St. Joseph Communications has added some lustre to its publishing portfolio.
The company’s custom content division, Strategic Content Labs, has partnered with Canadian jewellery retailer Birks on a new bi-annual magazine called 1879 by Birks. The name references the year Henry Birks opened his first store in Montreal.
The publication is called Mayors Magazine in the U.S., where the Birks Group operates a chain of stores throughout Florida and Georgia under the Mayors name. The glossy title launched this month with a combined circulation of 150,000 – 100,000 in Canada and 50,000 in the U.S.
Doug Kelly, managing director of Strategic Content Labs and 1879 by Birks publisher, said the magazine grew out of an existing relationship between Birks and St. Joseph consumer titles including Fashion Magazine, Wedding Bells and its French counterpart Mariage Québec.
“Birks, like many brands, is looking to communicate with a new audience in additional ways,” said Kelly. “Birks is not the first to publish a magazine like this, but they’ve done a good job in terms of putting their brand and lifestyle in front of a wider audience.”
The magazine is being distributed in Birks and Mayors stores, and mailed to the jewellery retailer’s leading customers. Following a well-established template, it will also be distributed inside copies of The Globe and Mail.
Additional copies will be made available at culture events including the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as at leading hotels and office towers and private jet terminals in Florida.
Digital versions of the magazine will also be housed on the Birks and Mayors websites, said Kelly.
The publication will carry a combination of house ads and ads for brands sold within Birks, as well as third-party advertisements for brands looking to connect with high-income households. The magazine’s 80-page launch issue features 19 ad pages. A full-page, full-colour ad costs about $10,000.
Editorial features in the premiere issue include an overview of some of Birks’ efforts in the social responsibility space and a profile of jewellers entitled “Masters at Work.” Other content pillars include design, travel and food.
The second issue will publish in September.
