'Italy is a key part of Hearst's strategy'

"Italy is a key part. We have seen great results from the national branch in recent years. And the Italian team also plays a key role in giving Italian advertisers access to our global offering. 2024 will be even better than a very good 2023."

Debi Chirichella is senior vice-president of Hearst and president of Hearst Magazines (hence of the magazine business in the US and worldwide) from November 2020. We are therefore talking about a company that has a portfolio of more than 25 brands in the United States, 200 websites and more than 260 magazine editions worldwide, at the helm of which Chirichella arrived after a past at Condé Nast.

These days she is in Italy for Milan Fashion Week. The Gala evening at Harper's Bazaar's Gam in Milan opened Milan Fashion Week in the presence of over 400 guests received by all the directors of the global network together with Debi Chirichella herself, Jonny Wright, Lisa Howard and Giacomo Moletto.

Speaking to Il Sole 24 Ore, the president of Hearst Magazines described the current one as "an exciting time for our company as we continue to expand our global business and build the future for our iconic brands". Against this backdrop, Italy 'has a growing business and profits in 2023 that will be exceeded in 2024'. Certainly, the Hearst magazines in our country have undergone a slimming treatment. Chirichella does not deny this. "We had a major restructuring in 2021 that positioned the business for long-term growth. We focused on a leaner structure to invest in strategic growth areas, adding Runner's World and Men's Health, launching the print version of Harper's Bazaar, re-launching Esquire, and developing our digital business'. All investments that 'have proven successful. And both revenues and profits from the Italian business have grown steadily over the last three years'.

Between Hearst Magazines Italy and Haw (Hearst Advertising Worldwide) revenues in Italy in 2023 reached 75 million (+6%) with 2.35 million profit. So when does one speak of the inevitability of the decline of magazines? "As far as we are concerned, today we have more print editions of Harper's Bazaar than ever before and, in some markets and for some brands, we see newsstand and print subscriptions increasing. Our job is to ensure engagement with our readers and for that we are investing in whatever platform or experience makes sense. Inevitably this means a focus on digital, but we also see a central role for print for many brands in many markets."