Social Magazines Unveils Bold Rebrand to Deepen Local Connection

JUNE 2025, St. Augustine, FL – In a move that reaffirms its commitment to authentic community connection, SOCIAL Magazines has announced a brand evolution across its portfolio of city magazines. Rooted in a passion for celebrating the people and places that make St. Johns County unique, the changes reflect the publisher’s growing focus on amplifying the spirit of the cities it serves—starting with a redesigned masthead and a new title debut.

Beginning with its flagship publication that started it all, St. Augustine Social, the magazine debuts a redesigned masthead in the June 2025 issue placing new emphasis on the name “St. Augustine.” First launched in 2014, it has become a cornerstone of community storytelling in the nation’s oldest city. Unlike newer developments in the region, St. Augustine’s deep sense of place and historic identity called for a name that honored that connection. While the word “Social” once led the title, this update underscores a shift in vision. “My heart tells me now that what we do isn’t about us, rather the cities we serve, so we changed it,” said publisher and editor Heather Vreeland.

The rebrand continues as Ponte Vedra Social and St. Johns Social will now be known as River & Coast Social. As northern St. Johns County has grown and evolved, the lines between communities like Fruit Cove, St. Johns, Nocatee and Ponte Vedra have blurred. Residents live, work, and play across zip codes, making a more unified publication the natural next step. Reflecting the rapid growth and evolving identity of northern St. Johns County, the name acknowledges a shared sense of place that transcends traditional boundaries. “In that area, some readers have a St. Augustine address, others Ponte Vedra or St. Johns, some even Fruit Cove,” Vreeland explained. “All of you are part of something big that I felt needed something in common to unite. And so, River & Coast felt right.”

These changes, effective with the June 2025 issues, are more than just cosmetic. They reaffirm SOCIAL Magazines’ long-standing role as a community-builder in an era of algorithm-driven media. “Our mission has always been to give local businesses a place to shine,” Vreeland said. “At a time when residents' access to meaningful content is shaped by behavior-tracking platforms that prioritize clicks over connection, we remain rooted in real storytelling—produced by and for the people who live here.”

Over the years, SOCIAL Magazines has become a highly anticipated fixture in residents’ mailboxes, where they regard each issue as something worth saving, not junk mail. One reader recently saying, “Thank you so much for all the hard work that you do on this publication. It is SUCH an incredible resource in our community. I always enjoy when it shows up in my mailbox! I probably have at least five issues from over the years floating around my house right now because I wanted to go back and read an article or remember a particular business.”

For businesses not yet working with SOCIAL Magazines, the proof is in the pages. When you see the same advertisers appear issue after issue, it’s not by accident, it’s because it works. Their relationship with local businesses is built on long-term trust, not short-term transactions, where the team is not interested in churning through ad clients; they aim to be a consistent, reliable part of their marketing pipeline. “Many of our local partners count on us so deeply that we’re their first call before they consider any other advertising platform” smiles Vreeland.

Beth Tate, owner of Deka Lash, shared the impact of her very first campaign, “After that first Women in Business issue, our numbers nearly doubled. I got a call from Corporate where they basically asked, ‘Hey, we noticed you’re outperforming our other North Florida locations this month. What are you doing different?’ And I got to tell them, ‘You remember that print ad you told me not to run?’ I’m confident that those numbers in March were a result of my advertising with SOCIAL.”

“This is the kind of lasting, measurable value SOCIAL Magazines was created to deliver. We don’t just promote local business, we champion them,” says Vreeland.

As St. Johns County continues to expand in culture, cuisine, and community spirit, the magazine remains the local megaphone — one that champions small businesses, celebrates good news, and keeps neighbors connected.