COVER OF 75TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE WILL USE ELECTRONIC PAPER
Revolutionary October Issue Provides Glimpse into the Future of Media
Ford Flex Partners with Esquire to Feature Ground-Breaking Technology
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New York, NY – July 21, 2008 – Esquire, one of America’s iconic magazines, is turning 75 this year. As part of the celebration of this milestone, the October issue will be the first magazine ever to embed a revolutionary digital technology – electronic paper – into a mass-produced print product.
In partnership with the all-new Ford Flex Crossover and in collaboration with E Ink Corporation, the world's leading supplier of electronic paper display (EPD) technologies, Esquire’s groundbreaking cover will make a profound statement about how the print medium can expand its capabilities while continuing to exploit its own unique strengths. Ford will prominently feature its highly-anticipated Ford Flex on the inside cover, utilizing the same E Ink VizplexTM flexible display technology, in a double-page advertisement.
“This cover is both a breakthrough for magazines and an expression of the theme of our anniversary issue,” said David Granger, editor-in-chief, Esquire. “We’ve spent 16 months making this happen as one of the ways we’re demonstrating that the 21st century begins this fall. The entire issue is devoted to exploring the ideas, people and issues that will be the foundation of the 21st century.”
In the summer of 2007, Esquire and Hearst, Esquire’s parent company, contracted E Ink to develop a version of their electronic paper technology (which is used in devices like Amazon’s Kindle and other eBooks/eNewspapers) that could be used in a magazine. Throughout 2008, E Ink and Hearst’s manufacturing division have worked diligently to surmount the myriad manufacturing challenges the project presented. When the cover appears on newsstands in September, words and images will scroll across the flexible electronic paper display.
The team at Ford was made aware of the 75th Anniversary Edition by Esquire last year, and there was an immediate link to the launch of the daring new Flex Crossover.
"Flex is a breakthrough product for Ford and the Esquire opportunity offered us the chance to show the vehicle in a way we could never previously have imagined," said Jim Farley, Ford’s Group Vice President of Marketing and Communications. "This is an industry first. Ford has a long and rich history of breaking down barriers and bringing to market new technologies for the masses, so this opportunity fits our brand perfectly."
The October issue and cover is the pinnacle of Esquire’s anniversary year. In the months leading up to the Anniversary issue, Esquire has re-created classic cover images, devoted page 75 of each issue to a look at a defining aspect of Esquire’spast, and reflected on some of the signature elements of the magazine’s history.
In addition, Esquire commissioned renowned new media artist Lincoln Schatz to create “Esquire’s Portrait of the 21st Century,” featuring more than 40 “generative portraits” of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century. That list will be revealed as the centerpiece of the October issue.
Esquire will distribute 100,000 issues with the special cover on newsstands. They will be available at Borders, Barnes & Noble and select newsstand vendors.
About Esquire:
Esquire (www.esquire.com), published by Hearst Magazines, was the winner of the 2007 National Magazine Award for “Reporting” and the 2006 award for "General Excellence," and is the most-honored monthly magazine in America with a total of 19 awards. Readers can also interact with the brand on the digital front, with Esquire mobile (m.esquire.com). In addition to its U.S. flagship, Esquire publishes 16 editions around the world.
Hearst Magazines is a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com ), one of the nation's largest diversified communications companies with interests in magazines, newspapers, digital media, business media and television. As one of the world’s largest publishers of monthly magazines, Hearst Magazines has nearly 200 editions around the world, including 19 U.S. titles and 20 magazines in the United Kingdom, published through its wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited. Hearst reaches more adults than any other publisher of monthly magazines in the U.S. (77.4 million total adults, according to MRI, fall 07). Through its digital media unit, Hearst Magazines operates 18 web sites and nine mobile sites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire and Seventeen, as well as non-magazine brand sites such as TheDailyGreen.com, MisQuinceMag.com and MyPromStyle.com. In 2007, Hearst Digital acquired the eCrush Network (eCRUSH.com, eSPIN.com), Kaboodle.com and RealAge.com to round out its growing portfolio of interests for teens and women.
About E Ink Corporation
E Ink Corporation is the world's leading supplier of electronic paper display (EPD) technologies. E Ink's technology is ideal for many consumer and industrial applications spanning handheld devices, eBooks, PC-accessories, watches, clocks, and public information displays and promotional signs. E Ink is a private corporation that includes among its investors and strategic partners TOPPAN Printing Company, The Hearst Corporation, Intel Capital, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and Motorola, Inc. E Ink news can be found at: www.eink.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 228,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.