American Express Publishing has given expanded duties to Steve DeLuca at a time when the company faces growing print competition for the luxury ad dollar.
In the newly created role of svp and publishing director, DeLuca will add oversight for Travel + Leisure while continuing to act as publisher of Departures and Black Ink, a biannual magazine exclusively for Centurion card holders.
T+L will also have its own publisher—Jay Meyer, who moves over from the associate publisher position at AmEx Publishing’s Food & Wine—and all three magazines will maintain separate sales and marketing staffs.
But at a time when print competition for the high-end reader and advertiser is increasing, the company is hoping that having DeLuca in an oversight role will help the company shore up its position.
Bounced just three years ago as publisher from Condé Nast's Details, DeLuca has been on a winning streak at AmEx. Since he took the reins at Departures two years ago, the magazine has seen a 62 percent increase in ad revenue and a 44 percent rise in ad paging.
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