Daily Front Row

2009 December 15

Hearst’s Digital Age

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(NEW YORK) Sophia Stuart, formerly executive director, mobile, of Hearst Magazines International, has been named executive director, digital, for the company, effective January 5, 2010. Stuart, whose new title will consist of her working with Hearst’s network of partners on a range of digital initiatives, will report directly to Duncan Edwards, HMI’s president and CEO. “Hearst has been very successful in building a worldwide presence for its magazine brands over the last 20 years through a mix of licensing and joint ventures,” said Edwards in a statement. “We publish more than 200 magazines in more than 100 countries around the world, led by Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire. It has become increasingly clear to us that we have a significant opportunity to harness the power of these great brands in their various digital forms to provide new revenue streams for our partners and ourselves.” Stuart, who directed a range of digital projects before joining Hearst Magazines Digital Media in 2006, also has experience in digital media ventures for Heart’s UK operations from 1999 to 2001.

According to reports throughout the last 12 months, this year Hearst has seen a major push in its digital efforts. Hearst magazines, as of March, had 7 to 10% of its revenues coming from digital, with new advertisers including Gap, Levi’s, Wal-Mart, and Target Beauty. According to a spokeswoman, 25% of Hearst’s subscription business is now online, and more than 90% that order online are first-time subscribers. In 2008, Redbook, Esquire, Marie Claire, House Beautiful, and Good Housekeeping were all relaunched online, with Veranda, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan all being revamped in 2009. In addition to individual publications’ relaunches, Hearst has been developing Skiff, a company that will offer information from Hearst-owned publications in digital form, for more than two years.

Of course, the former mobile director will now take a much broader approach to overseeing Hearst’s digital presence. “I have enjoyed my time working with Hearst’s domestic magazine brands on mobile expansion,” Stuart said in a statement, “and [I] look forward to working with Duncan and his team to bring new ideas and relationships to our many magazine partnerships internationally. There’s enormous potential in the digital space and I hope to be able to leverage those opportunities.”
EMILY GYBEN