Mag Bag: Consumer Reports Tells Women To ShopSmart

Consumer Reports Tells Women To ShopSmart

In what could be an industry first, on Monday the Consumers Union announced the launch of an ad-free quarterly women's shopping magazine titled ShopSmart, which aims to cut through ad hype to give readers the straight dope on various product categories. With an initial national distribution of 800,000 copies, ShopSmart will be available at retailers like Wal-Mart, Borders, Safeway, Kroger, Public, and Barnes & Noble, selling for $4.99 an issue.

The magazine will present its target audience of female readers 30 and over with "best of" category products as determined by experts at the Consumers Union. Where Consumer Reports typically reviews a range of products, good and bad, ShopSmart hopes this "best of" approach will save consumers time and effort. Like Consumer Reports, ShopSmart will also use "secret shoppers" to check up on the quality of actual product inventory in stores.

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The new quarterly's editorial staff will be headed up by Lisa Lee Freeman, who previously served in senior positions at Consumer Reports, CosmoGirl!, Working Woman, and Investor's Business Daily.

Traditional Home Offers New Look at Affluent Women

Affluent women fall into six broad psychographic subgroups, according to Traditional Home, a publication owned by the Meredith Corporation, which partnered with trend-tracking firm Nickles and Ashcraft to study 700 women ages 20-55 with household incomes over $75,000 a year. The Traditional Home study found a surprisingly high number of "early adopters" among affluent women, though their tastes varied according to which "psychographic" they fell into. Many of the results' findings seem to mesh with the findings of cultural observer and pundit David Brooks, who broadly grouped American society into psychographic categories using measures like car ownership (Volvo versus Chevy) and media habits to predict things like political affiliation.

According to the study, "Indulgers"--constituting 23 percent of the affluent female population--are ideal marketing targets for luxury travel, credit cards, expensive cars, and high-end credit cards. "Standouts," at 21 percent, seek to distinguish themselves with jewelry, makeup, fashionable clothes, lingerie, and fragrances. With 18 percent of the affluent female population, "Off Roaders" are interested in things like nutrition and health products, ecologically sound products, motor scooters, and niche tableware and lighting. "Reinventors," another 18 percent, tend to be more mobile and interested in personal transformation--looking to categories like financial services, paint and wallpaper, retail, and moving and storage. At 10 percent, "Nesters" place the highest value on "traditional" priorities like home and family, making them candidates for home entertainment, college tutoring for their children, real estate, insurance, and pet supplies. Finally, "Experientials," constituting another 10 percent of the market, seek out technology, education, online gifts, resorts and travel, and entertainment.

Maxim and Pontiac Team Up

The TV, DVD, and film division of Dennis Publishing partnered with automobile brand Pontiac to produce a branded multimedia platform in coordination with "Hot 100," an annual event "honoring" the world's one hundred most beautiful or influential women hosted by Dennis Publishing's "lad mag" giant Maxim. Taking place in New York City over the last week, the partnership draws on Pontiac's nearby properties, like the Pontiac Garage, as well as its association with ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, a favorite of the "laddie" set. May 17th saw a live performance by Christina Milian at the Pontiac Garage, and Dennis Publishing will collaborate with VH1 to produce an hour-long special hosted by Kelly Carlson (another list "honoree") who will also appear in Pontiac mini "showmercials" during its first airing on May 30th. Meanwhile, a national sweepstakes, which began May 17th, will allow contestants to register to win a Pontiac Solstice to be delivered by Kelly Carlson.

Jim Kelly Named Time Inc.'s Corporate ME; Stengel Becomes Time Mag's ME

Jim Kelly, currently the managing editor of Time Magazine, will move up to become corporate managing editor for all of Time Inc. on June 15th, the company announced Tuesday. Kelly's old position will be filled by Richard Stengel, who is expected to bring his online and multimedia editorial expertise to bear for the struggling magazine.

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