• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, February 12, 2007

In yet another big magazine sell-off, Primedia announced it is selling its substantial portfolio of consumer magazines, including Motor Trend, Automobile, Hot Rod, and a variety of sports, technology, and entertainment titles like Soap Opera Digest. Most of the 73 titles are in the auto enthusiast category.

Included in the planned sale are scores of enthusiast Web sites and events.

The announcement came just as the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is poised to release the latest FAS-FAX circulation report for consumer magazines, which in recent years have reflected declining subscription and newsstand sales for many enthusiast magazines. But by other measures, some of Primedia's largest titles are doing well--especially in comparison to the industry as a whole.

According to the Publishers Information Bureau, for full-year 2006 compared to 2005, Automobile Magazine saw ad pages jump 11.2% to 860 and rate card revenue 17% to over $70 million. Hot Rod held steady with a 1% increase in ad pages to 755 and 7.2% growth in rate card revenue, to almost $67 million. And Motor Trend saw ad pages rise 3.5% to 1,235, with rate card revenue up 9% to $170 million.

But Primedia may be selling ad pages at a discount--and these titles are just a few of Primedia's properties, which all together generate about $500 million in revenue annually. Although many of Primedia's smaller titles aren't listed in reports from the Publishers Information Bureau, PIB data on overall auto ad dollars suggests the scale of the problem. For full year 2006 compared to 2005, automotive ad pages fell 13.8%, from 22,654 to 19,526; and ad revenue fell 11%, from about $2.3 billion to $2.05 billion.

Putting Comic Book Fans In the Driver's Seat

Last week Jeep announced that it is partnering with Marvel Comics for an innovative ad campaign that allows consumers to create their own comic-strip promotions for the 2007 Jeep Patriot. The campaign, which targets men in their 20s, enables comic book and Jeep fans to visit PatriotAdventure.com to read the online cartoon as it develops--and participate by suggesting dialogue and plot developments. The winning submissions will be collected in a 28-page book due out this spring, that gives author credit to the most active, enthusiastic, and talented contributors. Jeep plans to mail copies of the book to the first 100,000 people who register to participate.

Quince Girl to Expand Expos in 2007

Quince Girl plans to host eight Quince Girl and Latino Bridal expos in 2007, each in a major Latino market, including Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, Chicago, Arlington, Texas, San Antonio, Miami and Los Angeles. Sponsored by brands like Southwest Airlines, Macy's, and Dr. Pepper, advertisers that attended represent the elaborate retail and service industries needed for a typical quinceanera, according to Will Cane, Quince Girl's publisher: "You've got photographers, cake makers, reception halls, quinceanera planners, limousine services, entertainment, caterers--everything you can imagine." The range of products that can be marketed through these celebrations is surprisingly broad. Drawing a comparison between quinceaneras and weddings, Cane noted that weddings have evolved over the past 30 years. Today, they are more than single events. They have become "the time to buy a new home, buy a new car, because you're starting a new life." And while the quinceanera "might not be quite as drastic as a life-changing event, it's big," he added, citing the various services tapped, from packaged goods to cars, computers to financial services. The first expo drew various advertisers and about 5,000 attendees to Houston for a six-hour event, complete with a runway fashion show and choreographed dances.

Conde Nast Switches VP-Publishers

Conde Nast is switching publishers at two of its biggest luxury titles, Gourmet and Architectural Digest. Giulio Capua, vice president of Gourmet, and Amy Churgin, vice president of Architectural Digest, are being shuffled--but they'll keep their titles and roles.