Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc iii llii Hill Hill llil lHl iil ll 12026851 MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA INC 2011 ANNUAL REPORT 2012 NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING AND PROXY STATEMENT Letter From Lisa Gersh Dear Fellow Stockholders in mid-2011 We deal since arrived at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Our team has accomplished great in executive and business-unit positions we signed new partnerships added strong and energized leadership key sustainable and crafted plan designed to deliver long- that offer substantial promise for the future we strategic in when posted It is clear that the performance 2011 we term growth over the next three to five years companys reflect view of MSLOs potential We believe our strategic plan net loss is not acceptable and it does not our of four in mid-2012 Our plan consists major components will significantly improve performance beginning bases in sales Our titles have robust readership First we are focused on driving improvement advertising print have been effective in migrating our readers to digital platforms On the digital side we believe we already To audience and the of our iPad editions evidenced both by the strength of our website by growing popularity leaders who are with the audiences we deliver we have installed seasoned taking align our financial performance sales and to strengthen our digital-sales more brand-centric approach to print-advertising are working has brand sales at our individual titles each of which strong equity capability In print we are pursuing stronger advertisers in such as beauty fashion and parenting and are broadening our content to appeal to categories and with our titles vibrant continually bringing fresh Behind these efforts is creative team charged keeping by relevant ideas to our readers and advertisers call of television and video business What we currently Our second strategic initiative is the reinvention our in look like different business by the end of 2012 Our core competency Broadcasting should begin to very built around how-to information as well as an entertainment component video is that we deliver great than hours of Emeril and Lucinda Scala Quinn In fact we own more 2500 personalities like Martha Lagasse initiatives to the brand experience we as we enhance this evergreen content which we are fully digitizing pursue of Channel of as we are in the final our Hallmark agreement provide to consumers In terms new content year of from broadcasters and cable networks to independent production we are talking with variety parties about innovative to leverage what we do best companies and digital platforms opportunities business through multiple avenues The third element of our strategy is to continue to grow our Merchandising with over one billion in annual and The business is performing very well by category by product by geography in revenue and operating sales at retail across our base of partnerships and is generating double-digit growth on better continue to as new partners come income But we believe it can do even as existing relationships grow already and as we take to improve profit margins beyond board domestically and potentially internationally steps attractive levels watershed and commercial with J.C Penney is The December 2011 signing of our strategic partnership and the revenue of at least $172 million development The deals 10-year commercial partnership promises our J.C 16.6 equity stake in MSLO significantly strengthens strategic component including Penneys percent continue to other for the launch of the commercial partnership in 2013 we explore balance sheet As we gear up the Martha Stewart where we can establish brand equity as demonstrated by new opportunities in categories sold at Staples Home Office with Avery line currently exclusively continue to show momentum In early 2012 The Home In the meantime our existing merchandising efforts and with us to sell Martha Stewart Living products Macys Depot extended and expanded its partnership nationwide These extensions to sell the Martha Stewart Collection at its stores renewed its agreement of in and we are another great year growth underscore the vibrancy of the Martha brand at retail expecting Merchandising in 2012 The fourth and final piece of our is to run each of strategic plan our segments more efficiently allocating greater measure of resources toward revenue-generating activities In Publishing we reduced editorial and support expenses in late 2011 that in investing savings leadership charged with driving our brand-centric and digitally focused advertising-sales In strategy Broadcasting our move away from live programming enables us to eliminate studio lease and production infrastructure delivering substantial cost savings Expense across each of management our businesses will remain priority We are focused on the very implementing plan we have put in place and we are excited about what lies ahead We believe we have brands and audiences strong that can be leveraged across traditional- and new-media formats We have terrific team in place and we are determined deliver to We also have greatly improved financial With the from position proceeds the J.C Penney investment and from the 2011 sale of our interest in WeddingWire we were able to eliminate our bank debt pay one-time special dividend