Canadian Magazine Industry News
9 January 2009,     RICHMOND, B.C.
Teldon launches new mag for urban moms
Circulation for the premiere was about 140,000.

The national parenting magazine market got a little more crowded in December, when Richmond, B.C.-based Teldon Publishing launched Blush. The magazine, which focuses on pregnancy and the first three years of a child’s life, emphasizes many of the same holistic health and wellness values as Alive, Teldon’s flagship title. As editor Gail Johnson notes in her debut editorial, the magazine reflects “the values of today’s open-minded, eco-aware, socially conscious generation.” A press release also positions the magazine as being “for moms and moms-to-be who appreciate a cup of green tea as much as a sale on little cotton booties.”

The debut issue is full of service articles, offering advice on topics such as prenatal tests, postnatal fitness, breastfeeding and nutritional supplements. A lot of space is devoted to mommy lifestyle, with stories on the hottest maternity clothes and lingerie, “getting your post-pregnancy body back,” and “yoga for two.”

The new age-y bent of the editorial is echoed by many of the advertisers appearing in the first issue, including YoBaby (organic yogurt for kids), Femal (micro-nutrients for the female body), Perfect Food (“green” food formula), Spatone (an natural iron supplement) and Natural Factors (a company that sells supplements designed to “improve attention, concentration and learning”). The rate for a full-page ad in Blush  is $8,750. The 100-page premiere carries 22 full-page ads, including the inside front-and-back covers and the back page.

About 140,000 copies of the biannual, perfect-bound book were distributed for free through retailers such as West Coast Kids, UC Baby and Please Mum, a national kids’ clothing store with 91 locations in Canada, as well as fertility clinics and hospitals across Canada.

Teldon is also a commecial printer company that did about $52 million in business in 2007.

Ildiko Marhsall, publisher of  longtime category leader Today’s Parent, told us that she has not seen Blush, but suspects her new category-mate will have a tough go of it in this recessionary year. While the distribution relationship with Please Mum could have benefits, Marshall believes advertisers on the national level will be more inclined to choose titles with paid circulations.

“In terms of advertising revenue, if they’re going national, I think that they will have a very difficult time,” Marshall says. “The market is tough out there. There probably isn’t any magazine that’s not feeling it. We find that being the number one parenting magazine has helped us stay strong and healthy, but we’re feeling it, OK. It’s not that people have completely cancelled their advertising schedules, but I think people are watching where they spend their money.”

— M.U.
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