In Historic Move, The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. Changes Name To 'Trusted Media Brands, Inc.'

NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- After 93 years as The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., the company today announced a new corporate name, Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (TMBI), a historic move that addresses its significant and transformative growth.

A powerhouse of iconic, multi-platform brands, Trusted Media Brands, Inc. includes Reader's Digest, Taste of Home, Simple & Delicious, The Family Handyman, Country, Country Woman, Birds & Blooms, Farm & Ranch Living, Reminisce, EnrichU, The Taste Network and Haven Home Media. The company's new website, TMBI.com, also launched today, housing the entire brand portfolio.

"The company has undergone a complete turnaround and transformation over the past 24 months. We've changed our business model to connect with consumers across all brands and through a variety of channels where readers want to engage," said Bonnie Kintzer, President and CEO of Trusted Media Brands, Inc. "As we head toward our century milestone, it's appropriate that our new company name reflects the culmination of those changes and the entity we have become – a modern, visionary, brand-driven multiplatform media business. This includes our flagship title, Reader's Digest, as well as all of the valued brands that our readers trust as sources of information and inspiration in their daily lives."

Trusted Media Brands, Inc. is an independent, growing, multi-dimensional media company with products and content that span multiple touch points:

• Trusted Media Brands Digital Network – Online content and social media communities comprise the TMBI digital network, whose brands reach more than 53 million UVMs and 40 million social media fans. From June 2013 through June 2015, the TMBI digital network grew nearly 74 percent, with Taste of Home growing by 143 percent. In the same period, TMBI brands' comprehensive mobile traffic increased 186 percent, with Taste of Home's mobile traffic increasing 295 percent.
• Trusted Media Brands E-learning Online School – EnrichU, the company's online learning portal launched earlier this year and features a robust e-learning suite. Additional e-learning courses continue to be added to the site and currently include:
  • Food and Cooking – The Taste of Home Online Cooking School features hundreds of curated videos with step-by-step recipe instructions, cooking tricks and kitchen advice from culinary experts. Course instructors include Taste of Home editors, chefs from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and notable food bloggers.
  • Home Improvement – The Family Handyman DIY University is a collection of easy-to-follow instructional video courses backed by The Family Handyman's 64 years of editorial experience. The online learning platform is perfect for do-it-yourselfers who range from new homeowners to seasoned DIY enthusiasts. Instructors are editors from The Family Handyman, as well experienced trade experts, and courses span a variety of categories that cover basic skills and tips, electrical, paint trim, plumbing and outdoor projects.
  • Health and Wellness – The Stop & Drop Diet Online Course serves as a companion to the new book, Stop & Drop Diet, by Reader's Digest Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer Liz Vaccariello. The course features a 21-day lesson plan designed for weight loss and balanced nutrition, daily video messages, meal plans and nutrition guidelines to help ensure healthy weight loss.
• Trusted Media Brands Magazines and Books – TMBI brands reach 40 million readers via trusted magazines and expertly curated books that feature information on food, entertaining, wellness, home improvement and gardening and lifestyle. The company publishes books that are distributed worldwide and cover topics that range from health and diet to cookbooks and illustrated reference books to adult and children's books.
• Trusted Media Brands Events and Experiences – TMBI produces and sponsors high profile events that engage existing and new audiences with branded experiences, and extend its reach to new demographics.
  • Taste of Home Cooking School is America's leading cooking school program, providing entertaining and relatable cooking instruction to audiences nationwide. Culinary Specialists bring energy, excitement and their love of cooking to approximately 250,000 attendees at more than 200 events across the country each year.
  • Reader's Digest and The Moth have entered into a creative content alliance that leverages their storytelling roots to present The Moth's GrandSLAM events in 19 cities across the U.S. Through March 2016, The Moth and Reader's Digest will bring the art of storytelling to a broader audience, with select stories featured online and in print. The partnership will culminate with the Reader's Digest "Best Stories in America" July/August 2016 issue, which will include the best story from each of the 19 GrandSLAM cities.
• Trusted Media Brands Partnerships – TMBI has entered into several strategic partnerships, which help drive revenue from native desktop and mobile placements integrated into Reader's Digest, The Family Handyman, Taste of Home, Haven Home Media and Taste Network. TMBI has also begun to leverage Taste of Home's premium native recipe content on mobile platforms to deliver native advertising in exclusive recipe content, with geo-targeting to drive consumers to nearby supermarkets.
• Trusted Media Brands Licensing – TMBI operates Reader's Digest internationally through licensing partners and also licenses Taste of Home in the U.S. for such products as spice blend sets sold on the Home Shopping Network. The company plans to expand licensing agreements in the near future and is currently exploring potential opportunities for television programming.

About Trusted Media Brands, Inc.
Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (TMBI) is a visionary, brand-driven multiplatform media company whose portfolio of iconic properties and products includes the flagship magazine Reader's Digest; Taste of Home, the world's largest circulation food publication; The Family Handyman, America's leading source for DIY; a suite of enthusiast titles including Birds & Blooms, Country, Country Woman, Farm & Ranch Living and Reminisce; and digital properties which include EnrichU, the Taste Network and Haven Home Network. TMBI comprises a network of engaged, active readers who genuinely connect with its blend of uplifting and enduring expertly-curated family, food, health, home improvement, finance and humor content digitally, via magazines and books, social media, and events and experiences. Founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace as The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., one of the first user-generated content publishers, Trusted Media Brands, Inc. is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit TMBI.com. 

CONTACT:
Samantha Kops
Horn Group for Trusted Media Brands, Inc.
(646) 202-9756
[email protected]  

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SOURCE Trusted Media Brands, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tmbi.com