A Wonderful Look at Martha Stewart Living

Take a look at the video that was prepared and presented last evening as Martha was inducted into the ASME Magazine Editor's Hall of Fame. It's a wonderful look at Living...

Shelter Magazines Dropping Like Flies

On Wednesday of this week, Conde Nast Publications announced that Domino, the shopping and home decor magazine will cease publication with its March issue.

In the last year, magazines Blueprint, (a Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia publication), InStyle Home, O at Home, Cottage Living, Country Home, and Home magazine have all ceased publication due to a sharp decline in advertising dollars. In 2007, Vogue Living and House and Garden closed their publishing doors.

I can't help but mourn the loss of these magazines and fear for the future of others.

With the economy is a downward spiral that just doesn't seem to end, advertisers are cutting back on their spending. Not a good thing for magazines who need that advertising to survive. In a recent interview with Media Post, Martha eluded to the struggles experienced with the decrease in advertising dollars:

" We’ve never had a downturn before except for when I was involved in that horrible lawsuit. Our customers have been there, buying the magazine. This is really an advertising problem for magazines, and it’s also an expendable income problem. When people are standing there with a finite amount of cash in their pocketbook, do they buy magazines at the newsstand? That said, we have fared moderately OK. We’re kind of fortunate in the fact that we’re an omnimedia company, so we’re able to offer advertising in magazines and radio, on television and on the Internet, and we also have retail partners. And that model has proven to be the model everyone wants to emulate now."

To have Martha indicate that the company fared 'moderately Ok,' certainly indicates MSLO has felt the advertising dollar pinch as well. Looking at recent issues of Martha Stewart Living, you can see the decrease in pages... a clear indication of advertising troubles.

What can we as consumers do? Our options are limited but it's important to support the advertisers that do spend their budgets on MSLO publications. Buy the products (when possible) and communicate with the companies and let them know you saw them in one of the MSLO magazines. If they can begin to see an interest and a return on their investment, they are more likely to spend dollars with the publication.

I can't even imagine NOT having Martha Stewart Living magazine. Let's just hope that MSLO can weather this storm. They've done it once and came back with great success. They need to pull on that strength once again.

Make it a Crafting Weekend...

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, set aside some time this weekend to craft a message of love for that special someone in your life with Martha Stewart Crafts.

The Valentine's Day collection includes punches, blank cards, a stamp set, glitter, and a variety of stickers to create the perfect card.

The craft items are available at Michael's as well as Wal-Mart stores throughout the US and Canada.

Hallmark cards don't always say what you want to say on a special day like Valentine's Day - so make sure your loved one knows just how you feel by making your own card they will remember for years to come!

MSLO Not Publishing an "Outdoor Living" Issue This Year

Several friends and readers have inquired about the publication of an "Outdoor Living" special issue this year. Sadly, MSLO will not be producing this special issue for 2009.

While no explanation was given as to 'why' the issue isn't being produced, it would be easy to speculate that the weak economy has led to this decision.

I loved the first two issues of Outdoor Living and it's unfortunate that the company will not be publishing one this year. We can only hope for it's return when our economy can once again support it.

Martha's in Your Closet!

The Martha Stewart Collection available at Macy's, has expanded to include a new line of merchandise: Martha Stewart's Closet Shop.

Now showing on Macy's website, Martha Stewart's Closet Shop features several different items that will help you keep your closet organized and help you store those seasonal clothing and bedding items.

Items in the new line follow the signature taupe and teal color scheme (a personal favorite of mine!) and include fabric storage boxes in three sizes, an over the door shoe bag, a hanging sweater shelf, a garment bag and hangers in various styles.

Storage boxes in three sizes

Fabric garment bag and thin velvet hangers

Hangers

To view the items in Martha Stewart's Closet Shop, visit Macy's online store.

Petkeeping Website Coming

In an interview that appears in today's St. Petersburg Times, Martha Stewart shared the company plans for a new petkeeping website.

"We're building a pet-keeping Web site. We've done a lot of segments on the TV show and a little bit in the magazine about pets, and they are always really popular. We are really going after that segment of viewers. "

Martha Stewart Living Radio (Sirius-XM channels 112 and 157) has daily petkeeping shows that are highly popular. It makes sense that MSLO would extend the presence of petkeeping on the Internet.

While Martha gave no further details as to a go live date or the content of the website, it would be easy to speculate that the MSLO petkeeping experts will be regular contributors to the site.

Can Martha Stewart branded pet food, leashes, dog collars and cat toys be far behind?