to stockholders and end the with year approximately $50 million in cash us the to giving flexibility support our growth objectives In closing want to thank our stockholders for their patience and continued interest in MSLO We are focused on sustainable delivering growth and profitability and building value for the future Sincerely Lisa Gersh President Chief Operating Officer MARTHA STEWART Founder Dear Fellow Stockholders in our business including new with it interesting and promising changes The year that just passed brought many to be wherever all of which reflect our determination media offerings and new merchandising partnerships reaches 66 million consumers consumers want and need us Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia approximately in over each month and has retail with more than 8500 products across all media platforms growing presence 38000 retail locations extended our merchandising business Earlier this year we In 2012 we will continue to build on our flourishing of will be Home that our Martha Stewart Living line products successful relationship with The Depot ensuring has been an excellent stores into 2016 The Home Depot available in the home-improvement retailers 2000-plus of the extended we are broadening our offerings addition to our merchandising portfolio and as part agreement assortment of merchandise We are delighted there to include line of craft furniture and an expanded holiday Collection the offer the beautiful that have made our Martha Stewart No that in 2012 we continue to products Martha the stores bridal We recently introduced our home brand at Macys and the leading brand on registry file at planning binders notebooks Stewart Home Office with Avery line sold exclusively Staples featuring Martha beautiful and functional We also further extended our folders and desk and pantry organizers that are for and And our Martha Stewart Cratts line now Stewart Pets line at PetSmart with products cats puppies and loom with Lion Brand and craft paint with Plaid includes yarns offer our of alliance with J.C Penney to consumers In addition in December last year we forged strategic and to Martha Stewart-branded beautiful well-designed products in Martha Stewart stores develop joint and in online location The stores c-commerce site where consumers will be able to access our products single of both in 2013 dreams of and looking forward to the launch c-commerce site fulfill long-standing mine Im Under the of editor in is our media business leadership Just as our merchandising business is evolving so too readers all the creative content that our expect chief Pilar Guzmán Martha Stewart Living magazine is offering reach new such and fashion which should allow us to from us including venturing into categories as beauty has fresh look and spirit Alanna at the helm Whole Living readers and new advertising partners With Stang Food fans with more fabulous Sarah is Everyday that is as inspiring as it is informative while Carey energizing for dinner Martha Stewart video newsletter that answers the eternal question Whats recipes and daily thanks in measure to editor in chief Elizabeth Weddings remains the No bridal magazine on newsstands large Graves and editorial director Darcy Miller transformative as becomes an increasingly important The media business is in the midst of truly change digital destinations for consumers the forefront of that Our websites are go-to platform At MSLO we are at change month And in 2011 we more than million unique visitors each seeking how-to lifestyle content reaching The consumer and subscriptions to our magazines response unveiled several amazing apps began offering digital subscribers with combined digital readership including print to our digital editions has been very positive introduced iPad of total circulation And thats before weve even accessing digital editions exceeding percent which will be available in that format this year editions of Whole Living and Martha Stewart Weddings MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA Its also worth that mentioning our books business is thriving In 2011 we extended our long-standing relationship with Clarkson Potter with new agreement to publish 12 more books through 2016 We added four new titles to our library last with the of year publication Martha Stewarts New Pies Tarts
Recommended publications
  • Magazine Collection
    Magazine Collection American Craft Earth Magazine Interweave Knits American Patchwork and Quilting Eating Well iPhone Life American PHOTO Elle Islands American Spectator Elle DÉCOR Kiplinger’s Personal Finance AppleMagazine Equs La Cucina Italiana US Architectural Record ESPN The Magazine Ladies Home Journal Astronomy Esquire Living the Country Life Audubon Esquire UK Macworld Backcountry Magazine Every Day with Rachel Ray Marie Claire Backpacker Everyday Food Martha Stewart Living Baseball America Family Circle Martha Stewart Weddings Bead Style Family Handyman Maxim Bicycle Times FIDO Friendly Men’s Fitness Bicycling Field & Stream Men’s Health Bike Fit Pregnancy Mental Floss Bloomberg Businessweek Food Network Magazine Model Railroader Bloomberg Businessweek-Europe Forbes Mother Earth News Boating Garden Design Mother Jones British GQ Gardening & Outdoor Living Motor Trend Canoe & Kayak Girls’ Life Motorcyclist Car and Driver Gluten-Free Living National Geographic Clean Eating Golf Tips National Geographic Traveler Climbing Good Housekeeping Natural Health Cloth Paper Scissors GreenSource New York Review of Books Cosmopolitan Newsweek Grit Cosmopolitan en Espanol O the Oprah Magazine Guideposts Country Living OK Magazine Guitar Player Cruising World Organic Gardening Harper’s Bazaar Cycle World Outdoor Life Harvard Business Review Diabetic Living Outdoor Photographer HELLO! Magazine Digital Photo Outside Horse & Rider Discover Oxygen House Beautiful Dressage Today Parenting Interweave Crochet HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY Magazine
