Woman’s Day Turns 75 While Looking Forward

The following is an excerpt from an article in:


The New York Times
Monday, September 17, 2012

Woman’s Day Turns 75 While Looking Forward

By STUART ELLIOTT

A MAGAZINE that was introduced when the newest technology to reach consumers was the radio soap opera wants to demonstrate its relevance to readers — and advertisers — with a commemoration of its 75th anniversary that is focused as much on the present and future as the past.

The magazine is Woman’s Day, which began in 1931 as a menu sheet given to shoppers at supermarkets owned by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. In 1937, the freebie was expanded into a magazine, priced at 2 cents a copy, and sold only at A.& P. stores. Five owners, seven and a half decades and innumerable technologies later, Woman’s Day is now published by the Hearst Magazines division of the Hearst Corporation in New York and available, as the saying goes, wherever magazines are sold (at $2.99 a copy).

Woman’s Day has been marking the anniversary throughout the year with editorial content like gatefolds that revisit 75 years of tips on topics like beauty, decorating and reducing stress. The October issue is designated as the anniversary issue, featuring a $100,000 sweepstakes and articles like “Eight Classic Recipes, Updated,” for dishes that include pork chop suey and pineapple upside-down cake, and “Beautiful Together,” about makeovers for three generations of readers from one family.

A free anniversary event is planned for Oct. 5, in Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, offering cooking and craft demonstrations; advice from experts in beauty, style and entertaining; free samples; and appearances by Woman’s Day editors.

Marketers have joined in the yearlong celebration by, for instance, sponsoring the anniversary event and gatefolds and including Microsoft Tag bar codes in some ad pages they are buying in the October issue, giving readers additional chances to win prizes. Those marketers include the American Egg Board, Colgate-Palmolive, JetBlue, Kellogg (Special K), L’Oréal (Garnier), Mylan (EpiPen), Silpada Designs, Stainmaster and UnitedHealthcare.

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