
One thing that keeps me up at night is the need to educate more marketers around the critical importance of the 50+ audience to their brands. Marketers have historically focused on younger demographics, but the 50+ demo is powerful and growing, and brands that neglect them risk losing out on a substantial portion of potential revenue.
Our job is to connect the dots between our 50+ readers and the value they offer brands. Print ads in particular lend themselves to the delivery of more information, ensuring everything consumers need to get started on the purchase journey is right there in the publication. This helps brands move millions of prospects into the purchase funnel and achieve a meaningful return on their advertising investment.
Mr. Magazine 