The definition of marriage in America has dramatically evolved in recent years, particularly in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling that gay marriage is a nationwide right.
To keep up with the times, the magazine Modern Luxury Brides is changing its name to Modern Luxury Weddings in an effort to be more inclusive of same-sex marriages.
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“We have always been committed to equality, so we chose to rebrand our wedding‐ focused magazine to appeal to the newly engaged couples of today’s society,” said Michael Dickey, chief executive of Modern Luxury Media. “Today, weddings and marriages aren’t just for brides. They’re for anyone who wants to celebrate love.”
The semiannual magazine publishes nine regionally-focused editions, which are heavily made up of advertisements for local wedding industry businesses, like florists, bakers, venues and retailers. The name change will go into effect for all editions with the December issue.
Mr. Dickey said the decision to rebrand came as the company prepared to expand its wedding-themed title into Washington, D.C., and Scottsdale, Ariz., earlier this year.
“Our advertisers and readers were talking about this. They said, ‘Brides is great, but it could be more inclusive and be more reflective of what is happening in today’s society,’ and we agreed 100%,” he said.
In all, privately-held Modern Luxury Media publishes 67 magazines in 20 markets, like Modern Luxury Interiors, Manhattan, the Atlantan and Men’s Book. Mr. Dickey said the weddings titles—which have been produced for about decade in places like Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Miami—bring in about 10% of the company’s overall revenue.
While the magazine is available on newsstands and by subscription, it is mostly distributed free via direct mail to registered couples and targeted placement in wedding-related locations.
One of the series’ bigger titles, Modern Luxury Brides California, reported circulation of 103,000 copies in December 2015, according to the Alliance for Audited Media. Other regional titles average circulation of about 50,000 copies per issue, the company said.
Wedding magazines is a hotly-contested space. Condé Nast’s bimonthly Brides reported an average circulation of 319,000 in June. Martha Stewart Weddings, a quarterly, reported that month an average circulation of 211,000.
Modern Luxury Media was acquired by the Atlanta-based Dickey Publishing Inc. in 2010. The Dickey family also co-founded Cumulus Media, the second largest radio broadcaster in the U.S., with 451 stations in 90 markets.
Source: www.sheindressau.com
