• by Larry Dobrow , March 9, 2004

Sunday magazines have long been a dicey proposition for newspapers. While the New York Times Magazine has evolved into a marketing juggernaut and the Los Angeles Times Magazine more than holds its own, most others have proven dowdy in design and somewhat less than compelling editorially.

Sheela Agarwal, advertising manager for The Boston Globe Magazine, freely admits that her publication was in danger of falling into the same trap. "We were at a crossroads," she recalls. "Advertisers wanted to know why [the magazine] was getting so thin. They were wondering why a vehicle that had worked so well for them in the past wasn't working for them anymore."

Thus around nine months ago, a cross-departmental team that included editorial, production, circulation, and marketing personnel assembled at a table to discuss the mag's future. The fruit of their labor was unveiled on Sunday, when the revamped Boston Globe Magazine made its much-ballyhooed debut.

The old Globe Magazine had settled into something of a rut, patronized predominantly by home-furnishings advertisers. "People looked at us like we were a home book," Agarwal acknowledges. Predictably, marketers in most other categories went looking for more sophisticated venues, and page counts for the magazine sagged. As a result, the Globe considered a handful of options for the magazine, including decreasing its frequency to monthly. The company did not, Agarwal emphasizes, seriously discuss eliminating it--a step taken last year by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which replaced its magazine with a weekly "Image" section.

In the end, the Globe decided to invest considerable time and effort into creating a magazine that better catered to New England readers. Although a few elements of the publication were retained, including food mavens Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven, the revamped model adds a third feature story, etiquette/advice guru "Miss Behave," and an "Only in Boston" section for reader notes and musings, à la the NY Times' "Metropolitan Diary."

"We wanted an element of sophistication," says Doug Most, who was poached from Boston Magazine in November to serve as the Globe mag's editor. "It was important to have some service elements to it--places to get the best pizza, things like that. The stories themselves have to connect to Boston as much as possible. I'm not sure we were doing that." Although Agarwal credits Moss with being the creative force behind the revamped magazine, the prototype was produced before his arrival. This made for some hairy sales calls, as reps had to sell advertisers on a model that wasn't necessarily going to resemble the final product.

While it's way too early to gauge the reaction to the revamped Globe Magazine, early reaction seems favorable. Sunday's issue passes the thump test at 80 pages--the company is touting a 130 percent jump in insertions against the same issue in 2003--and the magazine's average page count should settle in the 50-60 page range, or 20 more than what it averaged during the last six months. Although Agarwal declines to give exact dollar figures, she notes that Sunday's magazine generated considerably more ad revenue than did any issue in 2003.

Given the Globe's demographics, a stylish, colorful product on upgraded paper stock (always one of the main complaints about the old magazine) shouldn't be an especially difficult sell. Twenty-three percent of loyal Globe Magazine readers, defined as those who have read at least three out of the last four issues, boast a household income of $100,000 or more, with 49 percent owning a house valued at $300,000 or more. Similarly, 74 percent consider newspapers their top source of advertising information. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulation, the Globe magazine reaches nearly 630,000 readers per week; Boston Magazine, by comparison, reaches about 125,000 per month.

Surprisingly, Agarwal doubts that the revamped magazine will lure much in the way of national advertisers. "We'll get some, but let's face it: the New York Times Magazine is the showcase for national advertisers," she says. "We're second-tier as far as national markets go. I'd be thrilled to dominate our region." Marketers of home furnishings will remain a Sunday mainstay, and the Globe hopes to increase its take from fashion, financial services, and automotive advertisers.

Still, Agarwal is confident enough in the revamped product to have twice upgraded her sales projections for 2004, and predicts that the magazine will end the year in the black. "It's all about momentum," she adds. "Right now, we have it. Whether we can keep it up is the question."