Prestige Through the Years
By Ellen Paris
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ guide to luxury lifestyle, trends, and premier properties is celebrating a milestone 10 years.
Much has changed across the real estate landscape over the last decade. Yet, as Prestige magazine celebrates this landmark anniversary, the concept of home as a treasured retreat continues to dominate purchasing decisions in the global luxury property market. Since its inception in 2014, both print and digital editions of Prestige have garnered a diverse, affluent audience. Published three times a year, the magazine celebrates luxury living with unique editorial content while showcasing unforgettable properties across the globe.
Global Luxury Reveal
“When I joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in the winter of 2013, the brand’s Luxury Collection was just starting to build and I felt there would be value for our network agents and their clients in creating a luxury lifestyle global magazine that spoke to a broad audience featuring topics about people, places, and homes,” recalls Wendy Durand, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications.
“As the first issue was unveiled, it was all fear and joy presenting a publication so bold and beautiful, filled with exquisite properties, editorial content, and images that would take our readers on a global journey,” Durand confides. The team at Unique Homes (Prestige’s custom publisher) collaborated closely with Durand to understand the intended targeted global reach.
“From our first issue, we knew we needed rich content to appeal to audiences from around the world. Our very first feature was on the World Cup in Brazil,” says Durand.
Before we could publish, we needed a name. What’s in a name is a key to the product’s success. “We brainstormed with the publisher of Unique Homes, on a name for the magazine. We wanted one that stood for respect and what we hoped would become a much-admired publication,” Durand says. Today Prestige is distributed in Delta Sky Clubs across 37 major U.S. airports and each issue currently has a print run of 50,000 copies.
The variety of rich editorial content consistently featured in Prestige has informed and transported readers around the world. “We decided every issue would have a feature on a different country,” Durand notes. Previous travel features have explored Dubai’s Rich History, Amazing India, and The Allure of Alaska defining the best resorts, dining adventures, and off-the-beaten-path
cultural activities.
The publication also does a deep dive into luxury market trends that buyers and sellers appreciate, with articles such as Homes With Iconic Views, Adventures At Your Front Door, and Country Life At Its Finest. In the Luxe Life section of the magazine, readers can uncover recent luxury trends, including The New Breed Of Yacht Clubs, Garage Design Gets Revved Up, and Fly Away With Me: Top Destinations For Private Jet Excursions.
Indulge Your Senses
Prestige also brings readers beautiful photographic displays of must-have collectibles from watches to handbags as investment and fashion pieces. In-depth profiles of internationally recognized architects and interior designers take Prestige’s audience behind the scenes of impeccable homes and estates, while world-class chefs and restaurateurs around the globe share their journey to five-star reviews.
As Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ network expanded to include premier global locations, such as India, United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Canada, Mexico, Aruba, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom, the magazine did as well. Gino Blefari, Chairman of HomeServices of America, and Christy Budnick, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, revealed Prestige’s new look in the Spring 2022 issue. “With its elevated appearance, the new Prestige will bring fresh perspectives and a knowledgeable voice to the trends and topics that matter most to our readers,” they penned in their welcome letter.
The business model for luxury lifestyle magazines has continued to evolve and now includes a stronger digital presence. It became clear that reaching a more diverse audience online was key to the publication’s ongoing success, and so was Prestige’s compelling content. “Laura Obagi [Vice President of Global Luxury Marketing and Communications] has elevated our editorial focus,” Durand observes. “She understands exactly what our audiences are excited to read. She executes that knowledge by leading our editorial team to create unique features and signature sections where people get lost in the stories and share them on social media.”
Partnering with Prestige
The company’s network of luxury agents who market their personal brand and exclusive properties in Prestige attest to the publication’s reach and impact. Paul Grover, Co-Founder and Principal Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Robert Paul Properties based in Osterville, Massachusetts, is a loyal Prestige advertiser. “Over the years, Prestige has proven to be one of the best publications for us to have a presence in. The editorial quality is first-class, and the targeted distribution is unrivaled.”
Recently recognized as one of the top real estate professionals across the entire Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network, Grover exclusively represents Cape Cod and the Boston area’s most prestigious homes and estates. “Every time we are featured in Prestige, clients reach out from across the country to let us know how much they enjoyed reading about our listings. This publication truly stands out in its ability to help us engage with a very discerning demographic,” Grover adds.
The many homes featured on the cover of Prestige demonstrate a stunning level of detail and design and often gain attention from high-net-worth decision makers. In Miami, Ashley Cusack, Senior Vice President of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty, and a long-time top producer, knows first-hand the results that a perfect Prestige cover delivers. “In 2022, I listed the Arsht Estate, the first residential property listed over $100 million in the Miami market. This highly unique waterfront opportunity was only going to appeal to a very specific type of buyer and needed as much exposure as possible. It was featured on the cover of the Summer 2022 issue, and I feel not only did this elevate the status of the listing, but Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty as well. The home sold for over $106 million in September of 2022.”
Expanding Prestige's Digital Footprint
Due to the exceptionally strong distribution network from the start, Prestige quickly grew its audience. It is now digitally shared with the entire Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network of more than 50,000 global real estate professionals. The digital edition is also featured on the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices website, drawing more than 16 million visitors in 2023. In addition, Prestige is inserted into Unique Homes magazine both print and digital resulting in a 100,000-plus added readership.
Kathleen Carlin-Russell, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief at Unique Homes Media, Inc. dives into Prestige’s trajectory. “One thing that jumps out at me about the 10 years of Prestige is the growth in the size of the magazine. Between 2014-2024, while many other print publications were shrinking, or perhaps even going out of business, over that same period, Prestige more than doubled in size. Without any doubt, Prestige has been the fastest-growing publication in its category over the last 10 years.”
Digital publishing milestones have strongly contributed to Prestige’s success. “By expanding the Prestige brand digitally in a way that grows year after year, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ global marketing team has taken what started as a print magazine and made it a program that is widely known across all media channels. Prestige now has an omni-channel focus that reaches millions. As affluent readers have moved to digital and social media to do their reading and get their news, Prestige has moved with its audience,” Carlin-Russell confirms.
As Prestige enters its second decade, it’s without a doubt that the publication will continue to evolve while remaining steadfast in delivering rich unique content to an affluent discerning audience.
