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On Tuesday, October 21, Hearst Magazines’ President, Marketing and Publishing Director Michael Clinton hosted the second annual MagFront: Unbound Access at Hearst Tower, featuring editors in chief from Hearst’s 21 magazine media brands, all previewing their biggest initiatives and freshest content for the year to come for an audience of senior marketers and media executives.
Highlights of the event included a live performance from Redbook’s December cover star Idina Menzel and appearances by Cosmopolitan's November cover star Emily Ratajkowski, September Harper’s BAZAAR cover star Emma Ferrer and HGTV’s Cousins Undercover stars John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino. Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke about THE GOOD LIFE and Ina Garten, who appears on Food Network Magazine’s November cover, stopped by with muffins for the crowd. Margot Robbie made a special appearance, and writer, director and occasional Esquire contributor Paul Feig gave the audience an exclusive sneak peek of his upcoming film, Spy, starring Jason Statham and Melissa McCarthy. Other magazine media fans sent video messages, including Oprah Winfrey, Kaley Cuoco Sweeting, Dolly Parton and current cover stars including Ariana Grande (Marie Claire), and Eva Longoria (Good Housekeeping). Fifteen lucky audience members won prizes including a closet makeover with O, The Oprah Magazine’s Adam Glassman, a racing school experience from Car and Driver, and a shopping spree on ShopBAZAAR.com.
“Our editors in chief and content creators are introducing new concepts every day, for print, digital, experiential and beyond. At the MagFront, they share their insights and ideas with marketers in the early stages, spurring opportunity and synergy,” Clinton said, noting that initiatives from the 2013 MagFront began locking in sponsors within 48 hours of the event. “When Idina sang ‘Defying Gravity’ it really encapsulated Hearst’s Unbound spirit: for us, there’s no limit when it comes to innovation and Big Content.”
The 2013 MagFront introduced projects that came alive in 2014, including events like Food Network in Concert and Town & Country’s first Philanthropy Summit, both of which will be repeated in 2015. The May Beauty spectacular, an editorial initiative that saw 10 brands across the portfolio increase beauty coverage by up to 50 percent will also be repeated in 2015, with Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE participating for the first time and Hearst Magazines Digital Media ramping it up online and on social media.
2015 will also see anniversary celebrations for Car and Driver, Cosmopolitan, ELLE and O, The Oprah Magazine, the 1,000th issue of Esquire, unexpected partnerships between titles (hint: there is a connection between the shoes a woman wears and the car she drives), cross-country tours, reader meet-ups, new editorial features, charitable initiatives and more. Popular Mechanics will focus on American Makers, honoring real people who have turned at-home tinkering into promising products; Nina Garcia will go global, giving Marie Claire readers a true insiders’ look at what goes on behind the scenes during fashion week in New York, Milan and Paris; Town & Country will deliver a fresh dose of arts coverage from new contributor and renowned artist David Salle; and Woman’s Day will travel around the U.S. as part of their Live Longer and Stronger initiative, providing one-on-one health testing and consultations with wellness and beauty experts.
“It’s been the greatest year of transformation we’ve ever seen in the media landscape, and our brands are leading the way with global digital growth, new print product partnerships, over-the-top video channels, and the launch of new editions of our magazines around the world,” said Hearst Magazines President David Carey, wrapping up the event. “We have a culture that is based on innovation and collaboration, which fueled our slate of homerun projects in 2014, and will leverage our initiatives to come in 2015.”
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