New publisher and co-owner
aims to refocus her Shared Vision
Women's magazine
makeover puts a positive spin on the alternative glossy genre
Andrew Petrozzi
The
prototype of the next generation women’s magazine is being pioneered in
Vancouver, according to Rebecca Ephraim, the new publisher and co-owner
of Shared Vision.
 Ephraim is an ex-national health editor for the stable
of alternative publications produced by U.S. based Dragonfly Media.
She is also a former anchor and producer for the Chicago National
Public Radio affiliate.
Ephraim said she realized an "entrepreneurial dream"
when she and Renewal Partners bought Shared Vision
in September 2005. The move has also allowed her to reshape what defines
an alternative magazine in a city that has been fertile ground for such
publications.
"We really
are focused on change. The magazine is a unique and compelling hybrid."
It's also primarily a woman's publication. Shared
Vision's readership, according to Ephraim, is 82 percent female: "That's
a standout in the Lower Mainland."
Shared Vision ranked 22nd on Business in Vancouver's
2006 Biggest B.C.-based magazines list, joining a host of new entrants
that include Alive, Common Ground and Cannabis Culture.
Ephraim said the new Shared Vision targets women
and men who care about sustainability and has eschewed the "us versus
them" persona typical of many Lower Mainland alternative publications.
"It's all about [gradations], and historically, it has not been about [gradations]. You need to do this, this and this, otherwise you're not a member of the club. You don't need to own a Greenpeace rubber raft to show you care."
Historically,
magazines like the previous incarnation of Shared Vision were throwbacks
to the '60s.
"They’re very political, male, and they’re a little bit angry."
The new Shared Vision, on the other hand, she said, has staked out a different arena in the marketplace.
"It's all about celebrating moving ahead to a better place. We’re looking for stories of the people who are doing inspiring and often conrageous things that point to the way of the future.
"We need to be as sophisticated and classy as any other
magazine our readers would pick up, but at the same time we're doing it
very differently in the sense of our tagline is dialogue for change and
we're inviting businesses to be part of that dialogue.
"It's about solutions and approaches to how we can nurture
that lighter footprint on the planet."
Ephraim said advertisers have responded positively to the magazine's redesign and revamped editorial direction, and new businesses and agencies are expressing interest in advertising in the magazine for the first time.
Advertisers "who carry the flag of sustainability" want to be seen as sophisticated and classy, she said. "They want to be in the environment of a publication that has that feel."
Readers love the message that there are great reasons to be
hopeful, said Ephraim. But she conceded that not all the magazine's readers
have embraced the changes. Some have registered their displeasure with
the new editorial direction via letters to the publicationís editor.
"It's a crowded market. The challenge is that you need to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack," said Ephraim. "The beautiful piece about doing this work is that it’s not a strategy that is just profit-driven. It's about how to share a message with the readers and be able to put your face out there front and centre and get it picked up."
apetrozzi@biv.com
October 2, 2006
Business In Vancouver
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