AMERICAN EXPRESS AND AMERICAN EXPRESS PUBLISHING CREATE EXCLUSIVE NEW PUBLICATION FOR CENTURION® MEMBERS
New Magazine, Which Has No Name, Provides Bespoke Editorial to a Very Small and Limited Audience of Both Tremendous Influence and Affluence
NEW YORK, September 13, 2004 -- American Express announces the latest benefit exclusively for Centurion® members – a new magazine to be published quarterly by American Express Publishing Corporation. “The Magazine” will have no name or logo and the first cover is designed – and signed – by Tomas Maier, Creative Director of Bottega Veneta.
The Centurion Card is all about mystique, distinction, and exclusivity, and those qualities are incorporated into the design and editorial of “The Magazine.”
“We mean for this publication to be just as special and just as inimitable as its audience. Each issue will be unlike any other,” says Editor in Chief Richard David Story who also edits Departures magazine, published for Platinum Card® and Centurion Card members.
“The Magazine's” exclusive content will provide lifestyle information with refreshing twists and new perspectives. Stories in the first issue include an exclusive look at the Mirabella V, the world's largest single-mast sailboat; a visit to the remote Serra Cafema Safari Lodge in Namibia; a profile of St. Louis insurance tycoon, art collector, and Napa winemaker Donald Bryant, Jr., who produces the most coveted American Cabernet; and anecdotes from Centurion members giving a peek at their lifestyle. The oversized 10” x 12 ¾” publication will be delivered in a customized black box to Centurion members mid-September.
The Centurion Card, which pushes the boundaries of what a card can offer, is designed to provide extraordinary benefits and services to individuals with demanding lifestyles who need a high level of personalized service. “The Magazine” was conceived to further enhance Departures, the luxury lifestyle magazine covering travel, food, shopping, arts and culture for American Express Platinum Card and Centurion Card members.
“We continue to try to surprise and delight our Centurion members, who want elite access and tips on how to experience once-in-a-lifetime events,” said Sylvia Bass, Vice President of Platinum Card and Centurion Card Product Marketing, American Express Company. “This special edition magazine, available only for our Centurion members, will help feed their appetite for new information that caters to their lifestyle.”
“Through 14 years of Departures, we have established a very intimate relationship with and real understanding of affluent, luxury-minded readers,” Story added. “This new publication is meant to expand on that franchise.”
Kathi Doolan, VP/Publisher of Departures, will act as publisher with Departures' Director of Marketing Erica Kasel overseeing marketing and sponsorships. The four sponsors for the first issue are: Lexus, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, St. Regis Hotels, and Tiffany.
In 1999, as an outgrowth of its successful Platinum Card, American Express introduced the Centurion Card. Designed for individuals who travel frequently, entertain often and value personalized service, the Centurion Card offers highly customized personal services and access to elite travel benefits. Centurion membership is offered by invitation only. The annual fee is $2,500.
American Express is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company founded in 1850. It is a world leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, financial planning, business services, insurance and international banking.
DEPARTURES is published seven times per year by American Express Publishing. Created exclusively for American Express Platinum Card® and Centurion Card members, DEPARTURES is the leading authority on the luxury lifestyle. American Express Publishing, a subsidiary of the American Express Company and managed by Time, Inc., also publishes Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure Golf, Travel + Leisure Family and Executive Travel SkyGuide.
