• by Larry Dobrow , October 13, 2003

Few magazines can say that they have two of their frequent cover subjects on board in key marketing posts. But with the recent addition of Pete Sampras as both a part-owner and editorial contributor, Tennis Magazine can now make that claim. The result, the magazine hopes, will be a more appealing product to marketers of goods beyond tennis gear and apparel.

Sampras joins Chris Evert, the mag's publisher for nearly three years, atop the masthead. But while vice president of marketing Ed Hanasik hypes their presence - "you have arguably the top man and woman player of all time in one place" - it's questionable whether non-endemic advertisers will be quite as star-struck. More likely is the possibility that they'll be lured into Tennis by its demographics, which are relatively unique among sports titles.

The magazine boasts a 50/50 male/female split among its readership, which boasts an average annual household income of $132,700. Also, studies conducted by the magazine suggest that these readers are more passionate about the sport than most: they play around 100 times per year and lead an active lifestyle. "They're very upscale and they're very loyal to the products and brands they like," Hanasik says, noting that the publication will soon unveil data from a recent readership study that backs his assertions.

From a business perspective, Tennis took few direct hits during the recent recession, owing primarily to its tight relationship with the United States Tennis Association. Of the magazine's 700,000 readers, roughly 500,000 receive it as part of their USTA membership. So even if newsstand sales slump (and, according to the most recent Audit Bureau of Circulation FasFax data, single-copy sales were down 9.9% in the first half of 2003 against the same period in 2002), the magazine has a core base that should ostensibly allow it to survive difficult economic times. "We're obviously different from most publications in that regard," Hanasik affirms.

Year-to-date, Tennis is up slightly in ad pages over 2002 (2.74%, with 373.7 total pages) and ad revenue (4.47%, to $24.0 million). Most of the pages have come from manufacturers of rackets and tennis clothing, but the magazine has also scored with travel advertisers (especially tennis resorts) and brands like Mercedes-Benz, Clarinex and Evian. "[These brands] are general in nature, but they represent the lifestyle of the Tennis reader," Hanasik notes. Given the mag's upscale demographics, future targets include the luxury goods market - especially jewelers and watch manufacturers - and high-end fashion brands like Hugo Boss and Armani. Hanasik is also hopeful of expanding the magazine's travel slate to include the major airlines.

The challenge will likely be convincing marketers that the benefits of getting in front of the magazine's affluent readers outweigh what they would be giving up in terms of reach should they decide to shift ad dollars from broader lifestyle mags to Tennis. "We have to make the case for our reader," Hanasik says. "That's really what sets us apart." He insists that the magazine has no plans to expand its audience by targeting fitness buffs that may or may not be tennis fans: "We might try to be a little wider in scope editorially, but we're only interested in readers who count tennis as a big part of their life."

In the months ahead, look for Tennis to continue its event-centric marketing. In conjunction with the USTA, the mag has transformed New York's Grand Central Station into a tennis haven during recent Grand Slam tournaments. It has also coordinated a handful of what Hanasik calls "demo days" that allow endemic advertisers to display their wares to hundreds of Tennis readers.

As for Sampras, Hanasik insists that "he won't just be a figurehead." While plans for his involvement haven't yet been cemented, they will include regular appearances at marketing events and some kind of regular editorial contribution. "When he retired from playing, he was looking for a way to stay involved with the sport," Hanasik says. "With this, he'll have a vehicle to get his message out there. At 32, he's way too young to call it quits."