<i>Scrubs</i> Enters Niche Magazine Market

As bad as the market is right now for print, niche magazines have it a little bit easier, if only because their consumer base is made up of devotees. Why else would Condé Nast be able to keep two golf magazines afloat while having to cut Gourmet? Niche markets have niche advertising, which also helps: The fashion world might be hurting overall, but the supply and demand for yachting goods has probably not taken as much of a dip in their sales records. With that in mind, we'd like to welcome into the world the first lifestyle magazine made for nurses: Scrubs (Zach Braff not included), which will hit stores nursing apparel stores November 15, already with a paid circulation of 350,000. Says Michael Singer, CEO of Scrubs' founding sponsor Strategic Partners Inc., "Healthcare is one of the few sectors of the economy adding jobs." Ironic, no? Scrubs also has a pretty good pedigree: its editorial director is Catherine Ettlinger, a former Elle editor and managing editor at Mademoiselle. By the way, we highly suggest you check out Scrubsmag.com, which has articles like "The First Date Checklist for Nurses" and "Top 10 Signs Your Patient May Be a Drug Seeker." Full press release, after the jump. Los Angeles, CA (November 3, 2009) -- Scrubs Magazine (scrubsmag.com), the first lifestyle magazine and website for nurses, premieres November 15. The magazine, with a paid circulation of 350,000, will be sold in more than 1,500 nursing apparel stores nationwide. Strategic Partners, Inc. (SPI) -- the leading nursing apparel and footwear company in the United States and manufacturer/distributor of scrubs under the labels of Cherokee, Disney, Baby Phat, Skechers, the NFL and others -- is the founding sponsor. "There are almost three million RNs in the United States, making nursing one of the largest segments of the U.S. workforce," says Michael Singer, Chief Executive Officer of SPI. "Healthcare is one of the few sectors of the economy adding jobs.* Scrubs and scrubsmag.com are perfectly positioned to reach this growing and thriving market." Scrubs content is 100 percent for and about nurses, and will cover a range of lifestyle topics including beauty, money, style, health, and wellness. Articles in the premier issue include "The Race of my Life (and the nurse who helped me win it)" by cyclist Lance Armstrong; "Vital Signs", an upfront section featuring news for nurses about life, style and work; as well as many additional feature pieces, including nurse and noted writer Theresa Brown's account of the first time she lost a patient to full cardiac arrest. Catherine Ettlinger, editorial director of Scrubs and the former editor of Elle and managing editor of Mademoiselle, says, "As a longtime national consumer magazine editor, I am especially excited to be creating Scrubs at this moment in time. Nurses are heroes and nursing is one of the most respected professions in the world -- one with unique attributes and needs. I am thrilled to be able to deliver a thoughtful, compelling magazine to serve this untapped market." The concept for Scrubs was created by Michael Singer of SPI and developed and produced by Mind Over Media (MOM), the Los Angeles-based media development and packaging company. This is not Singer's first media venture. In addition to building SPI, earlier in his career Singer launched a national college newspaper, U, with 1.4 million copies distributed to 400 campuses nationwide. The staff of MOM features alumni from some of the preeminent magazines in the country. MOM's co-founder and partner Amy Rappeport is the former vice president of custom publishing for American Express and former publisher of New York Woman. Co-founder and partner Susan Gates is the former founding publisher of Buzz. Creative director Maxine Davidowitz is the former creative director of More, Prevention, Health, Parents and Redbook, and web editor Miriam Bookey was formerly managing editor for AOL City Guide. Along with its availability in more than 1,500 nursing apparel stores across the country, some bonus distribution will also be available to select nursing students, VIP nursing school administrators as well as key nursing associations. "This strategy bypasses both the traditional subscription and newsstand models. It is streamlined, cost-effective and cuts straight to the heart of the nursing market," says Gates. Scrubs will be audited by Business Publications Audit (BPA), and will be published three times a year. The premiere issue contains 60 pages with a cover price of $2.95. In addition to founding sponsor SPI, Scrubs will also secure additional national sponsors for upcoming issues. "Nurses are educated thought leaders and affluent consumers," says Rappeport. "Given that they are one of the largest segments of the U.S. workforce, their collective sphere of influence is enormous." "Nurses are persuasive product advocates," says Eric Weider, Chairman of Schiff Nutrition International, whose company is advertising in the premier issue. "I see Scrubs as an extremely smart buy. It offers streamlined delivery to the very heart of this powerful market, in a high-quality lifestyle editorial environment created exclusively for nurses." Not only are nurses "the bedrock of the medical profession," as President Obama said at a recent White House event, their rising cultural significance can be seen with a steady stream of new nursing shows including Nurse Jackie, starring Edie Falco, HawthoRNe, starring Jada Pinkett Smith, and the NBC drama Mercy. Scrubsmag.com will feature active conversations with nurse bloggers ranging from a newly minted nurse to a seasoned RN to a misunderstood male nurse. Already, thousands of nurses have participated in the beta version of the site, sharing their ideas, advice, hopes and dreams on the site's polls and comment boards. The site will also feature podcasts, widgets, a mobile version, weekly drawings for free scrubs, and be active on Twitter (twitter.com/nursetweets) and Facebook.

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Scrubs Enters Niche Magazine Market

Drew Grant

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