    [Show full text]
  • CRMA JUDGE BIOS 2014 Jeanne Abbott, Associate Professor
    CRMA JUDGE BIOS 2014 Jeanne Abbott, Associate Professor, University of Missouri, worked for the Anchorage Daily News for nearly 15 years and covered the oil boom, native land claims issues and the exploding growth of a frontier city. After earning a Ph.D. in journalism from Missouri, Abbott also spent time at the Sacramento Bee and Des Moines Register before becoming a full‐‐time faculty member. Julie Vosburgh Agnone is Vice President of Editorial Operations for National Geographic Kids Publishing and Media. During her career at National Geographic, Julie has written, edited, and managed magazines and books for children, educational media for schools, and CD‐ROMs for beginning and ESL readers. She has worked on various special initiatives for National Geographic, including international editions, strategic partnerships, and electronic publishing. Danita Allen Wood is the co‐owner and editor‐in‐chief of Missouri Life magazine, which she and her husband purchased and revived in 1999. Danita learned the magazine business at Meredith Corporation, which publishes Better Homes & Gardens, Midwest Living, Successful Farming, and many other magazines. She returned to her home state of Missouri in 1995 to teach at the Missouri School of Journalism, holding the Meredith Chair until 2005, when she decided to devote her full time to Missouri Life. Dave Anderson is a photographer and filmmaker whose work can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Cocoran Gallery and in the pages of Esquire, Stern and ESPN the Magazine. In 2011 Anderson won a National Magazine Award for his “SoLost” video series created for the Oxford American.
    [Show full text]
  • BUILDING an ONLINE MAGAZINE: a PROPOSAL for REDESIGNING WESTERN LIVING 'S ONLINE EDITION by Annie Pei-Hsuan Chen B.A., Univers
    BUILDING AN ONLINE MAGAZINE: A PROPOSAL FOR REDESIGNING WESTERN LIVING ’S ONLINE EDITION by Annie Pei-Hsuan Chen B.A., University of British Columbia, 2006 Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Publishing In the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology © Annie Pei-Hsuan Chen, 2010 Simon Fraser University Spring 2010 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL NAME: Annie Pei-Hsuan Chen DEGREE: Master ofPublishing TITLE 0 F PROJEC T: Building an Online Magazine: A Proposal for Redesigning Western Livings Online Edition SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: Roberto Dosil,SeniorLecturer, MPub Senior Supervisor Master ofPublishing Program Simon Fraser University John Maxwell, Assistant Professor, MPub Supervisor Master of Publishing Program Simon Fraser University Randall Watson,Art Director &: Creative Director Industry Supervisor Vancouver Magazine &: Transcontinental Western Division Vancouver, B.c. DATE AP PROVED: _~~::::':'::;(c::::"""::"':::'-~_..LCf_7-4-.::::2::::::.....:D:::::..-./~·...looO'--- _ Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational
    [Show full text]
  • Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc
    MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA, INC. 2013 ANNUAL REPORT >NOTICE OF 2014 ANNUAL MEETING >PROXY STATEMENT >ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K A Message from our CEO and our Founder Dear Stockholders, INSPIRATION - IT’S WHERE WE STARTED AND WHAT WE ARE Almost twenty-five years ago, Martha Stewart Living published its first inspirational issue with the following statement: “Our Company is about this wonderful life, and about how to live it. About going home again, and about building a house. About a glorious feast, and chocolate chip cookies. About gardens of flowers and rows of beans. It’s about the American Dream, and the reality that’s in our hands.” While the world of the past few decades has experienced amazing and rapid change, this simple statement continues to inspire us. It is an invaluable guidepost for all the things we do for our readers, our retail partners, our stockholders and ourselves. We are Makers, Doers, Cooks, Gardeners, Crafters, Learners, Sharers, Embracers of Technology and Starters of Conversations and Ideas. And, most importantly, we touch like-minded people through our dynamic content and quality products. We are passionate weavers of inspiration, deeply connected with our loyal community that shares the same desire to live well. We see our message resonating with our growing and increasingly diverse community, and we will look to expand our influence abroad this year. Passion, creativity and community are our core principles, and they will continue to guide how we approach our business and our customers. INSPIRING PRODUCTS We are proud of our relationships with many of the best retailers and manufacturers in North America.
