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...

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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...

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...