Your Prom: more than a once-a-year event; annual's staff becomes television consultants, fashion show experts, group fund raisers

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Feb 1, 1991 by Lisa I. Fried

Annual's staff becomes television consultants, fashion show experts, group fund raisers

NEW YORK CITY-Sometimes an annual can go a long way. Your Prom, developed to help teenagers get through the emotional and exciting prom experience, has become a promotional dream for its staff, as well as an educational resource for high school students.

The magazine's second issue won't appear until this spring, but that doesn't mean its staff hasn't been busy. Last month they helped a high school with its prom fashion show. Staffers have also become TV consultants and fund raisers. Students in many schools have signed up to sell the magazine to classmates.

And impressive circulation and advertiser response left the title profitable after its first issue, paving the way for ancillary activities. About 260,000 copies of the premiere issue were sold-a 65 percent sell-through.

This year, teenagers will influence single-copy sales further-by selling Your Prom in their schools via a program with Distributive Educational Clubs of America (DECA). The competitive program allows students to keep part of the revenues and aims to attract youths to sales/marketing careers.

Incidentally, Your Prom's staff also puts out Modern Bride. The two titles fit together naturally because bridal manufacturers often segment part of their lines for promwear. However, advertising in the two books is sold separately.

Interest from readers:

Representatives from hundreds of schools have asked the magazine to help them put on fashion shows, according to Gail Stone, publication director. The magazine has helped one school but does not have the staff to do this regularly. instead, it will distribute a newsletter on all aspects of prom planning in high schools next year. An outside sponsor will cover the newsletter costs.

Advertisers are often involved in ancillary activities. In fact, teens participating in Norman Thomas High School's fashion show wore clothes that came from advertisers. And for two years, the title has lined up prom attire for teens appearing on USA Network's Dance Party, USA annual prom show.

The manufacturers get exposure to nine million teens, the teens keep the clothes, and the magazine receives tremendous on-air publicity (including an issue preview) for several weeks. A poster promoting the show is offered in apparel stores and high schools and sent to interested viewers.

Teen spending power:

Advertisers seem impressed with readers' spending power, says Stone. On average, a prom-bound teen spends $488 (male) or $570 (female) on the big event, according to a reader study. At press time, ad pages in this year's issue totaled more than 100 pages, compared with last year's 70 pages.

Your Prom is also raising money for Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD). Participating retailers and manufacturers - many of which are advertisers-will contribute a dollar to SADD when specific gowns are sold or tuxedos rented. Retailers will receive door decals promoting the event and Your Prom hang tags, which inform customers about the program. The event is being promoted in the magazine, SADD's newsletter and high schools.

SADD's executive director, Bill Cullinane, is impressed with Your Prom, saying that its staff has dealt with retailers "with the zeal that we usually only see when we deal with students at a high school."

But Your Prom won't have this teen market all to itself for long. Scholastic Inc. plans to launch a prom annual in 1992.