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Service of Discovery: The Secret Ingredient Behind the Reinvention of Good Housekeeping magazine. Rosemary Ellis and Pat Haegele Give GH Readers Something They Don’t Get Online: Discoverable Information. The Mr. Magazine™ Interview.

March 25, 2013

Good Housekeeping Magazine: An American Institution
“Getting a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval may mean the difference between tepid and rapid sales.“ – CBS Sunday Morning, March 24, 2013

GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGGood Housekeeping has been around for almost 128 years and is still thriving today as it did in yesteryears. That is a fact. Another fact, like any good magazine, Good Housekeeping has been evolving with each issue since its inception. Case in point–the magazine was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, and another case in point, the recent reinvention of the magazine last January, which introduced a brand new Good Housekeeping. Recently, I was fortunate to visit with the editor and publisher of Good Housekeeping at the offices of the magazine at the Hearst Tower in New York City.

The entire history flashes in front of your eyes as you walk into the offices of the magazine, passing through the Good Housekeeping Institute. The day I was there it was like a beehive at work, the testing of products that has been taking place for more than a century. Today the winning tested “swimsuits” are put to the test as the models try the winning suits and the photographers snap the pictures for an upcoming issue of the magazine.

Passing the Institute, I reach the Good Housekeeping “living room,” and the “dining room,” adjacent to the living room. Unlike any other magazine interviews that I have conducted, there was a real “at home” feeling. Good Housekeeping is an American institution.

But what’s the future for this publishing mainstay in the age of digital?

Rosemary Ellis, Editor in Chief and Pat Haegele, Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer, of the magazine have seen the future of Good Housekeeping and they are extremely excited about it. Picking the brains of their customers proved both enlightening and fascinating, as extensive research showed that today’s Good Housekeeping reader wants something a bit different than her mother before her: they want convenience, more extreme graphics, with visuals that pop, information between the pages that is so discoverable even Christopher Columbus would be impressed–and they want FUN.

TOFThe “service of discovery” is at Good Housekeeping’s helm and is what both the editor-in-chief and the publisher believe is most important in today’s magazine. The content must be fresh, conversational and extremely fun for today’s GH reader. The brand with the Seal and the Institute will still provide information about products that the reader loves and can trust, but will now also add an element of engaging discoverability to the mix.

It’s an interesting and long overdue concept. Rosemary Ellis defines it this way: “It’s what online cannot do; tell you what you didn’t ask for, but that you really want to know.”

Picking up a print magazine is a far different experience than going online, and both captains of this huge ship understand that. Flipping pages in print is always a discovery because the information between the cover and back page is something that the reader had absolutely no part of conceiving, far different from online, where to get information the reader has to ask for it first. And while the reader of Good Housekeeping’s print version discovers surprising and entertaining content, it’s always relevant because of the research and discussion that goes into each issue.

Of course, Good Housekeeping hasn’t ignored their digital companion website and other online resources in all of this, having revamped their online presence with the same discoverability. So it’s a win-win situation for everyone, but especially the reader–the most important part of a magazine’s success story.

Mr. Magazine’s™ Seal of Approval has been stamped all over this reinvention for Good Housekeeping’s future. It promises to be an exciting and entertaining tomorrow over that digital horizon.

Read my entire interview with Rosemary Ellis and Pat Haegele at the Mr. Magazine™ Interviews here.

And watch the CBS Sunday Morning segment about Good Housekeeping by clicking on the link below.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57575960/earning-good-housekeepings-seal-of-approval/

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Mr. Magazine™ Minute: Michael Wolfe, Publisher, THE WEEK and Mental Floss magazines, on What Makes a Brand Successful…

March 21, 2013

Michael Wolfe knows a thing or two about brands and branding. Mr. Wolfe has held the publisher’s job at Rodale’s Best Life, Wenner Media’s Men’s Journal, and now Dennis Publishing’s THE WEEK and Mental Floss magazines. Michael loves to talk about brands, not any brands, but rather smart brands in particular. I asked Michael about the secrets behind successful, smart brands. His answer is below in this Mr. Magazine™ Minute.

