• by Michael Shields , December 15, 2004

A relatively small special interest magazine is making a unique foray into regionalized content more common to mass circulation titles.

Rodale's Backpacker magazine will begin publishing six distinct regional issues as of February, each including pull-out cards featuring six fully mapped-out hikes, theoretically within a car ride away for readers.

This move is part of an ongoing series of innovative editorial gambits by the 300,000-plus circulation title, which became the "world's first GPS-enabled magazine" last April when editors began to include global positioning system codes for specific hike locations, enabling readers to recreate exact hiking trails and revisit photos from the magazine.

In September, Backpacker took the first step toward going regional by producing a special Northwest edition which included hiking "Waypoints cards (a la baseball cards) for trails in Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash.--each with unique GPS coordinates.

Starting in January, separate editions will be available in the Southeast, Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, Mountain West, and California.

According to Executive Editor Jonathan Dorn, local customized content was something that readers were calling out for. "We did extensive market research," said Dorn, who added that Rodale emphasizes such endeavors. Among the 2000-plus readers Backpacker surveyed, "The single biggest topic was that readers wanted places to go hiking close to home."

In order for a niche title like Backpacker to continue to grow, such insights are a valuable commodity, said Publisher Eric Zinczenko. "Research is key driving our brand," he said. "The key to our success is to listen first and then execute."

Still, such an effort represented a fairly major undertaking for the title. "It is a pretty big labor, with significant production costs," said Dorn. But fortunately, the magazine has an existing network of regional contributors.

"Our editors are out in the field living this stuff," he added. Beyond staffers, the magazine also employed various freelancers, and even solicited 350-plus reader volunteers. "It shows the extent to which they are into Backpacker," said Zinczenko. "So much that they want to participate in the magazine."

So far, the regionalization doesn't have any advertising applications. However, assuming these hiking cards take off, it's possible that Backpacker will expand the regional coverage into feature stories and advertising opportunities. The magazine continues to grow, having just raised its rate base by 10,000 to 310,000.

Might other titles at Rodale follow their lead (like, say, Runner's World or Bicycling)? "People are noticing our success," said Dorn. "It's a definite tentative maybe."