Glossies group goes vertical

CEO Sandra Hook said the group’s new moniker, NewsLifeMedia, reflected a radical overhaul of the group’s business model.

“This name change recognises the work we have done over the last few years to strategically reimagine our business. We are elevating our digital focus, creating new products and services, developing our presence in Women, Lifestyle and Life Stage, while building on the strength of our phenomenal print brands,” she said.

Ms Hook said that while NewsLifeMedia would continue to rely on its print bands’ “authority”, the group would look to digital as it expands its lifestyle portfolio. She cited NewsLifeMedia’s acquisition of the digital-only KidSpot as a recent coup.

As well as a new name and logo, the relaunch includes a restructure of the group’s brands into six lifestyle verticals: food, fashion,
health, parenting, weekends and home.

“By restructuring our portfolio into lifestyle verticals, we will deliver richer integration for our advertising customers across all platforms that we publish, putting content in context for more relevant connections and meaningful action with consumers,” commercial director Zara Curtis said.

The weekends vertical encompasses News Limited’s newspaper-inserted-magazines The Weekend Australian Magazine, Wish, sunday magazine, QWeekend, STM and the Adelaide* magazine, and will be overseen by Ms Curtis and newspaper-inserted-magazine national sales director Alistair McEwan.

Former group publisher for lifestyle, Mark Kelly, is responsible for fashion and home brands including Vogue Australia, Gardening Australia and homelife.com.au.

Kidspot founder Katie May is responsible for the parenting portfolio.

Former lifestyle editorial director Karen McCartney has been named head of health, which includes the Body+Soul Sunday newspaper liftout.

Fiona Nilsson will be in charge of the food vertical, with responsibility for titles including MasterChef, Donna Hay and ABC Delicious.