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Mr. Magazine™ Minute: Randall Lane, Editor, Forbes Magazine, on How Print and Digtial Are Working Side by Side

March 19, 2013

When you walk into the Forbes building on 60 Fifth Avenue in New York City, you are welcomed by a series of paintings, drawings, and portraits offering a sense of majestic historical days of people who have occupied those offices over the years. Randall Lane, Forbes current editor, arrives in the historic library lined with bookshelves and filled with (ink on paper) books from floor to ceiling. He is wearing his “trademark” hat (inside and outside the office, the hat has become a Lane fixture…). I asked Randall about the future of Forbes and whether the magazine will ever cease to exist as a print publication. His answer is in the following Mr. Magazine™ Minute (well, make that two minutes):

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Mr. Magazine™ Minute: Chris Johns, Editor-in-Chief, National Geographic Magazine on the Commitment to Print +

March 18, 2013

Chris Johns, the editor in chief of National Geographic magazine is quick to tell you his best definition of a brand: a promise kept. That “promise kept” is what guides his plans for one of America’s favorite “living room” magazines. The “Yellow-Border” magazine has been a household name for more than 125 years. I asked Mr. Johns whether that “promise kept” is going to continue to exist in print and what the plans are for the future. His answer in the following Mr. Magazine™ Minute:

Posted in Mr. Magazine™ Minute, News and Views | 1 Comment »

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Mr. Magazine™ Minute: David Carey, President, Hearst Magazines, on “Why I Love This Business?”

March 15, 2013

David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, fell in love with The New Yorker at age 16 while living in California. From that day he knew he will be New York bound. The man who at a young age was passionate about magazines continues to share his passion for the magazine media industry while he leads one of the most innovative magazine media companies in the world, Hearst Magazines.

For this Mr. Magazine™ Minute, I met David at the Hearst Tower in New York City and asked him, “what do you tell folks interested in getting in the magazine media field today?” Click on the video below to listen to his answer:

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Mr. Magazine™ Minute: Steven Kotok, THE WEEK’s CEO, “We Treat News As Service.”

March 14, 2013

When Felix Dennis brought THE WEEK to the United States in 2001, it was not the first attempt at curating the news, but it was first time curation in the 21st century was done well and was done in print. Needless to say that “curation” is the in-word in the digital age, but still no one does it the same way The Week does. I asked Steven Kotok, THE WEEK’s CEO, about the secret behind The Week’s curation and success… Click on the video below to reveal the secret of THE WEEK’s content and curation in this Mr. Magazine™ Minute:

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Reimagining The Women’s Magazine: The Redbook Way. Jill Herzig and Mary Morgan Reinvent Redbook for 21st Century Women

March 12, 2013

REDBOOKIn the magazine media industry, listening to your customer – that audience of one – is vital. You have to have large ears and an open mind. There’s no other way to approach success for your publication without the people who occupy the head offices of the magazine having the previously described features.

That being said – Jill Herzig and Mary Morgan, editor in chief and publisher/chief revenue officer respectively, of Redbook Magazine, redefine those characteristics as they embarked on the latest “reimagined” magazine.

Herzig and Morgan have researched and surveyed their audience and discovered what they want: a down-to-earth, reality-based magazine that is a handbook for fashion and style for today’s busy woman. So they’re giving it to them, reinforcing the belief that if you give them what they want, they’ll find what they need.

I had the opportunity to meet Jill and Mary at the offices of Redbook magazine, at the Hearst Tower in New York City. The new Redbook just arrived. The April issue (on the newsstands today) ushers a brand new magazine, reinvented and reimagined. The new cover design and approach scream at you, wow you and stop you in your tracks. A job very well done, and it shows.

I started my stream of questions and the answers were dashing back in stereo, in unison.

TEAM REDInvesting in this new print version in a digital age was never a quandary for the two visionary’s at Redbook’s helm, recognizing the progression of crossover high-fashion into retail marketing as their key to the door of the consumer’s fantasy-turned-reality. And ascertaining that print magazines are still the rainbows that lead to that particular pot of gold as no other medium does. It’s a relevant concept, with relevant content, for a relevant customer, something that must be in place when you reinvent any entity for the buying public. Herzig and Morgan recognize that fact.

Redbook’s new face belongs to any age group of women, but as Herzig said, “I would say that she’s a woman in her 30s and 40s and she can be from any town in America.”

Knowing their audience and marketing that percentile is very important to her. It’s the foundation for Redbook’s new structure and it has to be a sturdy and felicitous one for all involved.

While they know the print reinvention is paramount to the success of their venture, they also recognize that print and digital must coexist in today’s world. It’s an absolute.

Enter a new mobile app that makes shopping from your smart phone simple: the technology of Eye Capture. With Eye Capture you can take a picture of the entire activated page and are offered a screen full of images and magazine-approved links of content that’s directly related to what’s on that page. Every page and not just a few selected pages in the magazine are digitally integrated. Herzig and Morgan are very excited about the simultaneous debut of both the app and the new Redbook Magazine. To them, this is how print and digital can work together to bring the reader the most enjoyable and memorable experience ever. And after all, isn’t that what magazines are here to do?

