Success magazine returns to newsstands May 19 and to mailboxes thereafter, resurrecting a brand that in previous decades was regarded as the bible of entrepreneurs until felled by lack of direction and capital.
Relaunched by a group of private investors, the new Success targets entrepreneurs balancing their work and home life. Three issues will debut this year with a planned rate base of 650,000, followed by six issues next year, 10 in 2008 and 12 in 2009.
“We are reviving the brand for two reasons: We know we have a brand name that already resonates with an influential and affluent audience,” said Joseph Guerriero, publisher of Success and former sales chief at VNU's Billboard. “We believe the brand and its go-forward extensions offer outstanding content and commerce opportunities.”
Success' ideal readers are age 44 on average and have a household income of $136,000 with a mean net worth surpassing $1 million. Fifty-two percent of these individuals would be women, 75 percent would be married and 92 percent would have college or postgraduate qualifications. They work at or run small to midsize firms.
Charter advertisers like Hewlett-Packard Co., UPS, Dell Inc., Monster.com, T-Mobile, Accuquote and Fujitsu have bought into Success' concept. It is eyeing advertisers in telecommunications, retail, automotive and technology. A full-page ad costs $61,750 on the rate card. A print ad campaign in major trade titles to influence media buyers will run through the summer.
Success enters a market served by entrenched leaders Entrepreneur and Inc. as well as Fast Company, Fortune Small Business and BusinessWeek's latest small-business publication.
Motivational Tone
Priced at $4.95, Success will run editorial on entrepreneurship, making money and family time. Featured interviewees include billionaire investor Warren Buffett, golfer Tiger Woods, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and author Suze Orman.
The first issue — 100 pages of editorial — runs History Channel host, entrepreneur and survival expert Josh Bernstein on the cover to support a feature inside.
Content in that book also includes an examination of attitudes toward work-life issues and corporate America's response to those issues. There's a piece by author George Leonard on the five keys to mastery, plus the meaning of success based on a polled sample.
“Success magazine will stand out by focusing on content that illuminates, dissects and probes the intersection of business and life,” Mr. Guerriero said. “Success will offer tools, tactics and tips on how to be successful in both.”
An uplifting tone will pervade the book. The tag line, “In Business. In Life” sums up Success' attitude.
Success will “inspire and guide motivated business people to achieve successful lives,” said Gay Bryant, editor in chief of Success. Ms. Bryant is a veteran of the entrepreneurial press. She held senior editorial positions at Working Woman, Executive Female and Corporate Boardmember. She was also vice president of Family Circle and editor in chief of Mirabella.
The magazine will maintain its rate base through various measures. One is by leveraging a subscription relationship with Get Motivated, a leading business seminar company. Similar deals may follow.
Also, Success will be distributed in bookstore chains like Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Walden, Hastings and Books-A-Million. Airport stores and online stores will sell copies, too.
There is little consumer marketing beyond this media presence. What about renting lists, both for marketing and distributing?
“At present, none,” Mr. Guerriero said.
