Berger Cardone Joins Marie Claire

Following an illustrious, 21-year tenure at Condé Nast—having served as the publisher of storied titles like Allure and Gourmet—Nancy Berger Cardone has a new home. Last December 7, she took the helm at Hearst Magazines’ Marie Claire.

Berger Cardone happened upon the position, she says, rather serendipitously. “During a casual lunch meeting with Michael Clinton, [executive vice president, chief marketing officer and publishing director of Hearst Magazines], he offhandedly asked me which Hearst publication I’d most like to work for, and I immediately responded, Marie Claire.”

A mere two months after Gourmet shut its doors, Berger Cardone was named Marie Claire’s vice president and publisher. “Truthfully, I missed the beauty and fashion worlds,” she confessed in her spacious, modern office space on the 16th floor of Hearst Tower—for which she is still furniture shopping.

“What attracted me most to Marie Claire is that it’s a global brand. We’re introducing our 35th market in Indonesia next month,” she said. “And with that, there’s a real opportunity to tap into international editions around the world—particularly with regard to beauty coverage, since it’s such a global industry, in terms of different treatments and technologies emerging from different parts of the world.”

Berger Cardone was also a long admirer of Marie Claire’s partnership with the cult hit reality series Project Runway—which stars the magazine’s fashion director, Nina Garcia. “The tremendous success of that show has opened up all kinds of opportunities,” she said, including potential future online and retail extensions, in addition to events in Los Angeles, where the show was filmed last season.

In an industry occasionally beset by sameness, Berger Cardone is particularly proud of Marie Claire‘s distinct identity. “Our reader cares about dressing her best and looking her best, but she also cares about what’s going on in the world.” Berger Cardone cited the magazine’s new In the Bag feature to illustrate this fact, which showcases the beauty products in a celebrity’s purse, but in the context of the rest of the items she needs for her everyday life. “It adds a relatable element and completes the feature,” Berger Cardone said.

With the introduction last month of the iPad—which Berger Cardone calls “a promising delivery channel”—she underscored the need to continuously provide content through a multi-tiered approach. “In addition to the monthly book, our readers can sign up for a more frequent newsletter, or she can find article enhancements and social networking opportunities on the web. It builds the brand, builds the audience and keeps people involved.”

A little over two months into her tenure, Marie Claire’s beauty business is already up 20%, and its retail fashion business is up 37%, Berger Cardone said. Asked how she hopes to see the magazine in years to come, she responded, with a smile: “Really big and really thick.”