Snow Country's sense of place - New York Time's ski magazine - Magazine Strategies

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Dec 1, 1993 by Alison Gray Johnson

The New York Times Co. title is building a home for itself alongside the more established ski books.

In 1968, The New York Times Co. published a ski magazine called Snow Country. The following year, the title began a two-decade-long hibernation, not re-emerging until September 1988. After studying the market, meeting with professional ski journalists and testing a preview issue on newsstands, executives at the company decided there was room for another publication to compete with Times Mirror mainstays Ski and Skiing--a new Snow Country that would address not only the sport itself, but the somewhat mystical place called "snow country."

Since the launch, Snow Country has been carving out its place in the category by trying to combine in one title the best elements of a special-interest magazine, a regional title and a lifestyle publication. "It's a complex formula, but it works for us," says editor John Fry. The magazine covers not only alpine and cross-country skiing, but also other aspects of mountain life, such as travel, real estate and year-round activities like mountain biking and climbing.

"The mountains don't disappear when the ski lifts close," says Snow Country publisher Tom Brown. "They become an arena for a number of spring and summer events. What used to be called off-season is not 'off' anymore." A lot of changes have taken place in the 25 years between the first Snow Country and the latest incarnation, which bills itself as "the year-round magazine of skiing, mountain sports and living." As Brown points out, ski areas have become four-season resorts--and the appetite for year-round information has grown.

Last spring, the magazine's May/June issue included a 33-page guide to action vacations, summer art and music festivals, and scenic mountain drives. "Focusing Snow Country on a place allows us to explore all activities associated with the mountains," Fry explains.

The publication has also paid attention to studies showing that more people have moved to rural areas and set up homes in and around ski areas. In April 1989, Snow Country created a special real-estate section targeting those readers looking for homes in the mountain regions. Brown says that as well as generating additional ad revenue, the new section helped to position Snow Country by re-emphasizing its sense of place.

This year's September issue carried a record 148 ad pages, a 40 percent jump over the previous September. After running 526 pages for eight issues last year--compared with 981 for Ski's eight issues and 889 for Skiing's seven--Snow Country has already posted 564 pages through November, and expects at least another 100 for December. (The title launched as a monthly, but later reduced its frequency after determining that the ad base for the spring and summer was too thin--and the effects of the recession too profound--to justify 12 issues.)

Snow Country has made steady gains in circulation, growing from 200,000 in 1988 to 460,000 today, according to BPA International. The magazine now boasts the highest circulation in the category, with both Ski and Skiing coming in at a little over 440,000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

It is important to note, however--as does Ed Pitoniak, associate publisher of Times Mirror's Skiing Company--that more than one-third of Snow Country's circulation is controlled, with 170,000 copies going to season ski-pass holders at selected resorts. (If pass-holders do not renew their ski privileges for the next year, the publication then solicits them through direct mail to renew their subscription on a paid basis.)

Pitoniak charges that Snow Country is "polluting the marketplace" by giving away almost 40 percent of its product. His colleague George Bell, vice president/group publisher of The Skiing Company, contends that paid circulation is the ultimate indicator of reader loyalty and brand strength. "If someone is paying for a magazine," he says, "they are more likely to read it."

While quick to defend the controlled-circulation strategy, Snow Country's Brown counters that the magazine's paid portion continues to grow. Of the initial 200,000 circulation, 75 percent represented pass-holder subscriptions, but that number has since fallen to 37 percent. "Although we don't intend to increase the number of complimentary subscriptions," he says, "we consider it a huge asset to have that base of skiers as readers." And, Brown points out, the pass-holder subscription base guarantees advertisers an audience of skiers who are on the slopes at least 20 to 30 times per season.

"Ski-pass holders make a winter-long commitment to the sport, so their potential to buy ski equipment is very high," says Stuart Rempel, director of marketing for Salomon, a manufacturer of ski equipment and hiking boots.

Brown further suggests that a season-pass holder is the kind of person who influences others in their purchasing and travel decisions--an argument not lost on marketers. In addition to ski-related advertising, Snow Country has developed a broad clientele of outdoor and general advertisers, including Absolut Vodka, BMW and Rolex. Of course, the magazine's high-level demographics don't hurt, either. (The average reader is a 39-year-old male with a household income of $87,000.)