Equine Network

6 Magazine CEOs, 4 Strategies: How To Survive And Thrive In 2018

At the American Magazine Media Conference in New York, six magazine publishers—Condé Nast, Meredith, Hearst, Bonnier, Active Interest Media, and New York Media—outlined how they are adapting to a tougher advertising landscape. The leaders stressed shifting spend to performance advertising and building first‑party data and data platforms to diversify revenue beyond traditional print. Condé Nast highlighted data-driven acquisitions and its long-standing database capabilities. The group discussed paid content as a growing priority, noting Meredith’s Magnolia Journal earns 95% of its revenue from consumers and The New Yorker relies on premium content with a paywall that is growing about 40% annually. Brand safety was framed as a differentiator, with magazine brands seen as more trustworthy than some digital startups. Revenue diversification was emphasized—AIM sells horse trailer insurance and is expanding into online training; Bonnier targets a 33%/33%/33% revenue mix by 2020; Meredith leverages brand licensing; New York Media expands into events like the Vulture Festival. Rodale and Time Inc. were noted as now part of Hearst and Meredith.