How Bauer became ‘Are Media’

Chris Pash
By Chris Pash | 28 September 2020
 
Brendon Hill, CEO of Are Media

Are Media, the new name for magazine group Bauer, was selected from a first cut of 200 possible names.

“It was a long process,” CEO Brendon Hill told AdNews. “It was something we really wanted to do and get the whole company engaged and involved.”

A working group of about 30 people came up with 200 names.

“We worked through from there. We kept whittling it down, whittling it down, and then had a vote at the end with the senior team and came up with Are Media.”

He is upbeat on the business. 

“There's a lot of opportunity in this business,” he says. “One example is we've been delighted with how the Better Homes and Gardens online store has been going.

“So I would think there's a lot of opportunity for us to branch out into ecommerce across our various verticals.

“Our listing and review sites are going incredibly well.

“Unique digital assets offer a lot of different revenue streams. We're really delighted with the performance and are investing more in that space." are

“We're a medium that really holds attention and it gets people engaged. And then the logo, I love it. I think they did a great job designing. The A and the E lean in. And that’s what our magazines do really well, people lean into them and really get engaged and absorbed in them.”

Bauer was sold in June by the German holding company to Private equity group Mercury in June. Bauer, like most of the media industry, has been hit by a decline in advertising revenue as businesses pull back during the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

Hill says the new ownership and a new identity comes with a refreshed and reinvigorated focus.

“We will continue to deliver captivating, premium magazine content and experiences across print, digital, books, rewards, events and TV, connecting six in 10 Australian women with commercial partners each and every day," he says.

"The new visual identity communicates a leaning in, a joining up with the central strength of the letter R, anchoring the connection between audience and engagement with our brands and advertisers. 

"The rebrand is the culmination of an employee-led initiative and marks an important new era for the business.

“Today commences a new chapter for our business. I want to thank the entire team for their collaboration in developing our new identity and for their ongoing passion and dedication to Are Media.”

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