The final week of NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute 2024 was marked by a variety of career opportunities and industry visits, as well as some brilliant New York City heat. On Wednesday, June 26th, our class split into three groups, each of which would be visiting a different media company. My group headed uptown, to the historic Hearst Tower by Columbus Circle, where we took a tour of the offices, labs, and studios of Good Housekeeping. Upon entering the office, we were greeted by the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. This Seal is granted to products that the Good Housekeeping Institute has tested and endorsed. The magazine is confident in its endorsements, but knows its reputation comes down to each user’s personal experience, therefore if any product with the Seal proves to be defective, the magazine vouches to personally refund its consumers.
As we walked through the office, the hallways were decorated with products tested throughout the years by the Good Housekeeping Institute. Their standards are so high and their research is so thorough that they banned tobacco advertising back in 1952, twelve years before the US Surgeon General issued a report on the dangers of smoking. They also reported on the dangers of excess sugar in 1927, way before the FDA did.
The floor was filled with different labs, each conducting their own tests on a variety of products they received from companies hoping to be featured in an upcoming issue. We got to see the inside of the hair and skin care lab, where chemists test the different products on real people. Each person sampling the product must wait in a temperature and humidity-controlled room for an hour before testing skincare products to maintain objectivity and consistency. We then went inside the textile lab, where they test different diapers, suitcases, backpacks, and sheets. They have an obstacle course set up to gauge the mobility of every kind of suitcase.
There was a lab filled with washing machines dedicated to testing different laundry detergents, a lab that ground stains into swatches of carpet dedicated to testing different vacuum cleaners, and even a test kitchen, where chefs filmed recipe tutorials. All along the perimeter of the offices and labs were windows which offered a stunning view of Central Park and Columbus Circle.
Toward the end of the tour, we visited the Good Housekeeping living and dining room, which have nearly all the same decor as when the office was built in 1911. Almost every president and first lady since FDR has had a meal in the dining room!
At the end of our trip, we sat down in the conference room with Jane Francisco, the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Director of Good Housekeeping. She gave us a brief history of the magazine and hinted towards the trajectory of the brand, before wrapping up with a Q&A session. As we were getting ready to leave, Jane offered us free copies of Good Housekeeping’s new accessibility issue to take home with us.
Overall, the visit to Good Housekeeping opened our eyes to the magazine’s rich history and rigorous testing standards. We departed with a newfound appreciation for the institution and were all excited to check and see if any of our belongings had earned the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.
Sara Pence is a recent SPI graduate from San Diego, California. She currently lives in New York City and hopes to someday be a literary agent and work in children’s literature.
