• by Michael Shields , July 16, 2004

When it comes to the automobile industry, speed normally is a good thing. Just not when you're headed in the wrong direction. That's what the odometer watchers at Fast Company have come to realize during the first half of 2004, during which the magazine's ad pages plummeted at high velocity, dropping 28 percent from the first half of 2003. This follows a successful run on the newsstand over the past year, where the magazine has been credited with surviving some tough times.

Dan Rubin, executive vice president of Gruner + Jahr, blames Detroit, but adds, "It is a little misleading. The auto business really loves our book. Since there have been fewer launches this year [from auto makers], we do take a PIB hit."

Rubin expects the second half of the year to be much stronger, as several of the major car companies plan new lines. "We just closed a very good September," Rubin said.

Another tactic taken by G+J to boost ad sales has been a recent initiative to package Fast Company with sister publication Inc., which until recently hadn't been done before. "It's already taking effect, he said. "Our sales people have been integrating Inc., trying to help Fast Company diversify."

The move appears to have benefited Inc as well, as its pages have increase 8 percent this year. Rubin says the growth is part of a recognition by advertisers of a gradual improvement in content since John Koten, was named editor-in-chief in September 2002.

"It has evolved to a much better place," Rubin said. "It is about growing companies, not just starting companies."

As for Fast Company, Rubin points to a string of recently well-received covers, featuring subjects ranging from Amazon's Jeff Bezos to J-Lo, which exhibit the book's unique position as a lifestyle slash business read.

Market Proves Healthy For Executive Mag, Spins Off Health Title

On the much more niche end of business publishing, RedCoat Publishing is celebrating the first anniversary of flagship American Executive magazine.

RedCoat can boast of reaching profitability in its first year despite an economic recovery that has not been friendly to many business to business publications.

American Executive, designed for senior managers of middle market companies, falls somewhere between publications geared for very small business and the CEO-targeted Fortunes or Forbeses of the world.

It was the dot-com publishing fallout, which may have opened a window for the title at just the right time. "Years ago there was total saturation," said Julian Taylor, chairman-CEO of RedCoat Publishing. "A lot of publications that were draining the marketplace at the time are not there now. There is a great demand and desire for this type of information now."

That demand has attracted prominent advertisers, such as Pfizer, Dell, Accenture and Microsoft.

The demand for health care business editorial has been strong as well, leading RedCoat to launched a spin-off publication, American Health Executive, in May.

First Ladies' Home Journal

Ladies Home Journal is treading on the usual territory of newsweeklies this month with an August issue featuring exclusive, in-depth interviews with President and Mrs. Bush and Senator Kerry and Mrs. Heinz Kerry. Newsstand issues will even feature alternate covers of the Bushes and Kerrys (presumably, distribution of each cover will be split by red and blue states).

Editor-in-Chief Diane Salvatore personally conducted both interviews.

LHJ's audience might decide the election. The magazine cites evidence from election experts who believe that undecided-suburban-married women will be the swing vote this year.

Beckman Advances, Heads Advance's New CN Media Group Veteran Conde Nast exec Richard Beckman has been named president of the Conde Nast Media Group, a newly established division of the Advance Magazine Group. Beckman was also named executive vice president of AMG.

Beckman has been executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Conde Nast Publications since January 2002. Under Beckman, the corporate sales and marketing group of Conde Nast evolved into the Conde Nast Media Group, which now supports all of the individual AMG divisions, including Conde Nast Publications, Fairchild Publications, CondeNet, The Golf Digest Companies, and Parade Publications.

Beckman, who began his career at The New Yorker in 1986, has spent 18 years at Conde Nast. He has been publisher at Vogue, GQ and Conde Nast Traveler.