After spending the first half of the year in publishing purgatory, Western Living magazine is entering the final quarter with a new owner, a new look and a renewed sense of purpose.
Yellow Pages NextHome – the real estate division of Yellow Pages, which acquired the 44-year-old design and luxury lifestyle title from TC Transcontinental in May – has redesigned the magazine and expanded its array of advertising offerings.
The revamp includes a wider (9-inch) page size that will emphasize photography and long-form articles, and a more refined nameplate that now sees the publication’s name presented on the cover as WL.
Publisher Tom Gierasimczuk, who is also general manager of the magazine’s parent company Western Media Group – which also includes Vancouver Magazine and associated web properties – said the changes are intended to transform the controlled circulation title into a keepsake item that readers will be reluctant to part with.
“We’re going to be luxury and more,” said Gierasimczuk. “We’re going to have substance and texture and everything advertisers want. We wanted to create something that people will put on their shelf and will look great on their $2,000 coffee table.”
Gierasimczuk inherited a publication with a proud history when he joined Western Media Group from Canada Wide Media in October, but said its longevity was in doubt as its previous owner transitioned out of the publishing industry.
“As I tend to do, I decided to blow up and reinvent these magazines,” said Gierasimczuk, who also served as Marketing’s editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2012.
Western Living’s new look coincides with its September issue, which houses its annual “Designers of the Year” feature and has traditionally been its biggest issue of the year.
The 148-page re-launch issue features 50 advertising pages, though Gierasimczuk said the publication will strive for a minimum 40:60 advertising to editorial ratio going forward.
The revamp of the print edition follows a previous overhaul of WesternLivingMagazine.com that incorporates responsive design as well as daily editorial updates aimed at boosting traffic. The site currently averages around 100,000 unique visitors per month with a stated aim of between 150,000 and 200,000 by the end of the year, said Gierasimczuk.
The company has also increased the frequency of its WL Daily e-newsletters, which cover key verticals including homes, décor, design, food and travel, to three times per week. It is actively building out its event division, which will incorporate everything from industry awards shows to consumer facing retail pop-ups.
The magazine has also created a new custom content studio that will deliver native advertising solutions to clients. As part of the initiative, Western Living is building a business directory that Gierasimczuk hopes will eventually encompass up to 90% of Western Living’s advertiser base. The directory will feature an editorially-generated story about the business, as well as an overview of its services.
Western Living publishes two separate editions 10 times a year, with a circulation of 56,000 in B.C. and 61,500 in Alberta. It has no newsstand presence, instead being distributed free to affluent readers in the two provinces, primarily through the National Post.
“It’s ideal because it delivers the audience, but I am really looking for ubiquity and want to make sure it’s in the hands of people who want it,” said Gierasimczuk, who said he hoped to boost distribution by using Yellow Pages NextHome’s existing distribution network, which sees titles such as Renters Guide, New Home Guide and New Condo Guide carried in street-level boxes.
“The magazine is very luxury and super high-end, but it has that western flavour and the last thing we want to do is not make it accessible for people who want it,” he said. “This is going to be an opportunity to get it into more people’s hands.” He said his hope is to have increased distribution in place the first quarter of 2016.
The publication attracts 414,000 readers 12+, according to the latest report from Print Measurement Bureau.
