MAGAZINE PROMOTIONAL DISPLAYS GAINING FAVOR

CHRISTINA VEIDERS Additional reporting: CAROL ANGRISANI

CHICAGO -- The merchandising thrust today for magazines sold at supermarkets is out of the main line.

More than ever before, publishers and distributors are enticing retailers to give up valuable floor space by offering them sophisticated promotional display programs that they are selling with greater frequency, according to publication executives surveyed at the FMI Convention held here early this month.

Such programs range from simple display pieces used to feature special issues in high traffic areas to multilayered programs that can sometimes win the chain an editorial mention in a magazine.

One such program was conducted last year by Conde Nast Publications, New York, at Dominick's Finer Foods, Northlake, Ill. The promotion involved Gourmet magazine and Bailey's Irish Cream. In a blurb in Gourmet, Dominick's was mentioned as the place consumers could go to pick up a copy of the magazine and check out the promotion. Floor displays of Gourmet were placed chainwide as part of the program.

No one at Dominick's was available to comment on how the promotion did when the chain was contacted by SN.

"A mention in a magazine will really drive customers into stores," said Jim Maki, Conde Nast's national sales manager.

He said the publisher is doing more of these types of programs that link a publication with the retailer, an event like in-store cooking demos, or a sweepstakes offer, and branded products.

Outposting and cross-merchandising were the operative buzz words mentioned most frequently by publishing executives at this year's FMI show.

"Supermarkets are looking for products that drive a category. If you bring a magazine in an outposting situation into a department it can help drive sales," said Maki. Conde Nast has been successful in outposting and cross-merchandising its beauty magazines on a kiosk within the beauty care departments of supermarkets.

On a tour of stores in Buffalo, N.Y., SN spotted one such kiosk near the pharmacy at a Tops International Market.

"More and more we are finding that retailers are looking and asking about cross-merchandising ideas," said Dick Terlaak Poot, national marketing director at Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pa.

The publisher is working on a program that would place Organic Gardening and Prevention magazines in fresh produce. The magazines would be merchandised in a point-of-purchase display or on the fixture from which plastic bags are dispensed. This has been done successfully at grocery stores in Canada with Vegetarian Times and Martha Stewart magazines, Poot said.

Two other floor-stand promotions are planned by Rodale this year.

The week before Father's Day, June 10 to 16, Rodale will run its third national men's health week with a display featuring Men's Health, Backpacker, Mountain Bike and Bicycling titles. The promotion also will include a toll-free phone number for men's health information, public service announcements in local media, and national education activities in professional health and medical outlets such as drug retail.

Rodale will run its first ever co-promotion by teaming up Heart & Soul magazine, a bimonthly publication for African-American women that focuses on health and fitness, with Mahogany, an ethnic greeting card line from Hallmark.

Kable News Co., a national distributor based in New York, is attempting to capitalize on the $11.9 billion pet supply category with an eight-pocket endcap called "It's Raining Cats and Dogs." The rack holds five titles per pocket and features Cat and Dog Fancy magazines, Bird Talk, Aquarium Fish, Horse Illustrated, Reptiles, Birds and Blooms, and Fresh Water and Marine Aquarium titles.

"Cross-merchandising has become quite popular and we try to tie- in with other categories within food. For example, pet has become huge and we are trying to tie into it," said Bruce Antorangeli, national marketing manager at Kable.

Other programs for Kable will be a Farmer's Almanac floor display in 20-, 40- and 60-copy capacity sizes. The distributor also will place in October displays of Star Wars Technical Journals and the 30th anniversary edition of "Star Trek" to coincide with the re-release of "Star Wars." In other news, TV Guide, which is owned by Murdoch Magazines Distribution, Radnor, Pa., is looking to expand its regionalized programs.

Two years ago, it launched its first regionalized covers. At the time, six different regionalized covers ran for its NFL Preview issue. The campaign worked so well that, last year, it increased the number of regionalized covers to 24. This year, the program will be expanded even further. According to a source familiar with the program, one of TV Guide's June issues will have Howard Stern on the cover. But the Texas issue instead will feature Selena, the Tajano singer who was killed last year.

Other regionalized editorial matter is being planned.

"It's all part of target marketing. We're going to focus on editorial that appeals to different segments of the population," said Michael Gillen, director of sales for the Southern division at Murdoch.

For the June 22, 1996 edition of National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, 47 editions that are located in NASCAR markets will have Jeff Gordon, a NASCAR contestant, on the cover. All 120 editions will contain eight pages of NASCAR editorial.

TV Guide is also looking to expand display contests at the supermarket channel. It is planning display contests for its Aug. 24 "Star Trek" issue, and the following three issues: NFL, Annual Fall Preview (which highlights new television programs) and Returning Favorites (which spotlights returning television shows).