I was interviewed recently for a story that appeared in min's b2b, an online business-to-business publication that provides news, analysis and strategies for trade magazines like American Salon, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Using data supplied by IMS/The Auditor, min's b2b looked at its list of the top 25 books ranked by ad pages, and we were ranked first by percent ad page gain with an increase of 38.81 percent in 2007. With more than 13,000 titles in the trade arena, that's quite an honor.
 |
One of the things that helped put us over the top was The Way We Were, the advertiser-sponsored, 12-page supplements celebrating 130 years of beauty history (American Salon was 130 years old in 2007). In the past, we devoted a single issue to a trip down memory lane as we celebrated first our 120th , then our 125th anniversaries. But as we looked through our archival issues, which date back to the 1890s, we realized that we were sitting on 130 years of beauty history, way too much for just one issue, and we wanted to share it with you. Judging by the e-mails we've received, you're glad we did. In fact, many of you told us that you saved all 12 issues.
You can imagine what a challenge it will be trying to beat last year's record-setting numbers, but we are committed to coming up with new ideas that will not only bring in revenue but also will keep you informed and entertained each month. In January we began running Portfolio, a sexy annual report that will profile a different manufacturer each month. In February we published a 24-page supplement that celebrated 25 years of Redken's Shades EQ, while in March Redken provided a free Front Row DVD for each one of you.
 1. CND's Look Book included nail trends for spring straight from the runway. 2. Portfolio looked at Joico in April. 3. A custom-published supplement celebrated 25 years of Redken's Shades EQ in February. 4. TIGI sponsored this gatefold about iconic dumb blondes and brunette goddesses. 5. Redken's Front Row DVD was your backstage pass to fashion week in Paris, Milan and New York City. |
At 236 pages, April was our biggest issue ever, but we also think it was one of our best. We had CND's Look Book and our own Going Green supplement. We created gatefolds for TIGI and Redken that included fascinating editorial, from a look at dumb blondes and brunette goddesses to big hair throughout history. Our tag line for 2008 is Beauty Lives Here. We feel confident it will for a long, long time.