NEW YORK — The list industry still has battles to fight, according to Donn Rappaport, chairman of American List Counsel, who spoke yesterday at the company's seventh annual For Brokers Only luncheon at Bridgewaters.
“We should not shrink from the public perception about direct mail, about data or about privacy,” he said. “We provide a valuable service, and it's critical that we fight this battle publicly and overtly.”
Rappaport stressed that industry needs to reinforce its value proposition for the benefit of current direct marketers as well as the next generation.
Guest speaker Jeannine Shao Collins, vice president/group publisher of Ladies' Home Journal and MORE magazines, told attendees about the recent revamping of Ladies' Home Journal.
Since the publication always has been and will continue to be about empowering women, it needed to stay contemporary, she said. To that end, the magazine recently brought on new editor-in-chief Diane Salvatore, who made changes for a March relaunch.
Changes to the magazine included upgrades to the art direction, writing and even the paper stock, Collins said. Salvatore kept popular columns intact while adding new ones in a similar vein.
So far, feedback on the revamped magazine has been positive, she said.
Ladies' Home Journal has a circulation of 4.1 million subscribers.
The Meredith Corp., parent firm of Ladies' Home Journal and MORE, sponsored Collins' presentation. The event drew about 120 list broker attendees as well as ALC staff members and clients.