In the scheme of things, what Redbook is doing is very important to the magazine media industry today. They are paving the way for other publications to realize the potential of making a niche for your magazine. Targeting and redefining your audience and then pairing the results up with a digital package that goes hand-in-hand with your print entity is the answer to a lot of questions out there today about how to make magazines more successful and relevant for the reader.

No matter how old your magazine is, creativity and good leadership are always essential to keeping the brand alive and going. I left my interview with Herzig and Morgan reassured that there are some leaders in the magazine media industry who are still full of passion, emotion and yes, gutsy moves based on some solid connectivity with the customers.

To read my entire interview with Jill Herzig, editor in chief, and Mary Morgan, publisher and chief revenue officer, of Redbook, click here.

Posted in Innovation in print, News and Views | Leave a Comment »

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Mr. Magazine™ Minute: Keith Kelly, New York Post’s Media Reporter: The Biggest Problem with Media Today Is……

March 10, 2013

There is nothing more fun to me than turning the table on a journalist–and media reporter. Asking a media reporter his or her opinion on the status of the industry is a challenge that most reporters prefer to avoid. After all, they are in the business of asking questions.

Keith Kelly, the feared media reporter of the New York Post, was gracious enough to accept my one minute question for the Mr. Magazine™ Minute. I asked him what is the main problem he sees with the media today? His answer will surprise you. Click on the video below to listen to the pleasantly surprising answer:

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Just Common Sense: Mr. Magazine’s™ Ideas to Grow and Cultivate Magazine Media. A New Book with an Introduction by David Carey, President, Hearst Magazines

March 8, 2013

Just Common SenseToday, I turn 40. That is if you believe that 60 is the new 40. It has been 51 years since the day I bought my first magazine and I can honestly say I never looked back. I have been blessed time and time again by God and family, to continue my hobby, turned education, turned profession, every single day of my life since 1962. I do not think you will find too many people who can repeat that last sentence.

But through my entire hobby-turned-career (if you can call it that) I had one, and only one, guiding principle: Just Common Sense. The principle has been validated, almost every time I give a speech, consult or teach. Folks come to me at the end of my presentations and lectures and say, “Samir that was just common sense.” My answer has always been, “and you paid me for that!”

mrmagis60So on my 60th birthday I decided to compile some of “the just common sense” articles and blogs in this mini coffee-table style book aptly called Just Common Sense: Mr. Magazine’s™ Ideas to Grow and Cultivate Magazine Media. I invited David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines, to write the introduction. I am glad that he accepted my invitation. His intro follows:


How many people can call themselves Mr. Magazine™ and get away with it? Exactly one: Samir Husni, who has been enthralled by the medium since his youth in Tripoli, Lebanon. Since then, he has been living, breathing and dreaming magazine media. He is a source of knowledge, inspiration and constructive criticism. All in all, there is no better cheerleader for our industry, and this collection of his essays tells the story of his passion for ink on paper.

Many in the industry fell in love with magazines early in life. In my case, it was as a teenager growing up in Long Beach, California. We share a belief in the power of truly original, engaging content that transports readers, shapes dreams and aspirations, and provides windows into faraway worlds and cultures. As a professor of journalism and director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi School of Journalism, Samir has taught some of the most talented editors in the business, including our own Newell Turner, editorial director of the Hearst Design Group, who, after winning House Beautiful’s first National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2012, immediately texted his former professor to give him the good news. I imagine there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your life’s work come to fruition in a student’s success and recognition by his peers.

david_carey_by_frank_veronsky-7985Samir believes in modernity and understands print’s important place in the future of entertainment. He champions the incomparable experience of devouring a magazine full of images, information, ideas and inspiration. At the same time, he believes in the exciting opportunities that digital and mobile offer our industry, when approached in a smart, strategic way. A healthy dose of Samir’s insight and optimism is good medicine, indeed.

David Carey
President, Hearst Magazines

To order a copy of Just Common Sense click here.

Posted in Books and Links, News and Views | 2 Comments »

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Mr. Magazine™ Minute: Michael Rooney, Chief Revenue Officer, The Wall Street Journal, on the Launch of WSJ’s New Print Magazine & The Power of Print in a Digital Age

March 7, 2013

The Wall Street Journal is launching a new quarterly magazine called WSJ.MONEY on Saturday. I asked Michael Rooney, the Journal’s chief revenue officer about why the Journal is launching a new print title just a few months after killing Smart Money magazine? His answer, and his take on the power of print in a digital age are in this Mr. Magazine™ Minute:

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