• by Michael Shields , August 14, 2004

As the economy went south a few years ago, the casualties in the family category piled up.

Crayola Kids folded in 2001, followed by Sesame Street Parents in 2002. Family Life also bit the dust during that time.

The market seemed to be making a clear statement: magazines that target both parents and kids aren't viable.

Right in the middle of this uncertain mess, Nickelodeon launched Nick Jr. magazine as an extension of its popular preschooler TV block (which includes "Blues Clues" and others). While the TV block was strictly for kids, Nick Jr. would be geared toward parents, with a separate section for their kids.

Now approaching its fifth anniversary in February, the magazine is red hot--proving that the concept of a dual reader magazine can work if executed smartly.

Ad pages are 26 percent this year through June, according to PIB, and pages have grown exponentially since its launch--as has circulation, which has increased 255 percent since the first issue. Nick Jr.'s rate base is now at 1,050,000.

In launching a magazine that was partially targeted to parents, Nickelodeon was absorbing some risk, as the content extended beyond Nick's typical domain. In fact, part of Nickelodeon's success has been to be anti-parent--creating a place where kids could be kids and moms and dads didn't belong.

Yet the brand did have a 98 percent awareness metric among parents going for it. The concept just required some explaining.

"In the beginning we had to get the word out there that we were not targeting kids," said Nick Jr. Publisher Phyllis Sparrow. "I have worked on some other launches, and it took a little bit longer. It was also a 14-book category."

Nick Jr.. purports to play in the parenting category, as they are fighting for the same ad dollars. But unlike parenting bibles such as Parents, Child, Parenting and others, Nick Jr. is a participation book, focused on fun family activities.

Its closest competitors are Scholastic Parent and Child (+7 percent in pages year-to-date) and Disney's Family Fun (down five percent, though from a much higher base than Nick Jr.).

The book is split into two distinct halves. The front half of the book is for parents: tips for vacationing with kids, planning birthdays, writing scrapbooks, shopping for digital cameras.

The back half is on different paper stock and is meant to be written in, as there are puzzles and games for kids and parents to complete together.

"We are very unique," said Sparrow. "Other books are more lifestyle-focused."

Despite a formula that had proven to be tricky for other titles in the past, Sparrow believes that Nick Jr. tapped into a cultural movement at the right time.

"This filled a void," she said. "There has been a societal shift since the early 1990s. We went from the 'Me Generation' to 'my family is a priority.' People are seeking that connection with their kids."

The target for Nick Jr. is moms and/or dads with kids 0-11, although the editorial focus seems to be on parents of preschoolers and young school-age children (say, 3-7). The median age for the parents is 35.

Because of Nick Jr.'s parents-first targeting strategy, the magazine does not draw the scrutiny over kids advertising that has escalated in recent years. "That has actually helped us get more business," said Sparrow. She claims that dollars that originally would have gone to kids-targeted media has instead gone to places like Nick Jr., where marketers aren't likely to be criticized.