    [Show full text]
  • P a M E L a P E T E R S
    p a m e l a p e t e r s o n design portfolio brian boitano project, hgtv Favale di Malvaro, Italy brian boitano project, hgtv brian boitano project, hgtv connecticut residence weekapaug inn westerly, rhode Island new york city apartment before after martha stewart living television / martha show MSL DIGITAL ISSUE - my collection used for “Things We Love to Collect” photography styling huffington post holiday table settings interior design consultation - via online jeffrey goldstein massage studio [above bench] west elm batik pillows on bench all modern.com “pattern on a pond” canvas print 35 X 47 [above freeman cabinet] [for clients clothing] viva terra branch coat tree west elm “degraw bench” 58 X 15 X 18 [on freeman cabinet] [on bench for clients art.com “leaf, 1979” 16 X 16 jewelry, etc] wisteria ceramic votives on slate west elm raffia tray [towel + linen storage] cb2 french-belgian linen curtain panels + hdware west elm freeman storage cabinet [storage + surface for lotions, etc.] white towels + linens [target] nylon boxes for laundry cb2 thesi heather grey chair for cb2 woven wall art [upstairs office] wisteria skinny lamp ikea pax cabinet desk upstairs limoges porcelain collection hooplaha.com products blog India Argentina estancia Paris flea market London - royal wedding Tuscany Reykjavik Copenhagen pamela peterson photography P a m e l a P e t e r s o n [email protected] @justonesuitcase facebook.com/justonesuitcase Television Art Direction FOOD NETWORK, “Daphne Dishes”, Los Angeles HGTV, “The Brian Boitano Project”; renovation
    [Show full text]
  • “Whole Living” on How to Find a Doctor You Trust
    Visit marthastewart.com | marthastewartweddings.com Subscribe Enter a search term Home Page » Wellness » How to Find a Doctor You Trust How to Find a Doctor You Trust Comments (0) MORE FROM WELLNESS Whole Living, September 2011 The best medicine happens when a doctor and patient new from whole living collaborate on a plan to heal, feel better, and age better. Here's daily how to find a health practitioner you trust and get the most out of your checkups ­­ from doctor­patient duos who've made it Meatless Meal: Garlicky White Bean Stew Whole Living Daily, December 10, 2012 work, in sickness and in health. Meatless Meal: Garlicky White Bean Stew Whole Living Daily, December 10, 2012 By Gail O'Connor and Alice Lesch Kelly Photography by John Dolan Meatless Meal: Garlicky White Bean Stew Whole Living Daily, December 10, 2012 PHOTO: JOHN DOLAN Picture this: Waking in the night with what feels like a flaming Meatless Meal: Garlicky White Bean Stew golf ball in your throat, you email your doctor to ask if you Whole Living Daily, December 10, 2012 2 of 4 should be worried. By 8 a.m., you get her reply: She has noted Meatless Meal: Garlicky White Bean Stew your history of strep throat and suggests you come in. To many, Whole Living Daily, December 10, 2012 that scenario ­­ a doctor who is actually reachable! Who knows your case record! ­­ may sound like an impossible dream. "Doctors today are doing the best they can, trying to find out shared on facebook what the critical issues are during regular exams," explains Woodson Merrell, M.D., chairman of the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.
    [Show full text]
  • Martha Stewart, We Surprise, Delight, Inspire, and Celebrate the Everyday, EVERY DAY
    Martha Stewart Who We Are WHO WE ARE Our Philosophy We are inspired by the beauty in the world around us. We create experiences that are rich and lasting. We believe that the home is a place of creative expression. We are cultural tastemakers combing the world for the most innovative and noteworthy ideas. We enjoy sharing ideas—making, doing and living. We believe consumers deserve beautiful, innovative, affordable products for their homes. We partner with only the best to deliver them. and… We elevate the everyday, EVERY DAY. WHO WE ARE Our Everyday Principles We strive to surprise, delight, and inspire. We innovate and invent. We don’t copy or repeat. We are leaders, not followers. It’s a good thing, until you discover a better thing. WHO WE ARE Our Brand Words Informative Inspiring Beautiful Celebratory Surprising Authentic Functional Well-made Affordable WHO WE ARE Universally Recognized Expertise 53% of consumers sight Martha Stewart as the top of mind person for lifestyle ideas and information on the home. When asked what the Martha Stewart brand stands for, consumers answered: quality, style and value. 