FamilyFun to Relaunch With New Look, Focus
Magazine broadens editorial appeal in wake of Meredith acquisition.
FamilyFun will debut changes to its look and content in its upcoming October issue, months after the brand was acquired from Disney by the Meredith Corporation.
Steps toward the relaunch were initiated soon after the deal was finalized for an undisclosed amount in February. An assessment process, executive vice president Carey Witmer says, was conducted to better understand their target audience.
Ann Hallock, editor-in-chief and a long-time veteran of FamilyFun was happy to revisit the magazine’s template.
“With Meredith, one of the things I was really excited about was the real investment in research and taking the brand back down to the studs,” she says. “We know the fundamental mission of the magazine and the audience is good, but [asked] how can we really deliver it in a more modern way? And Meredith is just much more focused on magazine publishing than Disney.”
The research found young mothers’ responses to the concept of ‘fun’ to be highly emotional.
“Fun is such an important part of her role as mom,” Witmer says. “Mom feels a great responsibility to give her children great memories to look back on. It ranges from that annual vacation, to weekend getaways, to reading a book together, to mom looking for ideas to get her kids outside to play.
“It really ran the gamut, which led to Ann coming up with this concept called ‘Full Spectrum Fun’ that’s really the underbelly of the relaunch.”
Based on the findings, organization and content will reflect the new, broader editorial definition of “Full Spectrum Fun” that encompasses more outside the home environment.
Primary changes to print and digital editions include an overhauled graphic presence and a new navigational structure. The magazine will be divided into three overarching categories: Create, Play and Explore.
Expanded learning, health and travel departments will be featured within those three major divisions, while a focus on capturing “Full Spectrum Fun” visually through more “unguarded” moments in “every day life” will also be among the more noticeable changes implemented.
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