Catalyst Paper Names President & CEO

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/08_19_2013catalyst_paper_joe_nemeth.html

Catalyst Paper announced, today, the appointment of Joe Nemeth as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2013.
Nemeth is an experienced pulp and paper industry executive with some 30 years of background, most recently serving as President and CEO of Canfor Pulp.
Nemeth's leadership achievements include best of peer group financial performance; negotiation and oversight of major business and strategic development initiatives; and continuous improvement in operations, cost and organizational management, Catalyst said.
"Nemeth's knowledge of the marketplace and his experience in the operational side of the pulp and paper process are well-matched with our requirements and will ensure the necessary momentum to keep pace with the very competitive global paper industry," said Catalyst Board Chairman and Interim CEO Leslie T. Lederer.
Nemeth holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Forestry from the University of British Columbia. He is a director of Fortress Paper Ltd. Born and raised in coastal British Columbia, Nemeth and his family make their home in the greater Vancouver region.

AF&PA Reports Containerboard Ships

http://www.paperage.com/2013news/08_19_2013afpa_containerboard_report.html

The American Forest & Paper Association released its July 2013 U.S. Containerboard Statistics Report, which said containerboard production increased 4.1 percent over June 2013 and 5.3 percent over the same month last year.

The month-over-month average daily production of containerboard increased 0.7 percent.

The containerboard operating rate for July 2013 dropped 0.4 points from June 2013, from 99 percent to 98.6 percent, AF&PA said.

J.Crew Debuts Fall Catalog on Pinterest

http://mashable.com/2013/08/19/jcrew-fall-catalog-pinterest/

J.Crew's at-home catalog subscribers won't be the first to glimpse the brand's September issue: That honor will fall for the first time to J.Crew's Pinterest followers on Monday morning.
It's a big move for a company that, until a year ago, didn't have a social media department, nor a Pinterest account. In fact, so far as we've aware, J.Crew is the first clothing brand to debut its catalog on the image-based network.
J.Crew isn't the only apparel brand to choose social media over more traditional channels to introduce its lineup this fall: Late last month, Oscar de la Renta premiered its fall campaign via Instagram. And many brands now debut their print and TV campaigns on Facebook and YouTube, respectively.

Impulse Book Buying Up in Physical Stores

http://ipdahome.org/newsstand/?cat=296

The long-term trend of consumers buying more books on impulse at bricks-and-mortar stores than at online retailers continued in 2012, according to Bowker’s 2013 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics and Book Buying Behaviors Annual Review. In 2012, 28% of all books purchased in stores were bought on impulse, while 13% of books bought at online retailers were sold on impulse—an increase of one percentage point in both cases over the previous year. Planned purchases accounted for 43% of books bought at online retailers last year, up from 42% in 2011, while planned purchases at physical retailers accounted for 29% of units, up from 27%. In 2012, a third buying option began to gain some traction, as consumers used smartphones and mobile devices to make all sorts of purchases. Mobile book buyers tended to favor planned purchases (37% of units bought via smartphones were planned buys). 

Publishers Weekly

Ex Conde Editorial Chief Muses on Magazines

http://ipdahome.org/newsstand/?cat=296

In a long NYT profile, James Truman, who resigned as Conde Nast’s editorial director eight years ago, says he believed that the job would be largely focused on cost-cutting going forward, and that “the problems magazines faced didn’t and don’t have editorial solutions.” He adds: “I think magazines are going to be somewhat like department stores. They’ll stay in business, but you’ll wonder why, since you get everything in them from other places, usually with a better customer experience.”

NY Times

Print Ad Demand Rebounds, Wall Street Ups Outlook

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/207023/amid-print-ad-demand-rebound-wall-street-ups-outl.html#axzz2cRrHFK14

Citing an uptick in print ad page demand, Wall Street analyst Matt Chesler raised his outlook for magazine publishing giant Meredith. The move comes amid other recent positive signals from magazine publishers.

On Friday, for example, Hearst announced its first rate base increase for Town & Country magazine in 10 years -- boosting it 5.5% to 475,000, effective with the January 2014 issue.
“According to MIN data released after Friday’s close, magazine industry print ad pages rose 0.7% for September monthly titles,” Deutsche Bank's Chesler writes in a report sent to investors this morning. “This follows August’s +1.1%, and points to some sense of stabilization in the industry. The year-to-date performance (February through September 2013) is +0.4%, essentially flat, and significantly better than what it was at the same time last year (-4.3%)."
As a group, Chesler noted that Meredith’s print ad pages were up 6% in September, following a 7% gain in August, “with results driven by gains at Rachael Ray +44%, Parents +25%, Ladies Home Journal +17%, FamilyFun +16%, Successful Farming +11%, and American Baby +7%.”
“The commonality is that the strong titles are in food, reflecting Meredith’s scale play in the category, and in parenting,” he explains, “reflecting the recent acquisitions of Bonnier’s Parenting and BabyTalk magazines. Encouragingly, Better Homes & Gardens was +2%, the best result in over a year. A number of titles are still showing declines (Traditional Home -22%, Family Circle -13%, Fitness -5%, More -3%), but the gainers now lead the decliners.”
As a result of these trends, Chesler boosted his first-quarter 2014 ad revenue outlook for Meredith from +1% to +3%.

September Vogue Largest Since 2008

http://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2013/aug/18/conde-nast-vogue-upmarket-magazine

Autumnal tones have replaced summer pastels, and with the dawn of a new fashion season comes the biggest style bible of the year. Thumping in at 430 pages, the September issue of Vogue is the largest since the financial crash of 2008.
More significantly, it carries more advertising than any edition in the past five years, with 272 pages bought by luxury brands including Ralph Lauren, Gucci and Dior. Is this a return to the boom-time at Vogue House?
"You pick up a copy of Vogue and say 'Crisis? What crisis?'" says Douglas McCabe, a publishing expert at Enders Analysis. "It is absolutely fat with advertising. But I don't think every competitor would be feeling quite as bullish and optimistic as they are."
Vogue is enjoying its most profitable year ever, according to publisher Condé Nast, as the high-end fashion title prepares for its centenary celebrations in 2016. Advertising is up 6% compared to last year and spin-off events, like the Vogue festival and new courses at Condé Nast's school of style, have helped boost company coffers. "Brand Vogue has never been more powerful or profitable, or enjoyed a wider reach, than today," says Nicholas Coleridge, president of Condé Nast International and managing director of the British division.

Postal Service Applies Old Promise to New Priority

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/business/media/postal-service-applies-old-promise-to-new-priority.html?src=rechp&_r=0

THE Postal Service is identified with a promise that neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night would stay its couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. But the Internet? Don’t ask.
Although ways to communicate online have made untold billions of pieces of first-class mail vanish, costing the Postal Service untold billions of dollars in revenue, there is a silver lining: strong growth in delivering packages that consumers order through e-commerce. Reflecting that, the Postal Service has been devoting more attention to its delivery services, including changes announced last week in Priority Mail that were described as major upgrades. So it is no surprise that the first round of advertising for the Postal Service from its new creative agency, McCann Erickson Worldwide, is being devoted to Priority Mail. The campaign, which will include commercials, print and online ads, direct marketing and a presence in social media, seeks to elevate itself beyond peddling products by introducing a theme, “Priority: you,” that evokes the unofficial Postal Service “Neither ... nor” creed. The initial commercial, scheduled to begin on Monday, even shows postal employees making deliveries in, yes, snow and rain. “Staying warm and dry has never been our priority,” an announcer declares. Scenes of deliveries in rural areas are accompanied by the announcer’s assertion that “catering to the conveniently located has never been our priority.”