NEW YORK (AP) – So what will Martha Stewart’s new mission be? Will she reach out to the urban crowd? Will she pursue the hipster teen?

Stewart announced last week as she returned to work following five months in prison that she plans to take Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. in a direction that’s more in touch with ordinary folks than the upscale, perfectionist homemaker she has long appealed to. Marketing experts are questioning how her new mandate will play out in the pages of her magazines and on her new daily TV show.

A big challenge, they say, is for Stewart to reach out to new viewers and readers without alienating her base of loyal fans. She also needs to be sure that her company’s flagship Martha Stewart Living magazine and TV show don’t lose their uniqueness and start looking the same as competitors’ offerings, which in general eschew perfection in favor of helping consumers create a simpler, more comfortable life.

In a speech to employees last week, Stewart promised that her multimedia empire will focus not just on the technical aspects of entertaining and cooking, but also on why such activities are important in nurturing relationships in this uncertain world. Saying she was inspired by the diverse group of people she met in prison, Stewart pledged to “make life better” for everyone.

Through her TV shows and magazines, Martha Stewart has built herself as the arbiter of good style and taste, dictating such activities as the careful art of decorating Easter eggs or creating the perfect pie crust.

Refashioning Stewart’s message comes at a crucial time for the company, which has lost millions of dollars amid a defection of advertisers since her legal problems surfaced almost three years ago.

And although Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has enjoyed a recent surge in its stock price and sympathy for its founder since she went to prison, the brand is still considered tainted, pummeled by several years of negative publicity at a time when the market for home decorating magazines and products has become more competitive.

Real Simple magazine, which offers tips on how to simplify readers’ lives, has developed such a strong following that there will be a weekly TV spinoff this fall, according to spokeswoman Kris Connell. There are other magazines in the offing, including Domino, a home furnishings shopping magazine from Conde Nast Publications, due out later next month.

Meanwhile, other home decorating personalities have gained more clout, particularly Chris Madden, who has articulated her mantra “home as a haven” in 16 books, a TV show and her furniture collection sold at J.C. Penney Co. Inc. And Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. is testing Chris Madden at Home magazine in May.

Madden sees Stewart as migrating toward her point of view.

“I have always talked about the perfection of imperfection, and I have always brought design to the heartland,” she said.

Martha Stewart officials declined to elaborate on the new approach, saying only that the company is “exploring a number of new opportunities … that create value for the company and add new audiences to our already loyal base.”

That could mean more magazine launches in addition to the company’s two-year-old Everyday Food that could cater to different groups including teens, according to Jerry Della Femina, chairman of Della Femina Rothschild Jeary, an advertising company.

But it will also mean revamping Martha Stewart Living magazine, a move that’s risky considering that the publication accounted for one third of the company’s revenue last year. Della Femina speculates that the magazine could offer special sections or supplements geared to special groups such as Hispanics or young couples with children. Articles could feature Stewart cooking with an Italian or other ethnic family, showing how cooking strengthens family bonds. It could also feature articles that have favorite recipes from celebrities, he said.

Brenda White, director of print investment for Starcom USA, which handles media and advertising planning for dozens of companies, said she wasn’t surprised that the company is broadening its reach, but her worry is that Martha Stewart Living could end up “similar to the magazines out there.”

White said she has lots of questions for the company, like “what caused you to make that change, and why are you making that change?” She wondered what impact the company’s plans would have on Martha Stewart Living’s current subscriber base, and whether readers want to see something different in the magazine.

Martin S. Walker, chairman of Walker Communications, a magazine consulting firm, has similar concerns.

“If she moves downscale, she has to be careful to keep the demographics of her audience,” he said. Martha Stewart Living magazine “has less circulation than the big women’s service magazines. She can’t win on mass. She can win on quality.”

Della Femina is more upbeat, noting that “all good products have to change. And certainly there could be no better time.”

He added, “Even if they come out to the same place, she wins because she’s Martha, and they’re not.”

Madden and executives from Real Simple are unfazed by Stewart’s planned changes.

“Competition is a healthy thing, but it is not what motivates us,” said Connell, Real Simple’s spokeswoman.

Real Simple “has been all about making things easier than more complicated,” she said.

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On the Net:

www.chrismadden.com

www.marthastewart.com

www.realsimple.com