SO Vermont Arts & Livingmagazine has pivoted from a newsprint insert in the Brattleboro Reformer to a hi-glossy 58-page perfect bound stand-alone publication that readers and advertisers throughout the Southern Vermont region and beyond eagerly support and “LOVE.” The content and title has also transitioned from a focus on Brattleboro to include the entire Southern Vermont region – east and west. The impetus for these pivots or transitions was a combination of growth and revenue building while recognizing that Southern Vermont needed a champion and we wanted to be it.
While many communities have turned to the arts to revitalize themselves and strengthen their economies, without a vehicle to promote the critical mass of activities, events, people, cultural experiences, and sense of place, many well-intentioned efforts fall short of their full potential. Further, the lack of such a promotional tool diminishes all efforts to market the region as a vital, attractive destination. Celebrating its 10thanniversary in 2018, SO Vermont Arts & Livingis already a proven promotional tool that positively impacts the region.
Mission and Content:SO Vermont Arts & LivingMagazine is a free, regional, triannual publication focusing on arts, culture and lifestyle. Our mission is to operate a profitable business that facilitates the economic vitality of the region. We showcase the leading tourist attractions, special events, people, places and products of Southern Vermont. We also highlight Southern Vermont’s high quality of life as well as its traditions and values. We position Southern Vermont as a premier destination to visit and an excellent place to live, work, and raise a family and do business. The publication is a marketing tool beyond par in terms of positioning Southern Vermont as a great destination and a special place to live and work. The magazine is distributed in two Welcome Centers and in over 250 locations throughout Southern Vermont. Headquarters are in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Website:Vermontartsliving.com features the magazine’s editorial content and offers a place to submit events and communicate with the editor/publisher. It also features links to its advertisers.
Digital Outreach:The magazine’s editorial content is disseminated through today’s social media platforms, including Facebook Twitter and Instagram. We also send out digital blasts spotlighting condensed versions of the magazine’s features and events.
Advertising: Advertising fees support the magazine. We continue to evaluate new advertising opportunities for our customers. As an example, we are currently partnering with Northshire Bookstore to support an on-going feature recommending new books authored by Vermonters. The writer of the feature is Kevin O’Connor, courtesy of VTDigger.
Merchandise:At this time, we do not offer SO Vermont Arts & Livingmerchandise, however we have several ideas in the works.
Team: Lynn Barrett, publisher and editor,Jeff Potter, editor of The Commons, graphic design and editing, Martin Langeveld, web design and web updates, and a host of freelance writers and photographers including Jon Potter, Arlene Distler, Susan Smallheer, Elaine Clift, Annie Landenberger and Joyce Marcel. Principal advisors include Martin Langeveld (former publisher of the Brattleboro Reformer), Jerry Goldberg (Former Executive Director of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce), Norman Solomon, a retired businessman and CEO and former director of the World Economic Forum in Geneva, and the accounting services of Howard Lipset (NYC).
CURRENT SITUATION
The most pressing challenge facing us is advertising sales. Our entire budget is supported by advertising sales. Because of a lack of capacity, growth in sales remains mostly static. The publication is well respected and even attracts subscribers from away, but we need assistance to grow new advertising clients.
SUMMARY
SO Vermont Arts & Living is much more than a print publication. We are the only full color glossy lifestyle/cultural publication that focuses on Southern Vermont. (Stratton Magazineis distributed locally but focuses on Stratton. UpCountry focuses on the Berkshires mostly.)
We are an anchor in strengthening Southern Vermont and its communities – both east and west. We are an inspiration for people seeking to live and work here. Our regular feature focusing on “Insiders” showcases those who’ve chosen to live here, work here, raise a family here and LOVE it and why and how they made it work.
We believe we are an important tool to help achieve the strategic priorities of BDCC and SEVEDS to promote Southern Vermont and grow Southern Vermont’s economy. We are a media company, a marketing resource, a public relations agency, a tourism facilitator—an ideal partner to help strengthen and bring our Southern Vermont communities together.
