VIPLINEUP.com

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THE LINEUP e-magazine was created to enhance the lifestyles of a diverse and affluent audience, and satisfy the demands of a segment that is self described in some or all aspects as:

    "…too old for the club scene, too active to ‘just sit at home at watch TV', too busy to navigate through all of the various media to find appealing activities, searching for more ways to socialize with their peers, currently living or aspiring to live an affluent lifestyle, and maintaining a cross cultural perspective and lifestyle with an attraction to entertainment and events of diverse origin."
MEDIUM
Weekly e-magazine and web site
CONTENT
Select entertainment and lifestyle listings, and 7 editorial sections
COVERAGE
San Francisco and East Bay
AUDIENCE
Aspiring, affluent, educated
Size
12,000 adult "opt-in" subscribers
Age
25 - 54, avg 38 years
Income
Avg income $75k - $100k
Ethnicity
68% African American*, 25% Caucasian, 7% Other
Gender
60% male, 40% female

Affluent audience • Opt-in subscriber base • Multicultural appeal

Selective & diverse event listings • Quality & relevant editorial


FORMAT - THE LINEUP is a weekly e-magazine, featuring lead-in summaries of 7 editorial columns (book reviews, Caribbean travel, tech news, movie reviews, relationships, wine advice, sports), a photo gallery, and a listing of Top Pick recommendations on entertainment and lifestyle events. VIPLINEUP.COM is the complementary website to THE LINEUP e-newsletter. It provides the full text version of the editorial columns, as well as an expanded listings database (primarily San Francisco and East Bay events) covering a 60-90 day period.
    THE LINEUP
  • TOP PICKS/PICK OF THE PACK – subjective list of the week's best activities (editor's choice)

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  • OUT AND ABOUT – the week in review, a photo journal of the past week's highlights

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  • MARQUEE - celebrity interviews and movie reviews

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  • THE CORKSCREW - expert wine advice and wine country event listings

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  • SOLSPOTS - editorial on Caribbean travel, and listings of the best of Caribbean carnivals and music festivals

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  • LINEUP LIFE - editorial on life, love, like, relationships and networking

  • THE BOOKWORM - book reviews
  • INVENTORY -
    • consumer retail editorial
  • SPORTS REVIEW - Summary coverage of local bay area sports, and national topics of interest

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  • PLAY TO WIN - monthly ticket giveaways

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  • UPWARDLY MOBILE - links to young adult oriented art and public affairs auxiliary groups in the San Francisco and Oakland area


    • VIPLINEUP.COM
  • MUSIC & FESTIVALS - R&B, Jazz Fusion & Soul…plus select mainstream crossover artists

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  • GALAS & EVENTS - upscale Fundraisers, Galas, Special Events & Networking events…includes African American community plus select mainstream activities

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  • EXHIBITS & PERFORMING ARTS - includes African American artists plus select major mainstream

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  • SUMMER BEATS - outdoor summer concerts and events

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  • DINING - Dining with Live Jazz, Dining with Background Music & Late Night Dining listings

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  • PHOTO GALLERY - people, places and events around the Bay Area

AUDIENCE - 12,000 Adults, age 25 – 54 Aspiring, educated, urban professionals.

    THE LINEUP was launched in mid-August 2002 to selected African Americans in the San Francisco and East Bay area fitting the profile of "over 30, aspirational, college educated and affluent." To date it has grown by self-selected viral email and "word of mouth" channels to a much larger and broader audience. Our best estimates indicate an audience that is 68% African American, 25% Caucasian, and 7% Other.

BRAND/APPEAL - THE LINEUP is a brand differentiated from other lifestyle publications
  • Although appealing to a spectrum of readers, THE LINEUP is particularly attractive to the urban professional, who regardless of ethnicity is drawn to the focus, quality and diversity of the event listings and editorial content

  • Its multicultural appeal will likely continue to broaden over time, while specifically gaining market share in the affluent segment of the African American market, where this unique weekly e-magazine stands alone in the lifestyle category.

  • Reflective of the Bay Area community, THE LINEUP speaks to a reader that is not simply categorized by ethnicity or age, but is defined by their mindset
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Rather than addressing the audience as a person with one interest, one style and one perspective –
we see them and speak to them as multidimensional.


KEY FINDINGS - African Americans are active online consumers, who respond more to online offerings and purchase more clothing and music online than the general online population. ( Digital Marketing Services Survey of 800 Internet users, African American and Non-African American, May 2003)

  • SOURCE PREFERENCE – 85% of online African Americans have a strong preference for news and information from the African American perspective


  • INTERNET ACCESS – 43% of online African Americans access the Internet using a broadband connection compared to 36% of the general online population


  • FUTURE INTERNET ACCESS – Among those Internet users who are not currently using a broadband connection, African Americans are 27% more likely to get a broadband connection within the next year than the general online population


  • AD RESPONSE – A majority of African Americans read online ads, and 46% find them informative compared to 26% of the general population


  • CONSUMER ACTION – African Americans are active online consumers, purchasing more clothing/apparel online (48% vs. 41%) and more music/videos (44% vs. 39%) than the general online market


  • CHILDREN INFLUENCE – 74% of online African Americans say the Internet has had a positive effect on their children


  • ONLINE ACTIVITIES – Top three online activities for African Americans are #1: check/send email, #2: access news/headlines and #3: play online games ... African Americans also listen to music online and watch videos more than the general online market

WHAT OUR SUBSCRIBERS ARE SAYING…
The Lineup is great! Thanks for all your hard work.
- Mary Ratcliff, editor of the SF Bay View newspaper, San Francisco

I have enjoyed your updates on things happening in the bay area. You have great concept and an extremely easy way to check a variety of venues by date and category.
- Frankie Ross, Vice President - Merrill Lynch

Michael D's The Lineup" is the best!!!! It's more informative and more thorough than any of my local sources to know what's going in the East Bay/San Francisco Bay Area.
- Alona Clifton, Trustee for the Peralta Community College District, Oakland

This is a great newsletter, Michael, I haven't seen anything as comprehensive and exciting in a long while. Thanks for the invite to participate.
- Mary Brill, General Manager, The Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society

This is a great list! No need to be bored in the Bay Area with a list like this on hand!
- Cheryl BryantBruce, MD, President/Founder, The Gregory Center

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