Meredith Goes En Casa, Launches Shelter Book Aimed At Hispanic Women

by Michael Shields, Jan 27, 2005, 6:34 AM

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Meredith Corporation is launching a lifestyle and shelter publication targeted to Hispanic women. The bi-monthly, ¡Siempre Mujer! will debut this fall with an initial rate base of 350,000.

Meredith has mentioned previously that it intended to go after the Hispanic marketplace, although entering the home category specifically is something of a surprise. In justifying its decision, the company cited data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which indicates that within the next decade, one in five new homeowners will be Hispanic.

To facilitate the launch, Meredith will leverage its extensive database derived from flagship titles Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies' Home Journal. In addition, the publisher will extend its marketing alliance with Home Interiors & Gifts Inc.--which currently develops and markets a line of home décor products under the Better Homes and Gardens brand name--to assisting in marketing subscriptions directly to Hispanic women.

Overseeing the launch will be Susan Baron, vice president, and Ruth Gaviria, publisher/executive Director of Meredith Hispanic Ventures. Johanna Buchholtz-Torres, the former editor in chief of Ser Padres magazine, will serve as ¡Siempre Mujer!'s editor in chief.

According to Gaviria, who was previously Director of Marketing and Brand Development for Time Inc.'s People En Español, ¡Siempre Mujer! will be published in Spanish, and will advise advertisers to produce Spanish-language ads. "That is critical to this proposition," she said. "Among the 8 million women in the 21-45 target, the vast majority are Spanish-dominant--that is, either they are foreign born or speak Spanish in the home. It is critically important to communicate in Spanish."

While ¡Siempre Mujer!, which means "Always Woman," is being labeled as a home title, Gaviria described it as being more of a comprehensive women's service title in nature. "The title is aspirational--it's empowering," she said. "The word 'mujer' means the woman herself, her family and her home. It is much more of a magazine around home, family, and self development."

While marketers and publishers are taking steps to recognize the growing Hispanic marketplace via successful titles like Latina, Gaviria believes there is plenty of room for new players. "These other books are about celebrities, beauty, and fashion," she said. "A true service magazine is pretty much uncharted territory."

Asked why Meredith did not simply attempt to extend one of its existing titles--such as launching a "Better Homes and Gardens en Espanola," for example--Gaviria acknowledged: "That would have been much easier." But not necessarily the right move. "This woman is imbued in two worlds: traditional, and adopting American values," she said. "She is buying her first home, getting an education. All of these first-time opportunities. We needed to grow up with this reader. It is very difficult to do that with a magazine that serves a different reader."

Gaviria did not rule out launching a Spanish version of existing titles, or other Spanish-language launches from Meredith down the road. She said that the hope for ¡Siempre Mujer! was to increase its circulation to 500,000 within three years.

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