88% of those who have purchased Martha Stewart products say they would recommend the brand to friends/family. 20 million women say they would go to a store specifically because it carries Martha Stewart products. 0ver 79% say Martha Stewart influences the way they think about, organize, and manage their homes. Source: Public Strategies Brand Trcking, August 2011 Martha Stewart What We Do WHAT WE DO Our Businesses Print Television
    [Show full text]
  • Gazpacho Gets a Makeover - Martha Stewart Living Radio: Th
    Gazpacho Gets a Makeover - Martha Stewart Living Radio: Th... http://theradioblog.marthastewart.com/2011/08/gazpacho-gets-... Enter a search term Martha Stewart Living Radio: The Radio Blog Shows Morning Living Home Design with Kevin Sharkey Ask Martha Cooking Today Living Kitchen The Gardening Hour Mad Hungry Tech Trends See all Shows Ask Marc, the Petkeeper Ask Martha's Vet with Dr. Marty Goldstein Cat Chat with Tracie Hotchner Dr. Shawn, the Natural Vet It's a Dog's Life with Greg Kleva Natural Beauty The Crafting Hour Help Desk Categories Photo Galleries Audio Career Celebrities Cocktails Contests Cooking Today Cool Parties & Events Crafts Entertaining Fashion and Beauty Food From the Listeners Gardening Healthy Living Holidays Home Living in Style Martha, Martha, Martha Meatless Monday Pets Recipes Sandy's Sandwiches Thanksgiving Hotline Travel Video Wines Word of the Day Meet the Contributors Betsy Karetnick Brian Kelsey Greg Kleva Jon Costantino Kevin Chiang Blogs We Like The Martha Blog The Bride's Guide The Crafts Dept. The Daily Wag DC Rowhouse Emeril's Cooking Blog The Everyday Food Blog Home Design with Kevin Sharkey Make Life Delicious Martha and Me Martha Moments Material Girls Modern Design Blog mod*mom Palate-to-Pen 1 of 6 5/1/12 12:01 PM Gazpacho Gets a Makeover - Martha Stewart Living Radio: Th... http://theradioblog.marthastewart.com/2011/08/gazpacho-gets-... Steamy Kitchen The Storque (Etsy's Blog) This Week for Dinner Whole Living Blog Maggie Mistal's Career Advice Blog Alexis Stewart's Blog RSS Subscribe to the Feed Audio Archive Browse the Audio Archive Contact Us Email Us Previous Post Next Post August 30, 2011 Gazpacho Gets a Makeover Posted by Jon Costantino Looking for a delicious, new dish to impress your guests at this weekend's Labor Day party? Nothing says summer like a refreshing bowl of cold gazpacho.
    [Show full text]
  • Company Fact Sheet - January, 2007
    • Company Fact Sheet - January, 2007 Martha Stewart Living Omn imed ia, Inc. (MSLO) is a lead ing provider of original "how-to" information, inspiring and engaging consumers with unique lifestyle content and high-quality products. MSLO is organized into four business segments: Publishing, Broadcasting, Merchandising, and Internet. In November 2006, we published Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home. The book, which The Washington Post described as “the ultimate housekeeping resource,” enjoyed an enthusiastic reception and climbed high bestseller lists across the country. In April 2006, we announced an agreement to develop a line of Martha Stewart Collection home merchandise exclusively for Macy's. The line will encompass a broad range of home goods-including bed and bath textiles, housewares, casual dinnerware, flatware and glassware, cookware, holiday decorat ing and trim-a-tree items. It is expected to debut in early fall 2007 in Macy's stores across America, as well as on macys.com. Our Martha Stewart Collection with Macy’s was the first of many licensing deals forged in 2006, including area rugs with Safavieh, modular carpet tiles with FLOR, ceiling fans and lighting with Quality Home Brands, and a broad new paint program with the Lowe’s Companies, Inc. The Lowe’s deal is an important build ing block in the company’s strategic expansion of its merchandis ing business in the home improvement category. In spring 2007, we will launch our Martha Stewart Crafts line with EK Success. The line will include a wide range of craft products to provide consumers with a one-stop shop for their crafting needs.
