GrindMedia in San Clemente has been recast as TEN: Action/Outdoor Group.
The new name is part of parent company Source Interlink Media LLC’s effort to rebrand itself as TEN: The Enthusiast Network LLC.
The endeavor, in the works since new Chief Executive Scott Dickey took over in February, didn’t go without a glitch—it was “hijacked” a day after the announcement by news of Florida-based Source Interlink Distribution, Source Interlink Media’s sister company, ending its operations, said Norb Garrett, executive vice president and general manager for TEN’s sports and entertainment groups.
Reports, “Unfortunate” Timing
The rebranding was tied to the closure in several media reports, putting a damper on the network’s marketing push, though it doesn’t affect TEN’s operations.
“The timing was unfortunate,” Garrett said. “Our new CEO, from the moment that he got here, was focused on creating a stand-alone brand that was more reflective of what the [collection] of our assets are and what our business strength is in. The closure is indicative of some of the challenges that exist within the traditional distribution model. TEN: The Enthusiast Network is unaffected from a business standpoint, other than the fact that they were one of our primary distributors of our periodicals in print.”
Magazine publisher Time Inc. cut ties with Source Interlink Distribution, forcing it to cease operations, according to news reports.
The San Clemente division is home to action and adventure sports magazines, including Transworld SKATEboarding, Surfing and Powder, and websites such as GrindTV.
Transitioning from the GrindMedia name shouldn’t affect consumers, Garrett said, as the group’s name was “really an overarching B2B brand set up a couple years ago to better align all of the assets under one umbrella. So we are just replacing the umbrella title with TEN: Action/Outdoor Group,” he said. “Internally, we are reaching (out) to all of our clients, the agencies we have established very good relationships with over the last several years in developing nonendemic relationships and partnerships, and letting them know about it.”
The rebranding effort comes just as the dust had settled on the division’s “roster of verticals.”
Portfolio
Last spring, Garrett saw an opportunity to expand his portfolio of magazines. Then-GrindMedia acquired six TransWorld action-sports titles from Winter Park, Fla.-based Bonnier Corp. and sold Bonnier Motorcyclist, Sport Rider, Dirt Rider, Motorcycle Cruiser, Hot Bike, Baggers, Super Streetbike, Street Chopper and ATV magazines.
A year later, “the creative value of the combined businesses has greatly enhanced our overall financial position as a business,” Garrett said.
It didn’t come without hiccups, though.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that there were some challenges, especially some of the closures that we had to deal with. … We had to shut down TransworldSURF, we closed Skateboarder Magazine, and in (the) winter we closed Paved, our road cycling magazine. We have been trying to focus on our core brands, getting our business aligned so we have an effective selling message, ensuring industries we are serving are provided with the very best content. And now we are starting to see the real benefits, the fruits of that labor.”
The division employs 220, he said, and has annual revenue of $50 million.
A partnership it has with Yahoo! is doing well, Garrett said.
Through its GrindTV platform, GrindMedia is the official action-adventure-sport content provider for Yahoo Sports, a partnership that’s enabled it to attract several “nonendemic” brands to the fold, such as ConocoPhillips Co., Starbucks Corp. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Some advertising deals, such as one with Subaru of America Inc., are in the works again this season. The Subaru deal is for a new vehicle launch, according to Garrett.
Through it and other partnerships, it’s investing in an integrated marketing model that offers advertisers editorial-like stories that can connect with consumers better than conventional ads.
The first Subaru campaign features Chris Mauro, general manager for the GrindTV business, visiting his childhood stomping grounds in Big Sur. The spot was featured on Yahoo!’s home page for its editorial qualities and was later picked up by a local news outlet.
“It was a really cool example of branded video play tying into our ability to bring authentic storytelling alongside product integration,” Garrett said.
The print side of the business continues to be a challenge in terms of bringing in revenue, with some titles struggling while others are doing well.
“We don’t really look at it as a negative,” he said. “What we recognize is that consumers are going to dictate how they are going to consume content.
“It’s our job to stay in front of that consumable habit and make sure that we are in the places that they want to consume. There will be those that want to consume print, and that’s great; we will continue to give them print product. We are not running away from print product in any shape or form, it’s just eight years ago it was the only way of distributing your content, save for this expanding digital world, and now it’s one of the five ways we distribute it. … It’s probably never been more fun to be in the media.”
