Rolling Stone(?) on Magazines
By Andy Jackson, Executibe Director, April 14 2010
My wife subscribes to Rolling Stone, and pointed out to me the two-page ad(?) on pp. 4-5 of the April 15th issue. Opposite a photo of super Olympic swimmer Jim Ficus, in large type, is the following:
We surf the Internet
We swim in magazinesThe Internet is exhilarating. Magazines are enveloping. The Internet grabs you. Magazines embrace you. The Internet is impulsive. Magazines are immersive. And both media are growing.
Barely noticed amidst the thunderous Internet clamor is the simple fact that magazine readership has risen over the past five years. Even in the age of the Internet, even among the groups one would assume are most singularly hooked on digital media, the appeal of magazines is growing.
Think of it this way: during the 12-year life of Google, magazine readership actually increased 11 percent.
What it proves, once again, is that a new medium doesn’t necessarily replace an existing one. Just as movies didn’t kill radio. Just as TV didn’t kill movies. An established medium can continue to flourish so long as it continues to offer a unique experience. And as reader loyalty and growth demonstrate, magazines do.”
There is no identification of who placed this ad, if that is what it is, except for a graphic, identified as a registered trade mark, “Magazines The Power of Print”. Perhaps Rolling Stone is doing this themselves. In any case, I find it apropos everything we are doing in IRMA, and a reminder not to get blown away by the glitz and hullabaloo of the Internet phenom.
Comments:
This ad was produced by the MPA and run in about 100 member magazines. As members, we occasionally run the ads. You can read about it here; http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/magazines/42679/
By Joan Henderson on Jul 02, 2010
Five leading magazine publishers have pitched in on a multimillion-dollar ad campaign touting the “power of print.” They say nearly 1,400 pages of the ads will be sprinkled through magazines including People, Vogue and Ladies’ Home Journal this year.
A recent USA Today article addresses the need for print among the other forms of media that are pulling advertising dollars.
Here’s a little from the article:
Q: What is your opinion on print advertising? Is it dead like some critics say? I see three potential venues for my ad dollar: print, social media, and online. Where would you spend your advertising dollars? — Charles.
A: To put a little spin on Shakespeare, I have come to praise print, not to bury it.
Is it true the world of print media is changing radically? Of course, no secret there. But I also think reports of print’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Go to any magazine stand and you will see what I mean. There are still hundreds of magazines out there, and newspapers big and small are figuring out ways to carry on.
That said, it is equally true that there are fewer ads and fewer print options than a decade ago. Let me suggest, however, that the changes offer the savvy small business person some tremendous opportunities.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/strauss/2010-05-03-print-ads_N.htm
By David Pilcher on May 11, 2010