Women’s-interest publisher Meredith Corp. today launched a print magazine extension of its user-generated Allrecipes.com, deepening its commitment to the food category. The eponymous magazine will come out six times a year and have an initial rate base of 500,000.
With ad revenue shifting online, publishers generally aren’t launching big magazines these days; an exception is Hearst Magazines, which has found success spinning established TV brands into print with HGTV and Food Network magazines. Meredith is taking a similar approach with Allrecipes in that the magazine comes with built-in name recognition and popularity. Allrecipes is already one of the most-visited food sites, reaching more than 30 million people, according to Meredith. A test issue released last spring resulted in about 400,000 paid orders for the new magazine, the company said.
"We believe that Allrecipes magazine and the branded segments on The Better Show deepen what is already an incredibly powerful media brand," said Tom Harty, president of Meredith's National Media Group.
Food is also one of a few categories where advertisers are spending in print these days; food and food products advertising was one of the fastest-growing ad categories in the third quarter, with ad pages up 6.4 percent, per Publishers Information Bureau. For its launch issue, Allrecipes got ads from Diamond of California and Hershey’s, along with non-food marketers like Chevrolet and Crest.
To amplify the impact of Allrecipes magazine, the launch will come with a TV extension, an Allrecipes-branded TV segment on Meredith’s syndicated TV program, The Better Show, which airs on the Hallmark Channel.
Those apparent advantages notwithstanding, Allrecipes will face plenty of competition in print for home cooks’ attention. Reader’s Digest Association has a similar user-generated title, Taste of Home. There’s also Time Inc.’s Cooking Light, Condé Nast’s Bon Appétit and Meredith’s own EatingWell.