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A Look at 'Cristina' Magazine, Now and Later
December 15, 2005
By Nancy Ayala
The December issue of Cristina La Revista displays a cheery cover shot of Mexican actress Adela Noriega. But turn inside to the happy holidays letter to readers from the title namesake, and it makes no mention that the contract between publisher Editorial Televisa and Cristina Saralegui Enterprises (CSE) will expire Dec. 31, and this is to be the last issue. At least in the present incarnation.
"We had a publication that was 15 years old," says Marcos Avila, Saralegui's business manager and husband. "It felt like when my first daughter went away to college. It's a feeling of losing something, of change. You feel sad that it's the end of this stage [in life]. But by the same token, I'm thinking really positive and happy about the potential and the possibilities of the brand and moving forward." He says that his famous television talk-show wife feels the same way.
Moving forward could mean staying put with Editorial Televisa, the U.S. publishing arm of Mexican media behemoth Grupo Televisa, or branching out elsewhere. "We're still talking to Editorial Televisa," Avila says, while adding, "[But] we've already received calls from other publishing companies. We'll see [what] will pan out."
Eduardo Michelsen, CEO of Editorial Televisa, said in a press statement announcing the end of the partnership, "Time and time again, Cristina Saralegui Enterprises has proven to be innovators, and we feel confident that if there is an opportunity to once again reach the Hispanic consumer through a publication, CSE will rise to the occasion."
As widely reported by Marketing y Medios and other media at the end of November, the reason for the abrupt shut down had everything to do with a restructuring of the business model. Avila says that working with a credit card company or retail could help boost the circulation of the monthly and bring a different added value. He could see the magazine continue to be sold at newsstands, by subscription and through a controlled circulation model, tapping the database of a retail outlet, for instance.
"We weren't totally content with performance," Avila says, who adds that Cristina's circulation reached an all-time high of 150,000 two or three years ago. The magazine folded with a circulation of 88,000. "Magazines in today's business environment need promotion and added value that we were not doing. We need to do those things if we want to be competitive in the marketplace."
He says a relaunch of the magazine will involve new strategies for approaching advertisers. "What you can charge for an ad has a direct correlation to the amount of magazines that are out there."
Avila has no doubt that Cristina will return, though he would not give a time frame, saying only, "Oh yeah, we'll be back of course. It's too strong a brand to let go. It will come back with a different business model. That's the whole strategy for doing business in the first place."
Today a broader look at Saralegui Enterprises means different business plans altogether. It includes a whole branding effort with Casa Cristina furniture and home accessories, from the initial licensing deal with Pulaski Furniture last year to mattresses with Lady Americana to apparel with retailer Sutton Creations and now a new lamps collection with the Minka Group, which will be launched next month. "We accomplished our first year projections on wholesale [for Casa Cristina] in three months. We sold three times [as much as projected]. Everything's in back order."
Like the magazine, the Cristina name is copyrighted by CSE for any new business deals with home items and clothing.
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