BabyCenter to Launch Pioneering, Personalized Print Magazine for the 21st-Century Mom

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- BabyCenter is expecting.
     Launching a major expansion into print media, the web's most popular
 resource for new and expectant parents today announced it will publish
 BabyCenter magazine, the first and only publication that gives pregnant women
 and new moms the critical information and insights they want exactly when they
 want it.
     Building on the enormous success of BabyCenter's "stage-based" content
 online, BabyCenter magazine will debut as a quarterly in September 2005.
     The magazine will break new ground in its category by publishing
 customized issues with editorial focused on moms-to-be and new moms during
 specific phases of pregnancy and motherhood. The first issue of the magazine
 will serve prenatal moms in their second trimester, with three more
 personalized editions set to roll out through 2006.
     BabyCenter magazine plans to deliver a high-quality controlled circulation
 of 2 million annually, with a rate base of 500,000 subscribers for each of
 four editions over a 12-month period. BabyCenter will distribute the magazine
 to members who request a subscription online.
     The launch marks an ambitious move into traditional media for BabyCenter
 (http://www.babycenter.com), which launched in 1997 and is now one of the
 web's most successful businesses. More than 3.5 million pregnant and new moms
 come to BabyCenter web sites every month, according to comScore Media Metrix.
 BabyCenter also operates ParentCenter (http://www.parentcenter.com), the
 leading online resource for parents of children ages 2 to 8.
     "Traditional magazines in this category aren't serving the customer well
 at all. There's a lot of waste for readers and for advertisers -- a lot of the
 content is either too early or too late," said Mari Baker, BabyCenter's
 president. "We know from talking to customers and our years of experience with
 our web site, that a stage-based approach is the key to serving the parenthood
 category."
     According to SVP/group publisher David Blair, the new magazine represents
 a unique opportunity for marketers. "The success of our online advertising
 model has been our ability to work with marketers to craft advertising that is
 delivered in contextually relevant content and stage-based email. This
 magazine is so exciting because we bring that model to print and for the first
 time an advertiser can deliver their message at exactly the right time, to the
 right person, and in the right place. The power of this targeted,
 cross-platform approach is unmatched."
     Earl Justice, senior product manager at Beech-Nut, agreed. "BabyCenter
 magazine allows us to reach moms with a stage-relevant message in a totally
 new environment," he said. "It opens the door to integrated marketing
 campaigns with babycenter.com that have the potential to really help build the
 Beech-Nut brand."
     BabyCenter has a significant advantage over others in its category because
 of its ability to reach women very early in pregnancy. More women sign up for
 BabyCenter's personalized newsletters in month two of their pregnancy than any
 other month. During February 2005, 52% of the pregnant women who joined
 BabyCenter were in their first trimester of pregnancy.
     According to BabyCenter editor in chief Jim Scott, who will oversee the
 launch, the magazine will offer completely original content, with many
 articles designed to let readers interact with one another and other special
 tools and features online. BabyCenter has assembled an all-star team of
 editors and designers to develop the magazine, led by publishing veterans
 Scott and executive editor Nina Martin.
     Readers will receive the edition of BabyCenter magazine most closely
 tailored to their stage of pregnancy or parenthood at the time they registered
 for a subscription. The first issue, customized around "Pregnancy 4-6 months,"
 will be published in September 2005. Second issue: "Pregnancy 7-9 months," to
 be published in November 2005.  Editions to be published during the first
 quarter of 2006 include "Baby Birth-3 months" and "Baby 4-6 months." Scott
 said each edition will be updated throughout the year to reflect the latest
 pregnancy and parenting news, research, and trends.
 
     About BabyCenter
     Founded in 1997, BabyCenter LLC operates http://www.babycenter.com, the
 most visited online resource for new and expectant parents,
 http://www.parentcenter.com, the leading online resource for parents of
 children ages 2 to 8, and http://www.babycentre.co.uk , the leading U.K.
 resource for new and expectant parents. Offering extensive, medical advisory
 board-approved content, BabyCenter's web sites attract over 3.5 million
 visitors each month, as measured by comScore Media Metrix, and have been
 honored with numerous awards, including an Online Journalism Award. In
 addition, babycenter.com offers an array of interactive tools, a supportive
 online community, a premium subscription service, and an online store
 featuring thousands of products for parents and children.
 
 

SOURCE  BabyCenter