• by Larry Dobrow , January 16, 2004

Minutes after being told that he had been tapped to serve as Sports Illustrated's new publisher, Dave Morris received a succinct directive from Time Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ann Moore. "I believe her exact words were 'grow it,'" he recalls with a laugh. "It wasn't 'sit on it' or 'manage it' or 'protect it.' My mission was very clear."

And so began his reign atop one of the iconic brands in American journalism, alongside SI president Bruce Hallett. A Time Inc. veteran--he spent five years at People and 12 at Entertainment Weekly, ascending to the publisher role in 1999--Morris is well aware of everything that comes with the job. On one hand, there's SI's borderline-fanatical readership (50,000 letters to the editor in 2003) and longstanding history. On the other, there's Time Inc.'s devotion to the bottom line and thirst to connect with marketers in new and smarter ways. So in essence, Morris is being asked to effect change without making too many changes.

Six weeks into his new gig, he has embraced the seemingly dual role. "Really, it's an awesome responsibility, to respect the traditions of the SI culture and its editorial heritage," he says. "But that can be done while growing the magazine. I don't think anybody's expecting 30 or 40 percent growth, but 10 to 15 percent growth on the huge numbers we do adds up quickly."

All things considered, Morris chose an ideal time to arrive at SI (his predecessor, Fabio Freyre, became Time Inc.'s group vice president, corporate sales & marketing). For one, the magazine's numbers and demographic profile remain about as advertiser-friendly as possible. Its total circulation ascended to 3.27 million in 2003, and it bests all magazines in reaching men in the coveted 18-34, 25-34, 18-49, and 25-49 demographics. "If you converted our audience into ratings points, we'd do an 18," Morris says, seemingly more awed than boastful. "The TV industry is freaked about where all the 18-to-34 men have gone. Well, we have 10 million of them every week."

Morris has taken the reins smack in the middle of SI's year-long 50th anniversary campaign. Kicked off last July with the first of four commemorative issues, the promotional blitz includes everything from a 26-state interactive tour (featuring three trucks that open up into a display the size of a football field) to grassroots partnerships with local YMCAs and parks/recreation departments (SI is celebrating the town or city in each state with the best sports programs and facilities).

"The idea is to take people to places they didn't know existed and reach out to other ones," Morris explains. "Frankly, I don't think there's a whole lot more we can do to celebrate our 50th. We've maximized it for advertisers and readers and consumers who love this brand."

It's in programs like these that Morris sees the greatest growth potential for SI. Few other magazines--even its Time Inc. siblings--boast the combination of interest from marketers and credibility among readers that fuels such all-encompassing programs. "Companies have so many dollars earmarked for sports marketing, and my goal is to capture more of them," Morris says. "It's our job to build into our programs the integration and association with sports that marketers are looking for." Translation: look for programs tied to major-sport preview issues and events like the NCAA Final Four and Super Bowl.

Perhaps the blueprint going forward is the current Sports Illustrated Fresh Faces Swimsuit Model Search, which counts Nissan as its title sponsor and Nautica as a key participant. The year-long push to find "the next big swimsuit model"--SI's words, not ours--includes Internet photo galleries and voting as well as an on-site presence at AVP Nissan Series pro beach volleyball events; next year, the search will likely also include a television component. "We can always deliver pages in the magazine, but this is the kind of integration marketers are looking for," Morris beams.

This is not to suggest that the publication has been put on auto-pilot, of course. A longtime reader ("just like everybody else, I date myself by the first swimsuit cover I can remember--Christie Brinkley"), Morris believes he's identified a few pockets of relative weakness in terms of advertising. Toiletries and cosmetics (particularly fragrances) will likely lead the 2004 charge, with sportswear and packaged goods close behind. "Let's face it--we're not going to do a lot of business with recipe foods. But anything that you'd consume while watching sports, whether it's frozen pizzas or soft drinks or whatever, is a perfect fit for us." Morris declines to identify specific targets, but allows that he's having "interesting conversations" to bring packaged goods giants like Kraft and Hershey's back into the mag at their previous levels.

As for the competition, Morris merely shrugs when asked about the one criticism often thrown around by sports, laddie, and even entertainment mags eager to move in on SI's turf: that its readers are old and set in their ways. "Do I want to keep the magazine relevant for a younger audience? Of course I do," he responds. "Our median age is a little older, but we're much bigger than anybody else in total audience. When I see my twin boys reading SI For Kids, I feel pretty good about the magazine's future."

"I guess my attitude towards the competition is that we should be aware of what they're doing, but not obsess about them," Morris continues. "I certainly understand ESPN The Magazine looking at us--seeing which ads they got that we didn't, and vice versa--but I highly doubt they're looking just at us. Hey, competition makes you better. Advertisers like to see that you're hungry for their business."

Whether or not the claims of its competitors are valid, SI isn't sitting still. Last year's debut of SI on Campus, which is inserted into newspapers on 72 college campuses 26 times per year, has proven successful beyond the company's expectations; it currently reaches 2.7 million readers per issue. The company is also testing SI For Teens.

In 2004, look for what Morris calls a "stealth redesign" to continue, as well as more interplay with the revamped SI.com web site. In terms of growth, he anticipates a flat first quarter but gains in quarters two through four. And in the few minutes Morris has to spare, SI staffers can expect to see him magically appear in their offices and cubicles.

"What I want to do is talk to every person one-on-one--find out why they brought their career here, why they stay," he says. "If you're at SI, you probably have options to do other things, so I'd like everybody to know that what they do is appreciated." He pauses for an instant, then adds, "I have no idea how this will come across in print, but I'm just so glad to be a part of all this. It's like nothing I've ever seen."