Conde Nast came under a great deal of fire in the past year for shuttering some of its beloved magazine titles, including the Ruth Reichl-edited Gourmet, plus Cookie, Domino and some bridal titles.

At least two of those titles are now coming back to life, eschewing print altogether as pure digital brands.

Conde Nast yesterday announced that Gourmet is coming back as a free iPad app, though without Reichl's involvement.

Dubbed Gourmet Live, it's now offering a sneak peek and will launch this fall as way to re-engage Gourmet's brand enthusiasts (and new fans) and, of course, rescue its deep archives from the freezer section.

“It’s not a magazine and it’s not a digital version of a magazine. It’s a whole new way to engage with consumers,” explained Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend to the New York Times. “We closed the magazine last fall but we did not close the brand,” added Robert Sauerberg, president, consumer marketing.

Reichl tweeted her reaction to the news: "they're reviving the brand, not the magazine. Pity."Continue reading...

It’s official, Newsweek is for sale—and not just at the newsstand, but the whole operation.

The current affairs weekly magazine has been struggling for some time, and in the past year it has tried to reduce costs through employee buyouts, and boost readership through a redesign and a new editorial focus, along with a reduction in its rate base, all to no avail.

Its ad sales were down 20% in the first quarter and 26% overall last year. Its owner of almost 50 years, The Washington Post, today announced that the ailing title no longer fits within its holdings, which also includes Kaplan tests and a cable operator.

"Despite heroic efforts on the part of Newsweek's management and staff, we expect it to still lose money in 2010. We are exploring all options to fix that problem. Newsweek is a lively, important magazine and website, and in the current climate, it might be a better fit elsewhere," chairman Donald Graham said in a statement published on the Newsweek.com home page.

The sale of the venerable brand is a harbinger of the generally besieged print media industry, as readers continue to jump ship to the web and mobile, and ad sales remain lethargic.

Newsweek also faces a branding dilemma: are the words "news" and "week" an anachronism in this age of always-on, streaming news on the Web?Continue reading...

In seeking out fresh revenue streams, Condé Nast may boldly explore a frontier where no Condé magazine has ventured before: the realm of licensing.

Apparently, licensing has long been considered at Condé Nast. The New York Observer reports rumors surrounding this issue have been circulating throughout the ranks of Condé Nast executives -- David Carey and Robert Sauerberg, in particular.

However, the idea was never seriously considered because Si Newhouse, CEO of Advance Publications, which owns Condé Nast, felt the move would cheapen the brand.

"Si has never bought into it," said a Condé source.Continue reading...

High-income moms saddened by the crumbling of Cookie magazine can rejoice: the duo known as the MiGi Girls, two veterans of the Martha Stewart brand who became mini-Marthas themselves on television and online, have launched their latest venture, Momologie, which targets mothers, but more specifically mothers who like to shop. A lot.

Like Ms. Stewart, Michele Adams and Gia Russo have branded themselves as lifestyle gurus, and it’s a lifestyle that stresses simplicity and, well, “style.” Min Online notes that “moms are the current stars of the Internet.” Team MiGi is well positioned to capitalize on this growing market.

The site is boosted by a daily newsletter, plus the obligatory Facebook and Twitter accounts. As for the content, it seems that most pages cannot be published without a link to another site, usually a retailer, likely a partner of some kind. But unlike the service magazines that would pepper a winter-clothing article with brand names and price tags, Momologie (which sounds a lot like Anthropologie, another high-end lifestyle brand) simply lists some suggestions in general terms – “shrunken blazer” or “knit hat” – but those words link out to Ann Taylor or Delia’s. (A small ShopStyle widget runs at the bottom of the page.) It’s smart Web-copy presentation, while offering plenty of brand-partnership opportunities.Continue reading...

Conde Nast Publications announced this morning that it is shuttering four magazines, following a widely publicized review by McKinsey and Company. Food bible Gourmet will shut down, Brides will increase to monthly publication but Modern Bride and Elegant Bride will close, as will family lifestyle magazine Cookie.

The changes show resolve by Conde Nast to eliminate redundant brands -- an opposite strategy than earlier in the decade, when the company was happy to boast food titles Gourmet and Bon Appetit, men's mags GQ, Details, Cargo, Vitals, and Men's Vogue, home titles House & Garden, Architectural Digest, Domino and occasionally Vogue Living, and numerous women's books including Vogue, Glamour, Self, Jane and Allure. In those days, the company's direction was to block competition and nail down every available ad dollar in a given category.

Now, the company has reversed course. Cargo, Vitals, and Domino (all clones, to some extent, of Conde's successful shopping magazine Lucky), Jane and House & Garden are gone, and Men's Vogue has been folded into Vogue as a twice-annual supplement.Continue reading...