(JULY 2013)—Food & Drink, the popular, trend-setting magazine that is the champion of LCBO responsible entertaining ideas, celebrates its 20th anniversary this fall.
Since its humble beginnings as a 32-page publication on letter-size paper, Food & Drink has flourished into Ontario’s most widely-read magazine. It has become the “go-to” magazine for seasonal recipes, beautifully composed photographs, articles on entertaining and beverage alcohol and food pairing ideas.
Its success is evident in the number of copies produced bi-monthly – 505,000 in English and 22,000 in French. Each copy passes through several hands so readership is estimated to be well over two million with 60 per cent being women and 40 per cent men.
“It’s an orchestrated team effort with many LCBO divisions and suppliers involved,” explains Food & Drink publisher Wayne Leek. “It’s this hard work and dedicated spirit throughout the LCBO and our partners that are key to the magazine’s success.”
The long chain of support begins with a strong team of LCBO staff, Canadian freelancers and photographers led by Editor Jody Dunn and Art Director Karen Lim. Another committed team of salespeople sells Food & Drink advertising space with the revenue generated covering all of the magazine’s costs, meaning it costs taxpayers nothing to produce.
And it’s not just a Food & Drink publication – there is a French version: “À bon verre, bonne table,” translated into French by Corporate Communications’ French Language Services. After it’s printed, the LCBO Logistics team helps coordinate delivery to warehouses and all stores.
“Copies of Food & Drink are sent to stores along with liquor loads,” says Wayne.
Retail staff know how popular Food & Drink is with their customers and they dutifully reload the display racks that are hastily relieved of copies by enthusiastic readers, anxious to consult the bi-monthly entertaining authority. If an issue is delayed, avid readers immediately advise staff and the Food & Drink team.
“When it’s late, I hear about it,” Wayne says wryly. “Readers want to know when they can expect it to appear in stores.”
That passion has spilled over into social media where fans Tweet location alerts when stores begin running out of copies and enthuse about content in blogs and online forums. Perhaps one of the greatest tributes to its success is the creation of Food & Drink evenings where a particular issue is personified at a dinner party in a reader’s home complete with replicated recipes and wine matches as well as serving and décor suggestions.
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Food & Drink is an important part of the LCBO’s overall marketing strategy, with LCBO promotional campaigns reflected in the magazine’s content, providing consumers with a seamless transition from customer to reader. A cornerstone of LCBO’s marketing platform, Food & Drink will continue to play an influential role in print and, going forward, online. Over the years, it has evolved the readers’ perception of the LCBO brand and their attitudes towards entertaining with beverage alcohol.
“We’re part of the Integrated Marketing team, so we map our content in collaboration with LCBO marketing strategy,” explains Wayne. “When customers see Ontario wines promoted in stores in September, they’ll get more Ontario content in our fall issue.”
Jody Dunn has been with Food & Drink for 19 years and today, as editor, she says the customer has always been the focus of the magazine’s content.
“Nancy Cardinal (senior vice-president, Sales & Marketing) coined the phrase ‘making the reader a hero in their own homes’ and that philosophy has always guided our content,” she explains. “That mandate has brought great success and recognition to the LCBO and many other businesses and individuals whose products and expertise are featured in Food & Drink.”
Whether it’s an entertaining aid or a featured chef, hotel or restaurant, Jody says magazine exposure brings “plenty of feedback and provides quite a bump in business.”
Also contributing to its success is a well-established and dedicated creative team fostered since the magazine’s inception.
“Everyone feels that they have a role to play in Food & Drink and that has generated a great deal of pride,” explains Jody. “The core group of writers, recipe developers, photographers and stylists, which is the top talent in Ontario, has been with us for years.”
That winning spirit has earned gold recognition from a number of sources including the National Magazine Awards and the World Food Media Awards. Last year, Jody received a Gold Award in the media and publishing category from the Ontario Hostelry Institute for her exemplary work at Food & Drink.
That talent has emanated from the pages of Food & Drink since its beginning. Whether you attribute its success to delicious food and beverage recipes, rich, colourful photographs, smart writing or thoughtful entertaining ideas, Food & Drink is an original that has helped shape public perception of the LCBO and the way our customers entertain.
Happy 20th anniversary!