It's All Good: Spotlight on Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart expounds on the future of her company and the magazine industry

With her attention to detail and exacting standards, Martha Stewart built an eponymous media empire dedicated to the pursuit of perfection in the home. Her flagship magazine Martha Stewart Living broke the mold of women’s magazines, while her portfolio grew to encompass TV, satellite radio, Internet and household products. Stewart staged a successful comeback following her conviction and imprisonment in connection with the ImClone Systems stock sale case in 2004. Despite stepping down as director and chief creative officer, Stewart remains active at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia as it’s expanded its presence at retail, in books, online and more. Mediaweek senior editor Lucia Moses chatted with Stewart on the eve of her induction into the American Society of Magazine Editors’ Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame on Jan. 29.

How does this downturn compare with earlier ones you’ve seen?

We’ve never had a downturn before except for when I was involved in that horrible lawsuit. Our customers have been there, buying the magazine. This is really an advertising problem for magazines, and it’s also an expendable income problem. When people are standing there with a finite amount of cash in their pocketbook, do they buy magazines at the newsstand? That said, we have fared moderately OK. We’re kind of fortunate in the fact that we’re an omnimedia company, so we’re able to offer advertising in magazines and radio, on television and on the Internet, and we also have retail partners. And that model has proven to be the model everyone wants to emulate now.

Do you see a permanent change in the way people shop and consume?

I think people realize they can get along with a lot less. I’ve always been a careful shopper myself. I think that’s what people are realizing, that that is what they have to do. We’re lucky in that we make really high-quality merchandise for Macy’s; our sales there are really strong. And our mass-market business at Kmart has been strong. We’ve had two best-selling books this year, and we were lucky in that it came at a time when people stopped going to restaurants.

How do you adjust the magazine’s message for the times?

It’s not making it more simple, it’s not dumbing it down, it’s making it smarter and smarter. We have very sophisticated readers. We never, never, talk down to our readers. You just have to be smart about how you do it. [The cupcakes in the February issue] are not complicated, they’re easy, they’re delicious. That’s one way to make a simple dessert.

MSLO had an upscale women’s magazine in the works, but that was put on ice when the economy took a downward turn. Would you still start a magazine today?
We still have great interest in it because there’s a slew of women coming of age in the next five years who—hopefully, after this fiscal crisis—will have expendable income. This magazine really addressed that woman. So it’s basically on ice. If we do it online or as a tactile magazine, who knows? But the idea is excellent.

Would it have to meet different criteria?

Oh, definitely. We have to figure out how to give information in a way that’s accessible to the Internet user now. It is a conundrum. I don’t think people are going to stop looking at beautiful pictures all at once. I hope there’s going to be sort of a pause in what’s been going on so we can readjust our habits. There are a lot of blogs out there. What the heck are we going to do—read blogs all day long and not do anything? Or have a nice dinner with friends?

With all the extensions Martha Stewart has gone into, where do you see the brand going next?

I think we have a huge opportunity on the Internet, of content distribution and community and sharing, despite all the things I just said about the Internet. We have vast amounts of well-researched and well-written content. We want to have that in accessible form.

Were you surprised about the magazine’s comeback following your legal ordeal?

I wasn’t surprised at all. I really believe in our customers and I believe they’re intelligent human beings. I’m surprised more aren’t avid customers, that they’ll settle for what I think is less good information. I would’ve thought instead of having 12 [million] to 14 million readers, we’d have more than that. I always thought Martha Stewart Living would be more like National Geographic in its heyday.

Other thoughts, as you consider the future of the magazine industry?

I have never lived through this all, this economic disaster we’re experiencing. I have hope in our new administration. I like what I see so far. [President Obama] is a book reader and avid consumer of information, and he’s literate. And I think that will rub off on a lot of people.
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This interview appeared in the January 25, 2009 edition of MediaWeek magazine, written by Lucia Moses

Welcome Mr. President

In my lifetime, I've never experienced such energy and excitement around the transition of power from one President to another. With great hope, great anticipation, and great joy, this country welcomes a new day.

While great significance is being placed on President Obama being the first African-American President (and it is significant!), I see today as a true renewal of our country; a country that I truly do love.

We, as Americans are being called into service as we face a great many challenges. It's a call that has not rang out in this country for years. It is up to each one of us to serve our country, next to our President and 'fix' what has been broken.

Today, we welcome our new President with open arms and great hope. Today, I, as a gay man in America feel less of a second class citizen. I feel as though perhaps, just perhaps our country is realizing a dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. had.. that one day we will not be judged by the color of our skin (or many other factors for that matter) but by the content of our character.

Welcome, Mr. President. Welcome.