Magazine Media’s Most Trusted Source Since 1947 November 16, 2015 | Vol. 68 No. 44 Read more at: minonline.com Steve Smith's Eye on Innovation: 2 Cosmo's Anniversary Party Netted 9 Billion Media Impressions Traffic Is A Drug And Facebook Is Dealing Any publisher that isn't at least a little bit wary of relying on Facebook for the tor- 3 RadarOnline's 'Decent' App Is Nearly Ruined by 'Messy Monetization' rent of traffic it sends to content sites over the past two years is either daft or suf- fers short-term memory loss. One of the reasons media have enjoyed such massive 8 October 2015 Social Media Box- traffic spikes was due to a fundamental algorithm change that pushed consumer scores (Facebook and Twitter) brands out of the feed in favor of shared media—a shift that forced these brands into Facebook’s paid advertising business. After years of being encouraged by Fa- 12 Programmatic Paradox: We cebook to cultivate likes and enjoy the free distribution, many advertisers consid- Aren't Embracing New Efficiencies ered this shift in policy a bait and switch. At the very least, it should remind other 13 Are Mobile Ad Numbers Add- Facebook partners of the company’s willingness to change the rules of the game ing Up? and use its remarkable control to move partners into paid relationships. ( Continued on page 4 Linda Wells' Allure-ing Legacy The departing EIC's success was not predicted in 1991. In March 1991, Allure launched not with a party but with a sigh of relief from its founding editor-in-chief, Linda Wells. The issue was a quick redo after the late Condé Nast editorial director Alexander Liberman tore up the first version. The maga- zine's "truth in beauty" theme (based on 1987 launch Condé Nast Traveler's "truth in travel") was not welcomed by colleagues at Glamour, Self and Vogue that were beauty-advertising dependent. By June 1991, Allure was down to seven ad pages and Wells would later confess to Charlie Rose that "I had my head ripped off and handed to me." CN chairman S.I. Newhouse, Jr.'s support for Allure is why it and Wells survived (the same can be said for the then Vanity Fair and The New Yorker who were both losing money at the time). The turnaround came in the early-2000s when reality shows such as Extreme Makeover made beauty more than just an "accessory" to fashion. Wells became a celebrity herself with her Confessions of a Beauty Editor in 2006, and Allure's "Best of Beauty" awards have become a top event in the industry. Continued on page 2 Welcome to min's Seventh Editorial & Design Awards Join us at our November 18 breakfast at the Yale Club in New York when we recognize the best in print and digital. We will also honor four new members of min's Editorial & Design Hall of Fame: Margaret Russell (Architectural Digest, EIC) Robert Newman (This Old House, creative director) Jake Silverstein (New York Times Magazine, editor) Tom Shoop (Government Executive, EIC) Pages 6 and 7 list the nearly 250 Editorial & Design Awards finalists in 42 categories. For further information, including registration, click here. © 2015 Access Intelligence, LLC. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines of up to $150,000 for violations. minonline.com Linda Wells' Allure-ing Legacy (continued from page 1) Media Industry Newsletter In March 2011, Wells had come full circle when the same advertisers Editor-in-Chief: that had shunned Allure at the launch bought congratulatory pages to Steven Cohn ([email protected]) celebrate her's and the brand's 20th anniversary. 203/899-8437 That turned out to be the apex as Allure was impacted by the evo- Digital Media Editor: lution from print to digital. Women's Wear Daily reported that "with Steve Smith ([email protected]) the emergence of beauty bloggers and YouTubers, not to mention 302/691-5331 a steep pullback in beauty advertising [-15.9% to 762.99 ad pages min through September 2015, per Publishers Information Bureau], Al- Group Editor: Caysey Welton ([email protected]) lure had lost its dominance in the industry." 203/899-8431 On November 11, Condé Nast president Bob Sauerberg announced Editorial Intern: Jameson Doris that Wells was being succeeded, "effective immediately," by former ([email protected]) Nylon Media editor-in-chief and chief marketing officer Michelle Lee. VP Publisher: Amy Jefferies ([email protected]) The terms "native advertising," "branded content," "custom publishing," "Millennials" and "plat- Director of Market Development: forms" were all in the press release, and the rumor du jour is that Lee and Allure VP and chief Laurie M. Hofmann revenue officer Agnes Chapski will convert the 1.15 million circulation monthly to digital only. ([email protected]) Marketing Associate: Allie DeNicuolo Wells remains on