• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 9, 2009

American Media is launching a new magazine devoted to ultimate fighting in partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The new title, UFC, will be unveiled at the UFC 100 event July 11 in Las Vegas. It will also be distributed nationally on newsstands and other UFC-related events, with promotion via television, email and news posts on UFC.com, which attracts about 6 million unique visitors per month.

Despite the sour economy, the new title has had some success in attracting advertisers, according to AMI, which says the first issue boasts a total of just over 53 ad pages versus an expected 37. AMI attributes this to the precise targeting of the young male demo. By the same token, this targeting has drawn interest from a broad range of advertisers, from automotive and gaming to grooming and apparel.

Inaugural advertisers that will appear in the first issue of UFC include Bodybuilding.Com, Bud Light, Dickies, Ford Mustang, General Cigars, GO Rhino, Hard Rock Hotel, Harley Davidson, HBO, JVC, Spike TV, Topp's, and a wide array of nutrition supplement manufacturers. The cover of the first issue features UFC founder Dana White.

Working Mother Teams with Kraft

Working Mother is introducing an innovative new campaign for Kraft targeting the nearly 20% of working mothers who are too busy to eat lunch. The campaign for Oscar Mayer's Deli Creations uses both print and online components, including a survey, contest and a co-branded event hosted by Working Mother Media President Carol Evans. Evans said the campaign reaches working mothers "at work, at home, online, in-book and with a program that underscores their hunger for information and tips that help their daily lives." The online component included an online poll, which was promoted by a full-page "advertorial" in the magazine.

Travel + Leisure Opens Retail Stores in Airports

Travel + Leisure, a publication of the American Express Publishing Corp., is partnering with the Hudson Group to launch new, Travel + Leisure-branded stores at JFK airport in New York, as well as airports in Vancouver and Halifax. These flagship stores will be followed by smaller "stores-within-stores" at airports in Orlando and San Francisco. The Travel + Leisure stores will carry luggage and travel accessories, local maps, travel guides, as well as the current issues of Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine, an Amex sister publication, along with books produced under those brands.

Meredith Appoints Harty President of Consumer Magazines

Meredith Corp. has appointed Tom Harty president of consumer magazines. In this position, Harty will retain his responsibilities as chief revenue officer and executive vice president of the Meredith publishing group. Among his contributions was the creation of Meredith 360, which helps advertisers create integrated campaigns across different media.