Mag Bag: 'Rachael Ray' Cooks Up Success Promo

Everyday with Rachael Ray Oct/08

'Rachael Ray' Cooks Up Success Promo

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Experiential marketing is increasingly popular with magazine publishers that are seeking to make their titles into multi-platform brands. The latest initiative comes from Everyday with Rachael Ray, which is bringing its advertisers' products to Super Suppers, a national retail chain of 144 do-it-yourself venues. Super Suppers allow consumers (mostly women) to cook up to a month's worth of prepared meals for the freezer without the hassle of grocery shopping or cleanup.

Advertisers participating in the experiential marketing campaign include Uncle Ben's and Nestle's, according to Anne Balaban, EDWRR's publisher, who said advertisers had to buy a certain number of ad pages to qualify. In the kitchen areas, their products are tagged with the magazine brand to further distinguish them. "The meal preparation service ties in perfectly with our whole ease and convenience message," Balaban said.

The multi-platform approach for the campaign, which will run through October, includes promotional tie-ins in the magazine and online, including the Super Suppers Web site. "For advertisers, they're communicating the message in-book to their target customer, and then actually getting them to use your product." She estimated that Super Suppers reaches about 30,000 women a month.

To emphasize the participatory aspect of the brand, Rachael Ray is also poised to launch a new section of user-generated content in the front of the magazine this February called "Talk." The new section will consist of five different user-generated content areas--including a reader panel, a cook's network, and a column called "Reader Raves," in which the magazine's readers recommend products.

Time Inc.'s MyRecipes.com Unveils Chef Videos

MyRecipes.com, a property of Time Inc., is introducing a series of online videos, "Local Flavor," that will take viewers inside the kitchens of well-known American chefs, the Web site announced this week. Hosted by Kim Sunee, the food editor for Cottage Living, the first episode takes viewers to New Orleans, where she will tag along with Adolfo Garcia of Rio Mar for a shopping expedition to the Hong Kong Market in Terrytown, visit Jay Nix in the Parkway Tavern and Bakery for a po'-boy seminar, and go looking for herbs and vegetables with organic farmer David Snow.

Forbes Names Hymowitz Ed. Director

Forbes has appointed Carol Hymowitz as the editorial director of the ForbesLife Executive Woman group, with responsibility for print and online content. On the print side, she will take the reins at ForbesLife Executive Woman magazine, launched last year; on the online side, she is charged with creating a Web site for the brand. She was formerly a senior editor and columnist for The Wall Street Journal, where she penned "In the Lead," a column that explores challenges facing top executives, and also conceptualized and edited the paper's "Women to Watch" coverage.

Reader's Digest Names Tracey Altman VP, Publisher

Tracey Altman has been appointed vice president and publisher of Reader's Digest. Altman was previously the senior vice president and group publisher for the Publishing Group of America. At PGA she helped launch a number of successful newspaper-distributed magazines, including American Profile, Relish and Spry. Also this week, RDA promoted Maureen O'Connell Polo to managing director for integrated sales and marketing. Previously, Polo served as executive director of integrated sales and marketing.

O Gets Two New Hires

Kerry Robertson is joining O, The Oprah Magazine as design director, and Dana White is joining as executive editor. Robertson was previously the design director at Golf for Women and art director for Conde Nast Traveler. White also worked at Golf for Women, where she was executive editor; Conde Nast closed the magazine in July.

Forbes.com Rolls Out 16 New Columns, New Editor

Forbes.com is introducing 16 new columns in its commentary and op-ed section, broken down into four main categories--Business and Economics, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Culture and Society, and Politics. To oversee the plethora of new offerings, Forbes.com hired Tunku Varadarajan, formerly a contributing editor at the Financial Times, as online editor.

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