By Paul Pannone
Things just got brighter at BRIDES magazine naming their first woman of color to get a feel of reality and what’s relevant in the wedding world today. Keija Minor, named editor in chief, succeeds Anne Fulenwider who took flight before her first anniversary at the helm of the broken BRIDE ship. Minor was hired by Fulenwider as executive editor during her brief stay.
Keija Minor becomes the first woman of color at BRIDES to give a clearer view of the changes that have taken place since the 70′s when Conde’ Nast reigned supreme.
Minor’s impressive career includes Niche Media, Los Angeles Confidential & Aspen Park and Uptown Magazine and BRIDES, all in executive positions.
According to sources that did not want to be quoted BRIDES needed to shake things up beyond a new cover designs and a better grade of paper. Sources told eWedNewz;
“They finally figured out that it’s going to take a major overhaul of the way they’ve done business for decades. They found the cosmetic changes they tried simply doesn’t work or fool today’s smarter advertisers.”
BRIDES sources feel the recent decision to return to a bi-monthly format is a step in the right direction but much more still needs to be done.
According to sources there are employees assigned to read what this newZ source reports and pass the information along to decision makers.
“They read every word you write including the public criticisms by major advertisers.”
In a recent email obtained by eWedNewz Lori Silver tries to set the record straight saying;
“We wanted to update you on the most recent performance of BRIDES. My understanding is there has been some misinformation circulating.
BRIDES is the go to source for all things engagement/wedding related. We guide young affluent women through the planning process with expert advice every step of the way: from helping her select her engagement ring to finding the dream dress to inspiring her wedding style. BRIDES delivers more than 8 million brides & their friends across all our platforms – more than any other bridal brand. We reach 5.1 million consumers with every issue – 20% more than Bridal Guide (the only other MRI measured bridal publication) – and our expanded footprint across platforms, including online, social, tablet, mobile and events, helps to surround these women at every touch point. (SOURCE: MRI DOUBLEBASE 2012. COMSCORE JUNE 2012, ONLINE AUDIENCE BASED ON BRIDES NETWORK. APP FIGURES APRIL 2011-AUGUST 2012. ABC DIGITAL CIRCULATION MAY 2012. SOCIAL AND EVENT ESTIMATES.)
BRIDES circulation vitality continues to grow as well with a 1.3% increase in total circulation, the only bridal title with an increase in total circulation over 2011. However, like all bridal titles, BRIDES did experience a small loss in single copy sales. With that said, BRIDES still sells more copies on the newsstand on a per month basis – the below chart shows the average issues sold per month on newsstands for all bridal titles. (Source: ABC JUNE 2012)
As we move towards our bi-monthly schedule, it is important to remember that BRIDES’ goal is to consistently deliver over 300,000 copies per issue. This number is nearly double that of Bridal Guide’s average circulation and 59% more than Martha Stewart Weddings. (Source: ABC JUNE 2012)
For the woman who puts style first, BRIDES delivers fresh ideas and innovative tools, expert advice and visually inspiring fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle features to help her tackle the biggest spending period of her life. While editorial leadership has changed, the essential DNA of the brand has been powerfully steadfast. Great brands and great businesses aren’t about one individual and Brides truly is a great, iconic brand. We are confident that the future of the Brides franchise will remain bright and look forward to welcoming a new editor in chief in the coming weeks.
Be everywhere she is – BRIDES.
Further reports from sources near the story say the move to include a woman of color as the head of BRIDES is a way to attract another segment of the wedding market that not interested in an all-white format. One source told eWedNewz they’ve looked at the recent success of publications like Munaluchi Bride.
According to eWedNewz sources there is not enough of a market in the black segment to sustain a publication that would attract a huge organization like Conde’ Nast for its bridal publication. But because of Keija Minor’s perspective a new market, including women of color, can be better explored, serviced and may become part of BRIDE’s existing base of readers.
An ongoing eWedNewz poll shows 42% of responding readers feel BRIDES has fallen too far to ever recover. 28% say BRIDES is a victim of a trend, sinking quickly, like all printed products are. 17% of responding readers say BRIDES is adjusting to the market but will survive. 9% of respondents so far feel that BRIDES is as healthy and relevant in the market as ever.
What do you say?
eWedNewz continues our investigation and welcomes your opinion.
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