The death of print is not exaggerated. For those with ink in their veins, 2022 got off to a rough start. Six consumer magazines are moving to a digital-only format this Spring, including Entertainment Weekly, InStyle, Health, EatingWell, Parents and People en Español.

Last fall, IAC/Interactive Corp. paid $2.7 billion for Meredith Corp.’s publishing department and formed a new unit called Dotdash Meredith. CEO Neil Vogel sent a memo to staff that read: “It is not news to anyone that there has been a pronounced shift in readership and advertising from print to digital, and as a result, for a few important brands, print is no longer serving the brand’s core purpose.” 

Rodman Media, the parent company of Happi, has named Tom Morford as digital content director. He’ll help shape our strategy and the way we present content to our audience at Happi.com

Rest assured, the print version of Happi isn’t going anywhere. You’ll continue to get an issue every month—plus five supplements to boot—for years to come. In a nod to us old-timers who still read hard copies, you may have noticed that this year we made our type size bigger and the font easier to read. So, yes, we’re sticking with print—while investing in online.

While it will still print other magazines for the newsstands, the move at Dotdash Meredith does underscore the profound shift taking place in the publishing world and, of course, the fast-moving consumer goods business. The pandemic forced household and personal care product companies to pivot even more quickly to online retail. While shoppers are returning to stores, there’s no doubt that over time, online will take a bigger share of consumer spending.

For the past two years, the term “pivot” has played an integral part in every company’s playbook. No category knows that better than sun care. Two years ago, as lockdowns took hold, nobody went to the beach; sales of sunscreen plummeted. The good news is that sales soared last year—even as benzene began showing up in some popular sunscreen spray formats. The benzene issue seems solved in sun care, but now benzene is turning up in deodorant and antiperspirants. HRB Brands, the makers of Sure and Brut, attributes the benzene problem to spray propellent. Maybe, but for sun care product manufacturers, Summer 2022 promises to be another great year. To find out what’s new in the multibillion-dollar segment, click here.

Also this month, we report on the latest trends in the color cosmetics market and new product debuts in the OTC category.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Happi. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Tom Branna
Editorial Director
[email protected]