The magazine has consistently included a robust section featuring new and classic Black print material. Essence not only publishes book reviews and author interviews, it also includes excerpts from new works of fiction, letters written to readers from authors, and reader responses to featured texts.
Giddings joins the good company of other Black intellectuals like Lucille Clifton, James Baldwin, William Strickland, and Joan Morgan, who recurringly wrote for Essence in the late twentieth century.
In addition to providing a platform for researchers like Giddings to directly address Black audiences, Essence has unwaveringly supported Black creative writing. In the late s, the magazine frequently published original works by notable poets like Sonia Sanchez , Nikki Giovanni, and Rita Dove. It also supported emerging artists by hosting writing competitions and publishing articles on how to live and thrive as a Black creative.
With a circulation of over 1 million and some 8. Despite being profitable—and operating the massively successful music festival that anchored the summer-movie hit Girls Trip —no major publisher thought that Essence was a worthy acquisition. Instead, Essence is now in the hands of Dennis, a media newcomer who made his fortune in shea-butter cosmetics. Clearly Dennis has committed his life and substantial economic resources to supporting minority women.
Ebanks insists this sacred wall will still be honored—and that Essence is not directly owned by Sundial, but rather a separate Dennis-helmed entity.
By providing your email, you agree to the Quartz Privacy Policy. The magazine became profitable during and its parent company saw profits around , according to Lewis. When rival publisher John M. Johnson founder of Ebony and other magazines took a 20 percent stake in Essence Communications in , Lewis and Smith were faced with having to match his price in buying stock from other selling investors in order to assure themselves majority control of the enterprise.
Another investor, Pioneer Capital Corp. By Essence Communications was also producing a mail-order catalogue in collaboration with Hanover House, Inc. The catalogue featured moderately priced apparel, other soft goods, jewelry, and art objects.
The company also created a licensing division in , lending the Essence name to intimate apparel, eyeglasses, hosiery, and a collection of sewing patterns by Butterick Co. In Essence Communications purchased part of Amistad Press, a black-owned publisher. Advertising support remained a major challenge to the prosperity of Essence.
To make a sales pitch, the magazine's representatives had to persuade prospective space buyers to overlook the low household income of the typical reader. Avon, a longtime advertiser, confirmed that black women spent relatively more for beauty products than white women, yet for most cosmetic companies, Smith told the Wall Street Journal, "it's as if black women don't count as consumers. Some companies also were reluctant to commit time and money to create advertising for a publication like Essence, which preferred that models used in its ads be black.
Certain advertising executives privately admitted that they were afraid a product identified with black consumers would do poorly among white consumers. When that company began advertising in the magazine for the first time in , some of its ads were tailored for the magazine and cited the benefits of the product for women of color. By Essence was exploring some creative endeavors to raise its advertising base. In what was said to be the first program of its kind among minority publications, thousands of readers were to sit in focus groups and provide detailed survey results to the magazine's clients.
And readers of Essence 's 20th anniversary issue were subjected to the publication's first commercial use of ink-jet messaging, in which Coca-Cola sent personalized messages detailing a sweepstakes promotion to all readers. Subscribers were singled out by name, while newsstand copies were labeled "Dear Essence Reader. In addition, Ebanks, along with a Black female-led executive team, will have an equity stake in the business.
Specific financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition marks a new beginning for the legacy brand, which has been granted capital and resources to expand its brand overseas.
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