Editor's note: Vim & Vigor, McMurry Publishing's flagship syndicated magazine, just increased its circulation to more than 1 million, making it the third largest consumer health magazine in the country. This glossy customized healthcare pub works with hospital marketing staffs from start to finish on story development and execution, graphic advice and most importantly how to get read and show a return on investment.
For PR/marketers, Vim & Vigor's most attractive asset is that even though it's a hospital syndicated magazine, most readers don't realize it. Instead, they assume it's a celebrity-focused health and wellness magazine that your hospital is highly associated with. This strategy is what gets this quarterly read, according to Fred Petrovsky, Vim & Vigor's VP/publisher.
It's important to note that the magazine does not accept outside pitches from healthcare organizations that compete with its core hospital clients. They do, however take outside pitches from noncompetitive heathcare companies like pharmaceuticals and products.
Unlike traditional magazines, custom titles like Vim & Vigor are much more approachable because they encourage a hospital marketing partnership but limited in the outside pitches they can use. V&V dedicates 22 of its 72 pages to hospital client news. The main bank of 50 pages focuses on positive "take charge of your health issues" like cancer screenings, healthy diets, and preventive healthcare services. Here's how it works:
KEY:
SECTION
EDITORS
DAYS TO CONTACT/DAYS TO AVOID
METHODS
HOT BUTTONS
Hospital Well (22 pgs)
You are in charge of what goes in the first and last 8 pages of V&V, but the editors are on hand to either write it for you or provide useful tips on attractive graphics and copy length.
Managing Editor Jennifer Woolson Phone: 888/626-8779 Fax:602/395-5853
There is no bad day or time to contact V&V's editors.
Since V&V is a quarterly it is closes three months in advance and needs a two-and-a-half-month turnaround on hospital copy. The next issue will be the Winter issue which will come out in November.
Although the hospitals call the shots in this section, the editors encourage a collaborative relationship with hospital PR/marketers on promoting key hospital services, events and community programs. The goal is to use the magazine to make the phones ring.
Feature Well
This syndicated section is filled with about five to six features, lead by the celebrity story on the cover. Here, the stories have a national healthcare focus on cover healthy lifestyle issues.
Editor Patricia Light Phone: 888/626-8779 Fax:602/395-5853 Same as above.
Phone calls are encouraged, especially after product information has been sent.
Outside pitches are accepted here for a range of healthy lifestyle info like healthcare market trends, market research and a few new products. V&V recently did stories on estrogen, the latest medical equipment and exercise equipment.
Standard Departments
There are six standard departments that lend themselves well to outside pitches with titles like "Appetite for Health," "Spotlight On..." and "Views and Reviews."
Assistant Editor Patricia D. Bunche Phone: 888/626-8779 Fax:602/395- 5853 Same as above. Same as above.
Outside pitches are also accepted here, new products are especially are a good bet in this section as well as health books, tapes and dietary info. For advertising/promotional opportunities, McMurry has an in-house advertising agency that produces ads for its hospital clients and offers reasonable reprint programs.
Other Vim & Vigor Marketing Perks
- V&V is distributed to 30,000 to 90,000 people in your market. It can either use your direct mail list or buy lists to your specifications.
- Your hospital name and logo goes on the cover.
- Bind-in inserts, reply cards and envelopes allow hospitals to measure V&V's marketing performance and ROI.
- Timely info. like surveys, calendars and fund-raising notices can be polybagged as "outserts."
Editorial/Marketing Contacts at Vim & Vigor: 888/626-8779
VP/Publisher, Fred Petrovsky
Associate Publisher/Editor, Jake Pointer
Managing Editor, Jennifer Woolson
Regional Editor, Patricia Thomas
Editor, Patricia Light
Dir. of Nat'l Advertising,
Advertising Reps, East Region: Greg Otterbach,
Central Region, Jim King,