A Visit to the Apple Store in Soho

December 14, 2010

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is an innovative media company and our strategy has always been to be where ever our consumers are – in print, on TV, on the web, and at retail stores. And now, I am so proud to say that we’re mobile, too! Last week, I was invited to appear at the fabulous Apple Store in the Soho area of Manhattan to showcase our stunning brand new digital issue of Martha Stewart Living called Boundless Beauty. Created specifically for the iPad, we used all the newest tools and technology, providing a fresh and unique way for readers to experience our magazine. We also demonstrated our cookies app, called Martha Stewart Makes Cookies. This app provides home bakers with all the inspiration, information, tools, and functionality they need, right at their fingertips, including more than 50 recipes, shopping lists, “how-to” videos, timers, and techniques. Because digital was part of our business model from the very outset, the Apple Store was a perfect venue for this event. To download our apps, please visit here.

: The Apple store in Soho is located in a former US Post Office.

: Geniuses at work!

: The Soho store is very spacious and has two floors.

: This was the station set up for my appearance, which enabled viewing the iPad up on the big screen.

: A very no-nonsense stage

: Another photo op time

: My Date Night companions were my moderators for the evening – Jim and Brendan.

: As usual, Jim and Brendan were a lot of fun and asked many good questions.

: The whole lecture was filmed and taped for an upcoming podcast.

: A stern warning!

: Our Chief Creative and Editorial Director, Gael Towey, introduced our digital magazine on the big screen.

: The seats at those stations fill up fast!

: A vast array of speaker docks developed for iPods and iPhones is on display.

: Our digital magazine cover of Boundless Beauty, was recently rated by Time Magazine as one of the top ten covers of the year.

: Videos are embedded into the digital magazine, such as this one all about flower arranging.

: There’s a fabulous story about a trip to Alaska, all shot with one photographer and a Canon 5D camera, which can be used for both stills and stunning video.

: Just touch the screen to see what’s inside!

: What is the filling in this flaky phyllo dough?

: We also demoed our fantastic cookie app called Martha Stewart Makes Cookies.

: To select a cookie you want to bake, simply scroll through the cookie runway and touch your choice!

: By using the reshuffle option, you can narrow down the choices on the cookie runway.

: Or scroll through our cookie search wheel to mix and match types and flavors until you find just the right cookie.

: There was ample time for audience Q&A and some very good questions were asked.

: Some of my people sat in the front row – Susan Magrino, Missy Foristall, Sarah Gormley, and Katherine Nash.

: Gael took questions from the audience, as well.

: Can you tell that this audience member is a fan of my dogs? What a great shirt!

: There were lot’s of fans wanting to take pictures of me with their iPhones as I headed out.

: The Apple Store is set up very cleanly, with big tables displaying working models of their products.

: A sign announcing my appearance

: The the central, skylit glass staircase to the second floor of the store where I spoke – you find a diverse group of customers, from hipsters to baby boomers.