    [Show full text]
  • Speakers' Bios and Abstracts
    Whole Grains on Every Plate Conference October 17-19, 2012 • San Antonio, Texas ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Roster of Speakers and Organizers In alphabetical order Sue Austin, President, Cuisine for Healing (Fort Worth, TX) Sara Baer-Sinnott, President, Oldways (Boston, MA) Batool Batalvi, MSc, Strategist-Psychologist, SB&B Marketing Research (Toronto, ON) Sue Ann Claudon, Compliance Director, United Sorghum Checkoff Program (Lubbock, TX) Birthe Creutz, Director of Finance, Oldways (Boston, MA) Keith Cruzan, Executive Chef, Cruzan Catering (San Antonio, TX) Pam Cureton, RD, LDN, Clinical/Research Dietitian, Center for Celiac Research, University of Maryland (Baltimore, MD) Mallory Cushman, Program Assistant, Oldways & the Whole Grains Council (Boston, MA) Coleen Donnelly, Corporate Chef K-12 Segment, Indian Harvest (Bemidji, MN) LTC Christine Edwards, MS, RD, Chief of Force Health Protection, US Army (Fort Sam Houston, TX) Mary Beth Fickel, Program Director, Hunger Busters (Dallas, TX) Sidney Fry, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor, Cooking Light Magazine (Birmingham, AL) Natsuki Fujiwara, Food Technologist, Northern Crops Institute (Fargo, ND) Rachel Greenstein, Communications Manager, Oldways & the Whole Grains Council (Boston, MA) Ann Hall, MRE, RD, LDN, CDE, CNSC, Nutritionist, USDA / FNS (Alexandria, VA) Cynthia Harriman, Director of Food & Nutrition Strategies, Oldways & the Whole Grains Council (Boston, MA) Mike Holleman, Director of Culinary Development, Indian Harvest (Bemidji, MN) Letty Holmbo, MBA, RD, LD, Culinary Dietitian, HEB
    [Show full text]
  • 'A Good Thing': the Commodification of Femininity, Affluence, And
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 2-2009 It’S ‘A Good Thing’: The Commodification Of emininityF , Affluence, And Whiteness In The Martha Stewart Phenomenon Melissa A Click University of Massachusetts - Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Part of the American Studies Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, and the Mass Communication Commons Recommended Citation Click, Melissa A, "It’S ‘A Good Thing’: The Commodification Of emininityF , Affluence, And Whiteness In The Martha Stewart Phenomenon" (2009). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 42. https://doi.org/10.7275/5645130 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/42 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IT’S ‘A GOOD THING’: THE COMMODIFICATION OF FEMININITY, AFFLUENCE, AND WHITENESS IN THE MARTHA STEWART PHENOMENON A Dissertation Presented by MELISSA A. CLICK Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY February 2009 Communication © Copyright by Melissa A. Click 2009 All Rights Reserved IT’S ‘A GOOD THING’: THE COMMODIFICATION OF FEMININITY, AFFLUENCE, AND WHITENESS IN THE MARTHA STEWART PHENOMENON A Dissertation Presented by MELISSA A. CLICK Approved as to style and content by: ____________________________________ Carolyn Anderson, Chair ____________________________________ Lisa Henderson, Member ____________________________________ Marta Calás, Member ____________________________________ Jan Servaes, Department Head Communication ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation has been many years in the making and is the result of the support, guidance and generosity of many invaluable people.
    [Show full text]
  • Putting the Person Back in Person-Brands: Understanding and Managing the Two-Bodied Brand
    1" " Putting the person back in person-brands: Understanding and managing the two-bodied brand Susan Fournier Allen Questrom Professor and Dean Boston University Giana Eckhardt Royal Holloway University of London The authors would like to thank Martha Stewart for repeatedly making salient the importance of the interplay between human and brand, HBS for encouraging the case studies that undergird this research, Al Silk for his unwavering belief in pursuit of a theory of person-brands, Y&R’s BAVGroup for tracking data on the strength of the Martha Stewart person-brand, Delphine Dion for introducing us to the King’s Two Bodies theory, and the talents and time provided by RAs Allison Ward and Sarah Vancini. " 2" " Putting the person back in person-brands: Understanding and managing the two-bodied brand Abstract This paper provides insight into the management of brands that are also people by unpacking the interdependencies existing between persons and brands, and focusing on the qualities that make person-brands human rather than the qualities that make them brands. Using the extended case method to examine twenty years of public data about the Martha Stewart brand, we highlight the interdependent relationship existing between the person and the brand - in particular, consistency and balance, and identify four aspects of the person which can upset these interdependencies: mortality, hubris, unpredictability, and social embeddedness. Mortality and hubris can cause imbalance, but with the right skills and structures, this can be proactively managed. Inconsistency in the meanings of the person versus brand can derive from the unpredictability and social embeddedness of the person and compromise brand value, but may also enhance it by adding needed intimacy and authenticity.
    [Show full text]