Style and Substance

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Welcome to the new look of Pet Age. After 45 years of continuous publishing, we thought of celebrating this milestone with a refreshed version of the original. Horst H. Backer, PhD., wrote in his inaugural issue:

“…Its content will be varied but emphasis will be on practical features to expand your profits in particular and to extend the influence of the pet industry in general…Our aim is to serve you and we trust you will make Pet Age an integral part of your business.”

For the last 45 years, we’ve stayed true to this mission. Our new look fits in with the mission, too. You will notice we now use a more contemporary type face, page structure and more infographics to help produce a more desirable, readable print product. It is our goal to invigorate the magazine, which fits into a larger media footprint. Our website, e-newsletter, social media and community outreach has enhanced this vision, the bedrock of Pet Age. Producing a better looking product helps the pet industry understand and make decisions on the content we produce, curate and disseminate.

While our website isn’t quite 45 years old yet, we haven’t neglected it at all. After reading Pet Age in print, I encourage you to visit our brand new website, PetAge.com. There, you’ll be able to read the digital edition of Pet Age in print and up-to-the-minute original content you won’t find elsewhere.

Many have prophesied that the print medium is going away. That may be true for some consumer titles, but in the pet specialty market, retailers have told us that they rely on Pet Age print for their industry information by a three-to-one margin over digital formats. This is one of the many reasons we are investing in our print product and offering more content on managing your business, not less. To that end, this is the last publisher’s letter you’ll see from me. I am making way for more important content, the business of pet retailing and while my letter may be going away, I stay committed to steering the Pet Age media brand in serving the industry as it has for the last 45 years and hopefully the next.

All the best,

Allen Basis