the Allure masthead as "founding editor," and we expect her to be in ([email protected]) demand by the beauty industry that went from scorning her to respecting her. Senior Account Executive: Tania Babiuk ([email protected]) Cosmo's 9 Billion Media Impressions Production Manager: Streaming the anniversary party on Snapchat was a catalyst. Sophie Chan-Wood ([email protected]) Combine a perennially hot magazine with a hot 50th anniversary party with hot guests, and Graphic Designer: Yelena Shamis the whopping sum of 9 billion media impressions (not a typo) is the result, says Cosmopolitan ([email protected]) publishing director Donna Kalajian Lagani. Fans followed the October 12 gala in Los Angeles Data and Analytics Manager: Stacy Hill on Snapchat, and the Kardashian sightings (all six–including mom Kris Jenner) helped make ([email protected]) Cosmo the social media powerhouse shown. Access Intelligence, LLC President & As for 2016, the three-time winner of Hearst Magazines president, marketing and publish- Chief Executive Officer: Don Pazour ing director Michael Clinton's "Tower Award" (shared in 2015 with Woman's Day's Kassie Means, Car and Driver's Felix DeFillippo and Elle's Kevin O'Malley) promises that "it will be fun." SVP, Media Group: Diane Schwartz Chief Operating Officer: Heather Farley Subscriptions/Client Services: Great Editorial Content Drives Social Engagement 888-707-5814 Last October, People published a cover story on Brittany Maynard, the cancer patient who List Sales: Statlistics, 203-778-8700 chose to end her own life. The piece performed very well Advertising: 203-899-8498 BY THE NUMBERS on social, according to min's Social Media Boxscores pro- Reprints: Wright’s Media, 877-652-5295 ([email protected]) vided by True Social Metrics, and is why the brand saw a Facebook Replies Editorial Offices: 10 Norden Place, drop in overall engagement on social this October, versus Norwalk, CT 06855; 40 Wall Street, last year. 50th floor, New York, NY 10005; Faxes: 203-854-6735, 212-621-4879; On the other end of the spectrum is Cosmopolitan. The 75% www.minonline.com women's beauty and fashion magazine saw a huge spike Cosmo's engagement growth in Facebook likes (65% YoY) and replies (75%) compared (YoY) in October on Facebook Access Intelligence LLC, 9211 Corporate Blvd, 4th Floor, Rockville, MD to October of last year. The cover appearance of all six thanks to Kardashians 20850; Ph: 301-354-2000 Published 2015 © by Access Intelligence LLC. ladies in the Kardashian clan is largely the reason. Distributed via email and online. For email and postal address changes, Other notable numbers came from brands like allow 2 weeks notice. Send to: Client Bloomberg Businessweek, which beefed up political cov- 9% Services or call 888-707-5814. For advertising info contact 301/ 354- erage the past month. Increasing post output by 800% People's decreased engage- 1629. Contents may not be reproduced in any form without written permission. over last year has led to an amazing 1,400% increase in ment (YoY) due to success of favorites (now likes) and a 408% increase in replies on last October's Maynard piece Subscription Rate: $1099 Twitter for the brand. Continued on page 8 2 Magazine Media’s Most Trusted Source Since 1947 11/16/2015 minonline.com Steve Smith's App Review RadarOnline: A Clean, Well-Lit Place…Until The Ads Show Up A decent user experience is nearly ruined by messy monetization. American Media’s flagship celebrity news site RadarOnline claims to have grown its traffic over 60% in the past year (more than 300% in mobile) and expanded its audience 55%. As it also gears up to launch a branded TV project with The Weinstein Company, the site has issued a full cross-screen redesign. Here, I looked at the mobile experience. Clean and fast are the watchwords for the new RadarOnline. Following its tabloid DNA, the design sports huge celebrity images and bold-faced headlines that satisfy the mobile user’s key value —speed. The scroll gets some visual variety with the occasional pink headline and variable type- face sizing. The mobile experience at RadarOnline benefits from smooth interface devices, although many come with downsides. The persistent sandwich menu activates a slide in menu curtain with a baker’s dozen of sections. The list is cumbersomely long and too small for easy navigation, even on the massive iPhone 6S Plus. The article pages are as clean as the homep- age. Bolding and typeface colors are a nice hedge against the blandness of the mobile scroll. I like that the galleries operate seamlessly with touch and that videos start neatly within the page, go to full-screen, and then recede back into the page. But the video sharing tools only seem available before a video starts.