Hip Audience, Square Charter Package

Circulation Management, Nov 1, 2002

LivingRoom, the new Meredith Corp. shelter publication for twenty-something, first-time home-dwellers, is scoring with a charter package format adapted from the control for a very different audience: the mature female readers of More.

What's the connection? In both cases, the distinctive, 9"-square format seems to help immediately signal that the magazine is something of a new breed, for an audience that needs its "own" publication.

Although the format has not performed in tests for a variety of other Meredith titles, "More has a different readership than other magazines, and the LivingRoom reader is also different, so we thought it was worth a test," sums up group consumer marketing director Liz Bredeson. Bredeson declines to discuss specifics, but confirms that Meredith is "very pleased" with response to the LivingRoom package, first rolled out in August.

(Mail-watchers may also recall that Time Inc.'s Real Simple, which shares an editorial focus on affordable but stylish lifestyles and has some demographic overlap, also has a nearly square, 8" x 9" control.)

The uncommon format serves as a platform for hip, colloquial copy that was, in fact, largely written by young, in-house marketing staff, according to Bredeson. "New LivingRoom Gets It," declares the outer. The letter - informally signed with first-names-only by the editor and the creative director ("Jeanie and Sara") - develops trust with a flattering greeting ("Dear Style Magnet") and empathetic copy that allies the magazine with the starter decorator: "You don't have a million-dollar trust fund and loads of time to make your place happen? You're you. That's the only fashion statement you need to make."

The flattery is but one component of an overall strategy developed through many meetings and much consultation with editors. "Because this is a new magazine, we really want the recipients to experience the content through our direct mail packages before they subscribe, so they're prepared for what they'll be getting," says Bredeson. "So, as we were developing the package, we would go to the editors and ask, 'Would this chair appear in the magazine?,' 'Does this fit with the magazine's style?'" And while the young target audience appreciates clean, simple style (another reason that the square package works), they are more into eclectic than elegant.

Hence, a large, fold-out brochure features examples of "neat stuff you can buy now" and "makeovers that make sense for real people on real budgets." A smaller brochure highlights a core editorial feature of the magazine: printing the sources for featured products right beside their pictures. It lists affordable decorating options such as the "Bjorket Easy Chair" from Ikea for $69 and "Folding Mesh Storage" from The Container Store for $11.99.

Meredith's well-entrenched two-for-one soft offer strategy fits perfectly with this audience. The intro price for this six-times-per-year title - $16 plus $4 shipping for 12 issues (one risk-free) is dramatized on the outer ("Now you can get it, too - for a full year free!"). A "Get a free year!" red involvement sticker reinforces the deal.

In another unusual move, prospects are urged to hurry their response in the spirit of the test launch because, "Without your support, we may not be able to continue." However, the offer is backed by a "Money-Back Guarantee."

Meredith hasn't necessarily settled on the square package as LivingRoom's control, however. It is also still testing a 12" x 9" polywrapped package - a favorite format for other Meredith titles, including Better Homes and Gardens. This promotion has similar creative and copy, and an identical offer. The dominant image (a young woman sitting in a stylish chair) conveys the hip and youthful style of the magazine, and the offer is conveyed in no-nonsense fashion, with a simple "Free Year." A personalized involvement sticker and an unusual survey for evaluating the free trial issue are included.

Like the square, this package doesn't skimp on the size of components. Meredith, says Bredeson, has discovered that "no matter what the title, the more real estate you present, the better response you get." However, while the polywrapped package includes a larger fold-out brochure, its cost is comparable to that of the 9" square. (The polywrap is less costly than the square's paper outer envelope.)

Seen in the Mail items are identified and researched by MarketRelevance.com , an online direct mail and email promotion tracking resource offered by ParadyszMatera. CM staff conduct the interviews.