SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsCentral Coast MagazineFriday, January 28, 2005Eyes on the good lifeLeslie E. Stevens, The Tribune Central Coast Magazine has capitalized on the county's lifestyle, towns and wine to win a place on coffee tables in San Luis Obispo County It's no accident that Central Coast Magazine publishes from a beachfront office with a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean. The location epitomizes what the magazine celebrates -- the laid-back but increasingly sophisticated Central Coast lifestyle -- a unique blend of rural countryside, quaint small towns, fine homes, premium wines, food and entertainment. The person primarily responsible for selling this vision to advertisers is John Summer, a former television anchor, financial advisor and restaurant contractor turned publisher. Summer, along with wife, Liz, and business and marriage partners Michael and Anne Vidor, own and operate the magazine enterprise, which celebrated the anniversary of its first issue in September. With a circulation of 20,000, the colorful, glossy magazine targets an affluent, upscale audience between Santa Barbara and Monterey/Carmel. About 15 percent of its distribution also reaches Central Valley residents, many of whom vacation or own second homes on the Central Coast. Recently, Summer spoke with The Tribune about changes taking place on the Central Coast and why the area is ripe for a lifestyle magazine. Does Central Coast Magazine target a particular type of consumer? This is a region that has fundamentally changed within the last couple of years in terms of the kind of person who is migrating to the area and the upscale consumer demands that the new resident is bringing with them. The growth that is taking place is necessarily more upscale because it is based on the ability of new residents to purchase a home here. Those new residents are coming here because they have fallen in love with the culture, beauty and climate and everything this area is about. They have the disposable income to buy a nice home and either redecorate or add on to it. They will enjoy all the wonderful cultural and entertainment elements the Central Coast has to offer. They are coming from areas where they have higher demands for quality in goods and services and are willing to pay for it. How does Central Coast Magazine capitalize on that? A magazine like Central Coast packages the businesses that provide those higher quality goods and services in a way that the upscale consumer is familiar with. They understand these magazines and look at them as a reference source for higher quality goods and services. The advertisers in the magazine are as much a part of the entertainment value as the editorial content. People love to look at beautiful things. We package it in a way that presents them with beauty and image marketing. What is "image marketing?" It is a specific type of advertising that creates an image for products that attracts the type of consumer willing to pay for that product or service because of its quality. They just want to know where to find it. As this region changes and the sophistication of the consumer increases, it will become critical for businesses to reach that consumer base. They cannot compete with the big-box stores on price. They will need to redirect their focus to higher quality products those stores are not going to carry and offer a higher level of service than big-box stores are likely to provide. Otherwise, they (shoppers) might go to Orange County or the Bay Area to find it. How did you market the magazine to reach these customers? Initially, we created a customized mailing list based on critical demographic criteria that would be applicable for upscale regional lifestyle magazines -- basically income levels, home values and lifestyle interests. The magazine was then initially mailed out to 15,000 households. About 2,000 additional copies were dropped off at professional offices -- day spas, plastic surgeons and laser eye doctors to be placed in waiting rooms -- places where primarily women of means access these services. The magazine is primarily aimed toward these women who make most of these kinds of buying decisions. The balance of the magazines go into rooms of the more upscale resorts and hotel properties on the Central Coast. They are also available on the newsstand. The magazine is not given away. It has a cover price ($3.95). The magazine is very expensive to produce. It is essential that it be sold for verification purposes so we know, and particularly our national advertisers know, that every issue is wanted. Is it especially challenging working with two husband-wife teams? I see it as an advantage. Liz and I have worked together off and on all of our lives. We met working as co-anchors in Duluth. If you can survive a working relationship and still create a personal relationship out of that, you know it will be strong. The same with Mike and Anne. They had a company marketing book authors to publishing houses and to Hollywood for movie rights before they partnered with us. How did you finance start-up costs? We personally funded it and also acquired a significant SBA loan from First Bank early in the project. There are four equal partners -- no outside investors at this point. Part of our business model is to expand growth and projects that Central Coast Media Group may be involved with in the future. This magazine is not all of it. What kind of projects? This is only the beginning. Hopefully, we'll be able to do spin offs or critical branding relationships with other media outlets in both production and publishing. All kinds of possibilities exist to expand what it is we are doing. Magazine revenues were up 11 percent in 2004. How much do you think that has to do with the success of your new magazine? Partly it's good fortune. The timing couldn't have been better. Also, the regional lifestyle magazine format is among the most successful magazines in the country. This region is absolutely ready to support this type of magazine. We are the California Dream -- the old California people fell in love with 30 or 40 years ago -- and we still exist. We are showcasing it for how wonderful it already is. Read More
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