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The case for East
West's return to print

Title for Asian-Americans went online-only last year

By Diego Vasquez
Sep 24, 2009

With economists saying the recession is nearing its end and advertising budgets expected to grow in 2010, it's time to see which of the many magazine closed over the past two years will be reopening. One of the first is East West magazine, a publication focusing on the experiences of Asian, South Asian and Middle Eastern Americans that folded last year after a four-year run in print, done in by the recession. The web site stuck around, and next month the print edition will reemerge with a modest rate base of 25,000. The magazine has an upscale readership that's attractive to advertisers. Seventy-seven percent of readers are college graduates or have done postgraduate work, and 65 percent have household incomes of $50,000 or above. And East West is targeting an underserved niche, Asian Americans, who have way fewer media options aimed at them than other minorities, such as blacks and Hispanics. Still, launching or relaunching a magazine remains an iffy proposition in the current print environment. Ad pages were off by nearly 30 percent for consumer magazines during the first half of the year, and many publications with deeper-pocketed owners, such as Conde Nast's Portfolio and Rodale's Best Life, have shuttered. Anita Malik, editor in chief of East West magazine, talks to Media Life about why the magazine is coming back, the challenges of relaunching during a recession, and which advertisers have already signed on.
 

Magazines are in the midst of an industry-wide ad page slide that's been playing out for months. Why relaunch the magazine now?
 
Ad page slide is definitely a concern, but it is more for publications that have lost readers to the competition online. There are still ad dollars for niche markets, for publications that advertisers want to reach but are currently underserved. That is our market.
 
We relaunch now at a time when people want the stories we offer, stories of hope and inspiration, and we relaunch because this market needs to be served.

Asian Americans are the most affluent ethnic group in this country. They have the buying power.  
 

What are the challenges of selling advertising in the current environment?
 
Regardless of our strong niche, budgets are certainly tight all around.

The challenge in this environment is providing advertisers with new ways to stretch their ad dollars. Packaging print, online and events is a must.
 
We also have to remind them that despite these times, there are still consumers with dollars to spend. Showing them that we are the best place for that is key. Now is not the time to stop advertising. Rather it is a time to get smart about ad plans.
 

What special ways are you trying to entice advertisers to the magazine, and who has signed up already?
 
Spotlighting our unique niche is key. We focus in on the growth of the population segment and the buying power. We are also working on adding more events under the brand, giving advertisers a sponsorship option.   
 
We are just getting back to the agencies and working with them to get in on 2010 ad plans. As of now, Pepsi has signed up and some other notable brands.
 

What type of advertising are you targeting?
 
A range from beauty to fashion and education and travel. We are also really looking into the wireless arena and of course pop culture and beverage.
 

What will the similarities and differences be between the new and old East West?
 
We aren’t changing much editorially. The editorial formula was not faulty and so we aren’t messing with it too much. Our content always was on target. So readers can expect the same in that sense.
 
We are just adding a few new departments, such as Creative Cat, about the brains behind intriguing design, and we have dropped a few sections, namely horoscopes.  
 

What is your editorial vision for the magazine?
 
It is American life through an Eastern lens.

That means we want to highlight stories that are truly American but are lived/experienced by Asian and South Asian Americans. Our stories are tales of merging culture, tales that affect all Americans. Not everything has an “Asian” slant, but everything is reflective of a global lifestyle.
 

Do you think the Asian-American market is being underserved by magazines? Why? Do you expect that to change anytime soon?
 
Yes! It is not a cohesive group, there are many subgroups, so many publishers and marketers have struggled with how to bring it all together. We do it by taking an organic approach more to culture rather than focusing on ethnic specifics.
 
We are for everyone while still feeling like home. It is hard to pull off, always a struggle when making editorial decisions--did we leave someone out? Are we weighing too heavily in one way, etc?  
 
It is already changing and will continue to change. I think the concept is finally seeing the light. When we started, we were definitely ahead of our time. Now, we are close. Popular culture of just the last year is evidence of this. Soon, this market will see what happened to the Hispanic market.  
 

What are your long-term goals for the magazine in terms of rate base, advertising and editorial?
 
Growth. I don’t put caps on goals. The goal is to be mainstream, to be on every shelf across the country.
 
Editorially, the stories are actually easier to find than they used to be, but still, we will continue to strive to find that special angle that makes the East West perspective unique.
 
 

Diego Vasquez is a staff writer for Media Life.	© 2010 Media Life Magazine

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