• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, January 4, 2010

The Reader's Digest Association is turning over a new leaf in 2010, with plans for three new single-sponsor magazines tightly focused on healthy lifestyles -- a move that takes the publisher deeper into custom-publishing territory.

The three media brands -- Reverse Diabetes, Walk It Off, and No Fail Weight Loss -- will publish four times a year with a newsstand price of $4.99 and initial circulation of 500,000 each, according to the Mediaweek Web site.

Although RDA has yet to reveal the sponsors, there is no question that all three titles address hot health topics: 32% of American adults, or 90 million people, are obese (meaning more than 20% in excess of their ideal weight) -- up from 13% in 1962. Another 30% are overweight.

Some 1.6 million new cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed in 2007, or about five new cases per 1,000 people -- more than double the rate of 2.2 per 1,000 in 1960. Furthermore, the American public is well-informed of the risks and complications associated with these conditions, thanks to PSAs by government agencies, organizations like the American Heart Association, and insurance companies, among others.

By the same token, the intense interest in issues like diabetes and weight loss has already spawned a number of new magazines focused on healthy lifestyles, including two newspaper distributed titles: Spry, from the Publishing Group of America, and HealthyStyle , from Parade Publications, which both debuted in September 2008.

In January 2008, CVS launched its own custom publication, Great Health Magazine, which is home-delivered to 500,000 relatively affluent households. The magazine, produced by Basic Media Group, carries advertising for both pharma and over-the-counter products.

However, RDA has already surveyed the media landscape and established the marketability of its particular health-related brands. The Walk It Off and Reverse Diabetes publications are building on the earlier success of two trial issues in the first case, and a successful book publishing franchise in the second.

Options for multiplatform brand extensions include Web sites, electronic newsletters, books, clubs and experiential marketing, but the emphasis and investment in these channels depends on advertiser interest.

In general, RDA seems to be taking a conservative approach to new product development. The company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2009 (forecast to wrap up in mid-January), recently scrapped plans for a print magazine produced with mega-church pastor Rick Warren, titled Purpose Driven Connection, after failing to drum up enough interest among readers and advertisers. The brand remains active online.